2016 Final Review is on Saturday at Simpson Drill Field.

I know that it was originally held here, before moving to Kyle Field and had moved back from Kyle for the past few years due to the stadium construction. But does the fact that it again is going to be at Simpson mean that a decision has been made to keep Final Review at Simpson going forward?

I certainly hope it remains on its historic site, where so many others have walked their Final Review. We were denied that opportunity as Zips while the Drill Field was being renovated.

It appears the Commandant's Office has made a concerted effort to ensure the continuation of this tradition, upgrading facilities and opportunities. More power to them.

I wonder if there is some fund to contribute to support temporary stands?

General. Could you address the previous question. Will there be fund raising effort for these improvements and if so, will it come through your office, the CCA, the AFS, or some other organization?

As I said before, more to follow. Still in the development stage of all of this, but once we get something more solid concerning plans for Simpson, and potentially how to contribute, we'll let you know.

Glad to hear the concepts.

Re-orienting the review so that the Reviewing Stands and temporary bleachers on the north side has both merit and a historical basis. It used to face where north, with Hollywood Shacks/Law/Puryear behind the reviewing stand.

Final Review 1941:

I understand the historical significance of Final Review on Simpson but as a parent it is awful. You cannot see anything unless you are on the front row. As the Corps grows it only gets worse.

I know I am going to get blasted telling me Final Review is for the Corps not mommy & daddy. If that is the case then why allow parents to attend?

My older cadet marched Final Review in Kyle all four years and it meant as much as Simpson means to all you old ags. Though I doubt you thought Simpson was anything special when you were marching on it. It is only now you see any significance. Kyle is where the Corps marches every football game so really it has a special meaning too.

At Kyle we could see the unit, our cadet and get pictures. Now I have a fish and have been to Simpson for fish review and parents review (both specifically for parents) we arrived what seemed early for both but yet not early enough to get in a position to see our cadet and his company. Forget taking any pictures. I am not expecting much for Final Review. We will be there because we are expected and our cadet wants us there. I am not looking forward to it like I did the first trip through the Corps.

So there is the opinion from an Aggie Mom. Blast away.

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I understand the historical significance of Final Review on Simpson but as a parent it is awful. You cannot see anything unless you are on the front row. As the Corps grows it only gets worse.

I know I am going to get blasted telling me Final Review is for the Corps not mommy & daddy. If that is the case then why allow parents to attend?

My older cadet marched Final Review in Kyle all four years and it meant as much as Simpson means to all you old ags. Though I doubt you thought Simpson was anything special when you were marching on it. It is only now you see any significance. Kyle is where the Corps marches every football game so really it has a special meaning too.

At Kyle we could see the unit, our cadet and get pictures. Now I have a fish and have been to Simpson for fish review and parents review (both specifically for parents) we arrived what seemed early for both but yet not early enough to get in a position to see our cadet and his company. Forget taking any pictures. I am not expecting much for Final Review. We will be there because we are expected and our cadet wants us there. I am not looking forward to it like I did the first trip through the Corps.

So there is the opinion from an Aggie Mom. Blast away.

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I don't think anyone challenges your position that the seating for Simpson Drill Field is highly limited. It has been that way since the beginning and was true when the Corps was twice its present size. When parents made the trip to see the military review on the drill field, they always encountered this issue, as this is a student function between the Corps and its reviewing officers.

Like many of the Corps, participation is part of a family tradition, so many are aware, while participating, of the significance of the Drill Field when reviews were conducted. Its where Final Review has historically been held.

I ask that you review the post by the Commandant. He clearly is aware of the challenge and is assessing concepts to address. Returning the orientation to the historical north facing and adding high, temporary bleacher seating certainly begin to address the shortcoming you discuss.

Excellent response my man. It's always nice to see that we can discuss a situation, hearing different points of view and work toward a solution without questioning anyone's ancestry or love for Texas A&M.

Everyone is right here. Aggie Mom is right.... Final Review was at Kyle when my kids were cadets... seating was plentiful and it was easy to see your cadets, their unit, and the whole spectacle of Final Review was a sight to see from the elevated grandstands.

FR was at Simpson when I was a cadet back in the Stone Age, and all the problems that were present back then for spectators are still there today. Luckily, they are problems that can all be remedied with that most magic of all elixers.... money. Move the Kelly Reviewing Stand to the north side of the field. Build permanent stands the length of the field on the north side (and we'll need the capacity, as FR at Kyle was drawing several thousand, pretty much filling up the first deck on the west side). Maybe even some contingency for temporary stands on either the west or east ends.

It can all be done, and done well. Simpson is our history, and it's appropriate to have FR there but obviously improvements need to be made. But we've got to get the Quad finished and get the Music Bldg out of the ground. All things in their time, but it can all be done. Kudos to the Commandant, his response indicates that this issue has already been addressed at more than a basic level and there's at least a draft plan in place for the project.

Keep your checkbook at the ready.....

I dunno. Extensive permanent stands at Simpson would sit empty 99% of the year and ugly up what should be one of the central campus' nicest green spaces. If simply providing sufficient temporary stands at FR isn't acceptable, what about an unobtrusive grass berm to elevate visitor's viewpoint, instead? Surely all those bright minds at the architecture college can come up with some innovative solutions.

Personally, though, I'm ok with visitors having an imperfect view at one Corps event a year as they've done for the last century or so. Seems to me if the choice is between what makes sense for the campus and Corps vs visitor's convenience, it's an easy decision........

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I dunno. Extensive permanent stands at Simpson would sit empty 99% of the year and ugly up what should be one of the central campus' nicest green spaces. If simply providing sufficient temporary stands at FR isn't acceptable, what about an unobtrusive grass berm to elevate visitor's viewpoint, instead? Surely all those bright minds at the architecture college can come up with some innovative solutions.

Personally, though, I'm ok with visitors having an imperfect view at one Corps event a year as they've done for the last century or so. Seems to me if the choice is between what makes sense for the campus and Corps vs visitor's convenience, it's an easy decision........

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You've got a point about the berms.... that would be nice, although you'd have to deal with the drainage issues and whether or not people could actually clamber up them. As my dad used to say, this is all above my pay grade.

As far as being empty 99% of the year, so is Kyle Field. 6-7 home games/year, plus (now) a spring game. The drill field hosts what, 4-5 reviews/year....I can think of 4 (fish, SCONA, Parents Weekend, Final Review).

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I dunno. Extensive permanent stands at Simpson would sit empty 99% of the year and ugly up what should be one of the central campus' nicest green spaces. If simply providing sufficient temporary stands at FR isn't acceptable, what about an unobtrusive grass berm to elevate visitor's viewpoint, instead? Surely all those bright minds at the architecture college can come up with some innovative solutions.

Personally, though, I'm ok with visitors having an imperfect view at one Corps event a year as they've done for the last century or so. Seems to me if the choice is between what makes sense for the campus and Corps vs visitor's convenience, it's an easy decision........

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You've got a point about the berms.... that would be nice, although you'd have to deal with the drainage issues and whether or not people could actually clamber up them. As my dad used to say, this is all above my pay grade.

As far as being empty 99% of the year, so is Kyle Field. 6-7 home games/year, plus (now) a spring game. The drill field hosts what, 4-5 reviews/year....I can think of 4 (fish, SCONA, Parents Weekend, Final Review).

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True, but unlike Simpson, Kyle isn't one of the campus' primary green spaces all year long. It would seem the simplest compromise between tradition and convenience is more temporary stands that provide the view visitors want while not permanently cluttering up green Simpson with rarely used structures......

Simpson is holy ground.

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Simpson is holy ground.

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This, and I am very comfortable with the Commandant's comments/plans.

I'll never forget the stories I heard from old Ags about Gen. Westmoreland reviewing the Corps in 1970 on commissioning weekend (he was the speaker/guest of honor at commissioning in GRW). It was said that he stood in a driving rainstorm on Simpson Drill Field wearing his issue raincoat and Garrison cap rain cover (without benefit of an umbrella) and took every outfit's salute.

General Westmorland spoke at my commissioning in 1970. I don't remember the rain storm, maybe the good general came back another time. Are you sure you don't have that confused with General Eisenhower at his review of the Corps after WW II.

It did rain at Final Review in 1970. None of us juniors put our boots on for the second go-round.

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General Westmorland spoke at my commissioning in 1970. I don't remember the rain storm, maybe the good general came back another time. Are you sure you don't have that confused with General Eisenhower at his review of the Corps after WW II.

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Thanks for your service!

I looked at the 1970 Aggieland online and found a pic of Gen. Westmoreland in his rain gear at the commissioning review (according to the caption under pic on page 82). Perhaps the story was embellished over the years, but it appears there was rain.

Final Review was outstanding this morning!!

Is Parent's Weekend not at Kyle Field right now? I remember folks here saying that PW was for parents, so it makes sense to have it at Kyle, but FR is for cadets, so it should be at Simpson. I felt that was an appropriate compromise to appease both sides. We had all our reviews at Kyle when I was a cadet, except for "Fall Review" which was at Simpson.

Upon further review of final review of 1970 and consultation with my classmates, I guess it did rain. I guess one more Brazos Valley frog strangler didn't make that much an impression on me. One of my classmates said he shook hands with General Westmoreland years later and mentioned it to him to which the General told my classmate it was the worst storm he'd seen in 40 years.

Something I will never forget that day was the shock on my mother's face when I walked out of dorm 9 and she saw me in my greens for the first time.

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My older cadet marched Final Review in Kyle all four years and it meant as much as Simpson means to all you old ags. Though I doubt you thought Simpson was anything special when you were marching on it. It is only now you see any significance. Kyle is where the Corps marches every football game so really it has a special meaning too.

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So you tell us that marching FR on Simpson meant nothing to us, but marching FR for your cadet on Kyle meant something. Seems very hypocritical.

without a doubt the speciating part is bad for any guest.

But don't tell me that it meant nothing to me or anyone else.

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My older cadet marched Final Review in Kyle all four years and it meant as much as Simpson means to all you old ags. Though I doubt you thought Simpson was anything special when you were marching on it. It is only now you see any significance. Kyle is where the Corps marches every football game so really it has a special meaning too.

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So you tell us that marching FR on Simpson meant nothing to us, but marching FR for your cadet on Kyle meant something. Seems very hypocritical.

without a doubt the speciating part is bad for any guest.

But don't tell me that it meant nothing to me or anyone else.

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I don't think that's what she's saying at all. I think what she's saying is that Final Review is what has meaning to cadets. Cadets that had it on Kyle Field hold it as a dear memory just like those that had it on Simpson. I had it on Kyle my 4 years, and never actually did a review on Simpson. So to me, I don't see holding it on Simpson as anything special, which is the opposite of y'all. I actually remember our entire class turning around and marching towards the sideline and getting a standing ovation by our families and thought that was pretty cool.

While Kyle certainly has its own special place in Aggie lore, it's only on Simpson that I so strongly feel the ghosts of the many generations of cadets who passed in Final Review there over the last 100+ years. Our own "long grey line" of war dead and Medal of Honor winners, for example. As a senior, standing for the last time on A&M's ancient drill field with the entire Corps assembled around you is an experience that simply cannot be replicated at Kyle, nor adequately explained to others. Almost every other venue at A&M is shared by all students and used for many purposes, but Simpson has always belonged to the Corps alone.

It would be a shame to abandon all that just for spectator's convenience. In the meantime, yes, fix what can be reasonably fixed to make Simpson better for spectators, as well.

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My older cadet marched Final Review in Kyle all four years and it meant as much as Simpson means to all you old ags. Though I doubt you thought Simpson was anything special when you were marching on it. It is only now you see any significance. Kyle is where the Corps marches every football game so really it has a special meaning too.

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So you tell us that marching FR on Simpson meant nothing to us, but marching FR for your cadet on Kyle meant something. Seems very hypocritical.

without a doubt the speciating part is bad for any guest.

But don't tell me that it meant nothing to me or anyone else.

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I don't think that's what she's saying at all. I think what she's saying is that Final Review is what has meaning to cadets. Cadets that had it on Kyle Field hold it as a dear memory just like those that had it on Simpson. I had it on Kyle my 4 years, and never actually did a review on Simpson. So to me, I don't see holding it on Simpson as anything special, which is the opposite of y'all. I actually remember our entire class turning around and marching towards the sideline and getting a standing ovation by our families and thought that was pretty cool.

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Thank you Big Truck, that is exactly what I meant. It is actually Final Review that has meaning. If Kyle is all you knew for reviews it had as much meaning as Simpson did for previous years.

Big Truck- Parents Review is also at Simpson. From what I am understanding there will be no reviews to be held anywhere else.

Big Truck - I was one of those parents giving the dead zips a standing O in '09. It was also nice to be able to watch the units pass by their seniors on second pass and see the reactions. I shed a few tears all four years watching it. Just as I saw some Zips wiping their eyes yesterday.

Aggie Mom has the right of it.

I 100% understand wanting to keep final review and other reviews at Simpson; however I do think what made Simpson special was that it is was where we marched. Had we marched at Kyle I imagine we would have similar feelings about Kyle. Our Corps (and university) has changed radically in the last 100 years, and those changes seem to be speeding up. Parents are vastly more involved now than before & most of our cadets are not joining the military. Rather than spend money to alter Simpson (changing the tradition) or spend money on temporary bleachers: give those funds to cadets. Create more scholarships. Subsidize housing and meal costs. Further subsidize uniform (boots, sabers, ect...) costs. I believe the vast majority of current cadets (and their parents) would far prefer a little extra money (& less debt) and a better view of final review than a field steeped in their predecessors history. I could be wrong. My oldest is still a few years away from going to college. It just seems exponentially more practical to have Final Review at Kyle than commit to facility upgrades which will be unused 361+ days a year.

Aggie mom,

My parents parked their RV next to Simpson Drill Field and sat on the roof of it for an excellent view.