Automatic Eight

That's a pretty bad-arse house. But then again, AU and Bama are pretty cool to visit. As you might imagine, not a stadium snob, love the atmosphere in most of the SEC stadiums, and that kinda makes or breaks the facility for me.

Easy boy, just in my staff group we had two, count them two, high speed guys trying for the white brief case and three trying for Masters. Damn near wore us out clearing the road for them.

Glad to hear you got in and out early. I got deferred twice because I was critically needed and could not be released. Read that we were understaffed.

I never really payed much attention to who was from WUPoU, or any other school while I was on active duty. My brother was a West Pointer, and he still has his on. Another brother went to UF, and he never takes his off. Maybe its just a family thing with class rings.

What year did you go to CGSC? I slept through a good chunk of 94 and 95 there. The only class I liked was history, the rest was just a plot by the Army to keep me off the golf course.

Only the Military Service Acadamies have a higher percentage of graduates buying class rings. Over 95% of A&M grads wear one, and it really stands out to Former Students. I graduated in 1977, and traveled in the Army and on business for over 30 years. On almost every trip I made (Germany, France, Iraq, Korea, China, Saudi Arabia, Africa, Australia, et al) in that time, invariably another Ag, or a family member of an Ag, or somebody who recognizes the ring, will come up and start a conversation, offer rides to and from hotels, etc. My mother just had knee surgery, and when we walked into the surgeons office for the first consult, the surgeon saw my ring, and started yammering away about the good ol days (he was a graduate of Baylor and A&M).

The Association of Former Students uses it as a major symbol to highlight it as a symbol that connects all Ags. It actually is very, very effective in doing that.

Livingston is from Alabama

Easy up there Ag. Most of the guys I have met, who actually graduated from Bama are alright.

I think there is something in the state wide Alabama (state, not school) psych profile that takes guys who have no real affiliation with higher education, the traditions of a particular school or the general appreciation for collegiate norms and makes them believe they should be able to impose their lack of maturity, social graces, self control and intelligence on the rest of the world, in the name of the University of Alabama.

Personally, I think the problem is with the schools cheer of "Roll Tide". It is easy to spell, they see it every time they go to shop on jugs of detergent, it only has two syllables, and the "R" at the beginning makes it easier for them to enunciate when they are way over the legal limit to drive….. or walk.

The poor University, cursed with an advertising limerick with the unintended consequence of attracting those with little or no self control to their banner.

Actually, it is one of the most traveled bands in the nation, and it is a myth that SEC schools always send their bands to SEC games, with most sending a their "marching band" to a few games and a pep band to the rest. The Aggie Band traveled to SMU, LaTech, Ole Miss and is going to Bama. That is 4 away games this year, at over $500,000 per trip (It takes a minimum of 12 busses to move the band, plus equipment trucks, plus hotel rooms, plus food, away practice fields, etc). Since the band practices in excess of 30 hours for each drill, and members have to spend additional time at mandatory Corps functions (all band members are in the Corps), the band years ago determined that more than 4 away games a year takes too much time from cadets academics (a bus move normally starts right after Friday practice, with departure at midnight, all night travel, short hotel stop, movement to practice field, movement to game, back to hotel and travel all day Sunday to College Station).

And, visiting teams rarely bring their bands to A&M home games, we have yet to see an SEC band at Kyle, so saying the Aggie Band does not travel is sort of a wierd comment from an SEC fan.