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From 'Howdy' to 'Here'

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Candles are lit during the Muster ceremony to represent those who have died and are being honored.

Aggie Muster proves that once an Aggie, always an Aggie

Texas A&M holds perhaps its most revered and reflective of traditions each April, during which Aggies around the world remember those they’ve lost in the last year. 

     Aggie Muster is a tradition held April 21 each year, and is rooted in Texas A&M’s military school past. It is dedicated to honoring all Aggies who have died throughout the year. While the main ceremony is held on the Texas A&M campus, alumni groups located all around the globe make it a point to meet and pay their respects.

     Julia Graham, Traditions Council chair and genetics senior, said a number of different parts come together to make up the Muster ceremony.

     “Everyone files in; typically it’s held at Reed Arena,” Graham said. “They’ll have several speakers, so a lot of times the student body president will talk, we’ll have a keynote speaker that will speak, the [university] president often says a few words … And then they go into the Roll Call.”

     During Roll Call, the names of any former and current students are called out and members of the audience who feel compelled to do so say “Here” to

symbolize that while that Aggie is no longer living, those who knew and loved them will stand in their place. 

     Graham said Aggie Muster represents to her the steadfastness and permanence of the Aggie family.

     “Muster shows that no matter what you do, no matter where you go, no matter who you are, if you’ve gone to A&M, once you’re an Aggie you’re always an Aggie,” Graham said. “Muster is much bigger than just the ceremony … That’s just one aspect of Muster. Muster really is not supposed to be a sad, solemn thing — it started as a celebration. It’s a time of reflection and remembering.”

     Daniel Moore, awareness executive on the Muster Committee and mechanical engineering senior, said the values behind traditions such as Aggie Muster are what set Texas A&M apart.

     “To me, Muster is one of the best and one of the most amazing traditions on campus,” Moore said. “I think traditions are part of what makes A&M so special, not the tradition itself, but the fact that these traditions cause us to hold these values so dear. Just how Aggies take care of each other, even if they don’t know one another. I think it’s really cool to get to come together and honor someone because 

everyone deserves to be honored, and Muster is a great way to do that.”

     Carly Morrison, ceremony logistics co-executive for the Muster Committee and psychology senior, said perhaps the most famous Aggie Muster was the one held during the Battle of Corregidor — a conflict over the Philippines which took place shortly after the United States’ entrance into WWII.

     “The Muster at Corregidor — that’s the Muster that got people knowing what Texas A&M was and what Muster was,” Morrison said. “While on Corregidor, they had walkie-talkies, and were able to answer ‘Here’ for those Aggies that had passed away on the island.”

     Being honored at Muster is, in a way, a part of the Aggie experience, Morrison said.

     “When I first came to A&M, I remember everybody was saying ‘Howdy,’ and I kind of knew that that’s where my time started,” Morrison said. “And as I learned more about A&M and about the traditions around this university, I realized that there was an ending as well as a beginning. The beginning, ‘Howdy,’ is when we’re welcomed here. And the best part about A&M is the word ‘Here’ — the closure.”

By Matthew Jacobs
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