For no particular reason, I recently began thinking about the Captain Midnight uniforms. Does anyone know when these came into use, and when they began to be called "Captain Midnights"? My Dad, Class of '42, still had a Captain Midnight shirt when I was a kid, and I see a number of pictures in his 1941 "Longhorn" with cadets wearing Captain Midnights. But I don't remember him ever referring to his shirt by that name...it was just "one of his A&M uniform shirts". I seem to remember somewhere, sometime hearing that these were originally Army Air Corps uni's, but that may be a figment of my imagination.

Also, I can't remember seeing any cadets wearing these in the last few years, but maybe it just didn't register with me. Are they still worn? When I was a student (early '60's), Jr.'s and Sr.'s would frequently change into "Midnights" on game day after March-In or Corps Trip parade was over. Usually, these were worn with really outlandishly modified brass, crafted by curving them around the tops of broom handles and filing them smooth in various, but obviously "non-reg" ways.

If these are not worn anymore, does anyone know when and why it was stopped?

I have one of my father's old "midnight" shirts (he was class of '44); I still have mine ('71).

The shirt was part of the pre-WWII standard issue army officer's winter uniform. You can see it worn in such movies as 12 O'Clock High and also in Band of Brothers. It was not just an Air Corps uniform.

As the current Corps Commandant has told us on these boards, when he arrived on campus, there were not enough of the old Class A winter blouses to be issued to everyone, so the midnight shirt became the replacement.

He eventually found a supplier for the blouses, and now the shirts are a junior/senior privilege as they used to be.

I also remember when I was a fish that some seniors would curve and shave their brass and wear AMC brass instead of AMU. That had passed, for the most part, by the time I was a senior.

Never heard "Captain", we always just called them "Midnights". And they were a white belt privilege. Appropriate to any event where class A was the uniform, but as OP said, not formation or March-in.

In my day, any upperclassman could curve and shave brass. This ranged from a slight curve and shave to extreme. I always thought such brass looked a lot better, especially the Band Lyre. Pullout brass was not uncommon. AMC was popular. I was in White Band, a descendant of Infantry Band, then in B CO INF Band. I occasionally wore dad's ('49) C CO INF crossed rifles behind my Band Lyre, for "infantry band".

quote:

---

Never heard "Captain", we always just called them "Midnights". And they were a white belt privilege. Appropriate to any event where class A was the uniform, but as OP said, not formation or March-in.

In my day, any upperclassman could curve and shave brass. This ranged from a slight curve and shave to extreme. I always thought such brass looked a lot better, especially the Band Lyre. Pullout brass was not uncommon. AMC was popular. I was in White Band, a descendant of Infantry Band, then in B CO INF Band. I occasionally wore dad's ('49) C CO INF crossed rifles behind my Band Lyre, for "infantry band".

---

This.

BQs still wear crossed cannons (or rifles, I guess, if that's your cup of tea) in midnights/ A's

I once wore my King Rex parade medal from Mardi Gras on my Midnight as a zip pullout.

quote:

---

I once wore my King Rex parade medal from Mardi Gras on my Midnight as a zip pullout.

---

Lots of BQs had UIL medals from high school band. It wasn't unusual to see one pulled out on game day. Pesonally, I had an Amarillo Tri-State Music Festival medal that was triangular, and had a maroon/white/maroon hanger. Cracked me up to see the double-takes and people trying to figure it out without openly staring.

quote:

---

BQs still wear crossed cannons (or rifles, I guess, if that's your cup of tea) in midnights/ A's

---

wasn't a common practice in the 80's

quote:

---

quote:

---

BQs still wear crossed cannons (or rifles, I guess, if that's your cup of tea) in midnights/ A's

---

wasn't a common practice in the 80's

---

In 1999 - 2003, we wore them on A's, but not midnights (where would you even put them on midnights?).

quote:

---

In 1999 - 2003, we wore them on A's, but not midnights (where would you even put them on midnights?).

---

You put the rifles on where your Band Lyre or Corps Brass would go, then place the Band Lyre over the center. Total non-authorized pull-out.

But I liked it. Also gave me a way to wear Dad's brass.

I wore Army Air Corps wings/prop on my serge and my midnights since I was in Sq 13 Day Ducks my zip year after returning from active duty to finish up my degree.
We also shaved and curved our brass plus, we blacked in our Junior and Senior and Corps stacks. I even blacked in my navy warfare device when I earned it so it wouldn't look like it came out of a Cracker Jack box!
We had one guy who drilled a hole thru his 2LT button so he could be a "zero" vs "moonman" to represent how much effort he planned to expend after not getting a position with more than one button.

quote:

---

I shaved my blackbelt buckle as a fish. I spent 10 minutes during CQ rubbing it on the cement wall behind my hutch until I ground the creases off the ends. I then spent every CQ for the rest of the week rubbing that damn thing on an index card before I even bothered to get the Brasso out. My mini-whitebelt buckle was beautiful when I was finished but my buddies didn't think much of it after a pisshead found it.

---

Haha. Which pisshead found it?

The midnight uniform, in some form, dates to around 1917. See 1918 Yearbook. This was the B uniform of the day. A Uniform was the Jacket and Poplin shirt with Black tie. http://bookreader.library.tamu.edu/book.php?id=yb1918&getbook=Go#page/n220/mode/1up.
Changes occurred over time. Tie was originally black. USROTC patch (in branch color) was added after 1918 but at least by 1925. http://bookreader.library.tamu.edu/book.php?id=yb1925&getbook=Go#page/n158/mode/1up
Note - 1925 Yearbook includes the Composite Regiment, in addition to the Infantry Regiment - which shows the Cav Jock Non-coms wearing the M1917 leggings (bottom row). http://bookreader.library.tamu.edu/book.php?id=yb1925&getbook=Go#page/n172/mode/1up. This is the PMC uniform's basis.
Brass change was at end of 50s
Rank on sleeve for non-coms was late 50s or early 60s
Uncertain when USROTC patch removed and A-G-G-I-E patch replaced with T-star AMC.
Uncertain when tie color changed.
Uncertain when tie tuck occurred.
Uncertain when made white belt privilege (has happened twice. Class of 97 was issued midnights as fish).