Understanding of what the corps is all about. It explains its history and some of the traditions that we have. Texas a m was opened on october the 4th, 1876. Unfortunately, they did not have the student population to start classes. On october 6, 1876, 2 days later, it opened its doors to 40 students. From that point to today where we are not only the Largest University in the state of texas, but we started as the Largest University in the united states. We have approximately 60,000 students on campus of which 2300 of those were members of the corps of cadets. From 1876 for the next 24 years, a m had to struggle in order to maintain. It was not until a former governor of the state of texas came here in 1890 that the university took off. At that point, his reputation allowed the mothers and fathers of the state of texas to want to actually send their sons here to the university. Because it was established under the morrill act of 1862, a m was an all male military institution. The first thing it did was provide public lands to fund higher education. Part of the act required that universities provide not only for the arts and sciences but the focus on the agricultural and Mechanical Engineering portions of education. In addition to that, it required universities to provide training in tactics, military tactics. That is why a m became what it was in 1876. Landgrant college provided a corps of cadets to provide agricultural mechanical education along with military tactics. Finally in 1964, a m became a coed university. Women were allowed to come and in 1965 the corps of cadets became an option. You were no longer required to be a member. In 1974, the first women joined the corps of cadets and it flourished ever since. Todays population is 22 are female. We have 20 come from outofstate. We have a long tradition of attracting young men and women who come here to serve their country in the public or private sector. When i was thinking about where i wanted to go to college, i was originally thinking about North Carolina state. My older sister went here and she said i had to come down and check out the culture of a m and the environment. I followed her down here and she took me to a Football Game and i understood what she meant about a m being a family. I went to a smaller high school where everyone was focused on personal development, making good grades, getting into whatever college they wanted to go to. It was very strange for me to understand how a university could be a family. Coming here and seeing the traditions at a m example five by silver taps, specifically those traditions reflect the core values here which is Selfless Service and that drew me here and resonated with me and how i can develop myself and serve my community and once i leave a m in a global aspect. I am always looking for a challenge. I tried to go for an Athletic Team and then i saw that the corps offered another challenge that is much more mental. I did spend a night with the corps was a great opportunity to understand what you are getting yourself into. I knew i did not want to commission into the military, but i realized that the opportunity that it presented for the living yourself in reaching your full potential. What i would like to do is spend a few minutes talking to you about what is an aggie muster and what that means an aggie muster was called san jacinto day in the early 20th century. San jacinto day was the day that texas made its independence back in 1836. What they used to do is the cadets would go down to san jacinto and they would reenact battles and get them off of the campus for military training that i talked about a little bit earlier. In 1942 at the start of world war ii, this is where aggie muster gained its significance. First and foremost in april and may of 1942, there were the defenders on the philippine islands. General moore was a member of the class of 1908. Before the island fell, one of his officers who was also an aggie, he had him do a muster roll of those aggies that were there on the island and that is what they did. He sent that back so that people would know that they were still alive and safe on the island. Shortly after that, it was forwarded back to the united states, the island fell and they became prisoners of war to the japanese. In 1946, after the island had been repatriated and won back over, the aggies held their first muster there at the entrance to the tunnel. You can see that right here, the 1946 muster. The individuals in that photo are all military for the most part. Those are aggies have come back to the island to be rededicate themselves and to answer for their comrades that were lost during the war. Another significant piece and for me personally having had the opportunity to go to the island and take some cadets there on one of our international excursions, to have been able to go into the tunnels and see exactly how their headquarters was set up. In the photo in the top lefthand photo of the display shows the headquarters tunnel there and while youve got the individuals standing there, if you went there today, it would look exactly like that without the individuals sitting there. They are almost ghostlike in my mind. They represent those aggies that we lost not only during the war but those that we lost through service throughout. Since then, aggie musters are held every year on april 21. The biggest muster is held here in texas and it is a student run event. In 1946 again we had general Dwight Eisenhower who was our muster speaker and he did the