The dictionary definition of muster is to assemble, sometimes used to describe a formal military inspection. But at A&M, Muster means so much more than one night that we gather in Reed Arena. Muster is the family reunion for the Aggie Spirit and a time when the Aggie Spirit is stoked within all those that attend.
To explain Muster, I could talk about its history. I could tell you that the first planned Muster Ceremony on campus was in 1944, but the day had been celebrated going back to 1883. The most famous Muster was on the island of Corregidor in 1942 when the Aggies defending the island from the Japanese took the time to remember their fallen comrades. The history of Muster is as rich as A&M’s history but just knowing its history does not fully encapsulate muster.
I might try to explain the activities of Muster. The class that is celebrating its 50 year reunion comes back to campus and reminisces on old times. There is a barbeque that the alumnus and current students meet and talk about A&M and the good times we both have had here. The ceremony of Muster includes a remembrance for those who have fallen in the last year as well as a speaker and a reflection of the fifty-year reunion class’ time at A&M. But just saying what these events are does not adequately describe their impact.
As a junior in high school, I was informed by my sister, then a sophomore at A&M, that I would be attending Muster because, and I quote, “You have to.” Although I was excited for the chance to come hang out with college students, I was not looking forward a somber ceremony for people I did not know that went to a university I did not yet attend. However, a family friend was going to be honored during Muster and, after talking briefly with the other members of the family, I realized that they were comforted by the knowledge that students wanted to remember him. So I entered Reed with trepidation and a minute understand of Muster’s effects.
But I left Reed touched with the Aggie Spirit. Hearing the Roll Call for the Absent allowed me to understand how closely each Aggie is truly cared for and loved. The speaker spoke about the class of 1962 and I realized how much had changed at A&M but more importantly how much had stayed the same. I saw the Singing Cadets perform for the first time, the group that I would join two years later. This experience led me to become an Aggie and I will forever be grateful for the way my sister forced me to spend Apr. 21, 2012.
This year, I implore every current student to attend the campus Muster Ceremony. It means so much to the families of fallen Aggies to have all those that were touched by their loved ones there to call “Here.” You would want those people to be there if it were you. It is meaningful to connect past and present Aggies and bind the family closer together. There is something that I cannot explain about Muster and you need to be there to feel it. “The truest respect we can give today in remembering the spirit of Muster is to preserve it. To live it. To be there.”
“Here.”
Will you be?
