Tomorrow marks the beginning of the end of our son Paul's great journey, Paul picks up his Aggie ring! This all started on a frigid, rainy night, back in 1993, when I took my daughter, my fiance Elizabeth and her two young kids to Aggieland for Bonfire. My daughter was the oldest of the group at 7, Katie was six and Paul was four.
It was a bitterly cold night, with sleet mixed into the 40 mph north winds. The weather was so bad, they had to relight Bonfire several times before it really started to burn. In fact, it snowed in Dallas over night and the Cowboys lost their Thanksgiving Day game, when Leon Lett had a major brainfart on a missed FG try.
We got to Bonfire very early and found a great spot just outside the ropes and the kids were really excited. Then the Corps of Cadets and Band showed up just inside the ropes and the only thing my kids could see was a sea khaki!
Our kids were disappointed and while complaining to us about their view, One of the Cadets heard Katie and asked us if they could pick them up, so they could see. We agreed thinking at the very least this would quiet the kids for a few minutes.
Three members of the Corps of Cadets picked my kids up and sat them on their shoulders, so they all could see. They then took turns, when one of them got tired of holding a kid, they traded off with another cadet, then another and another. They did this throughout the entire Bonfire/Yell Practice, probably 45 minutes or so, from start to finish, I don't believe any of my kids feet touched the ground the entire time.
Now, 22 years later, Paul, the youngest of the three kids, slips on his boots every morning for his Senior year at Texas A&M and tomorrow he will get his Aggie Ring. To an Aggie, getting the Aggie Ring is normally one of the highlights of their lives.
After serving five years in the Navy, Paul is following in his sisters footsteps in the Corps of Cadets, Katie was Squadron 3, Class of '08. As the Executive Officer, he is the second highest ranking member of his outfit and the "proudest member of the Class of '16". I've seen "the boy" excited before, but damn, he's about to bust with excitement.
That simple act of kindness by several members of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets many years ago, made a huge Impression on my kids and probably changed their lives forever. To the Cadets of 1994, THANK YOU, if I could find you, I'd love to buy you dinner or a beer sometime.
It was a bitterly cold night, with sleet mixed into the 40 mph north winds. The weather was so bad, they had to relight Bonfire several times before it really started to burn. In fact, it snowed in Dallas over night and the Cowboys lost their Thanksgiving Day game, when Leon Lett had a major brainfart on a missed FG try.
We got to Bonfire very early and found a great spot just outside the ropes and the kids were really excited. Then the Corps of Cadets and Band showed up just inside the ropes and the only thing my kids could see was a sea khaki!
Our kids were disappointed and while complaining to us about their view, One of the Cadets heard Katie and asked us if they could pick them up, so they could see. We agreed thinking at the very least this would quiet the kids for a few minutes.
Three members of the Corps of Cadets picked my kids up and sat them on their shoulders, so they all could see. They then took turns, when one of them got tired of holding a kid, they traded off with another cadet, then another and another. They did this throughout the entire Bonfire/Yell Practice, probably 45 minutes or so, from start to finish, I don't believe any of my kids feet touched the ground the entire time.
Now, 22 years later, Paul, the youngest of the three kids, slips on his boots every morning for his Senior year at Texas A&M and tomorrow he will get his Aggie Ring. To an Aggie, getting the Aggie Ring is normally one of the highlights of their lives.
After serving five years in the Navy, Paul is following in his sisters footsteps in the Corps of Cadets, Katie was Squadron 3, Class of '08. As the Executive Officer, he is the second highest ranking member of his outfit and the "proudest member of the Class of '16". I've seen "the boy" excited before, but damn, he's about to bust with excitement.
That simple act of kindness by several members of the Fightin' Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets many years ago, made a huge Impression on my kids and probably changed their lives forever. To the Cadets of 1994, THANK YOU, if I could find you, I'd love to buy you dinner or a beer sometime.
