The Last Corps Trip
The Last Corps Trip is a poem, originally written in 1951 and expanded in 1999. Both the original and the expansion were penned by Former Students[1] of Texas A&M University.
The poem is set on Judgment Day in "Aggieland" (a colloquial term for the A&M campus). On the campus' drill field are the football team, the Corps of Cadets, and the Aggie Band. One by one, Peter reviews each of the groups, ultimately granting them entrance into Heaven. The colonel of the Corps of Cadets deadpans that "it's just another Corps trip, boys/we'll march in behind the band" (as they do at football games).
After the Bonfire tragedy of 1999, additional verses were added to commemorate those who perished, with Peter granting them admittance as well.[2]
The poem is frequently read at Aggie Muster (held every year on April 21 - San Jacinto Day, the day Texas won independence from Mexico), where the names of Former Students who passed away during the year are read (a family member or friend will respond, "Here").
References
- ↑ The term "Former Student" refers to any graduate or student who left school without graduating; the latter (in many cases) being those who fought in war. The university's alumni association is titled "The Association of Former Students".
- ↑ The number who perished in the tragedy - 12 - is eerily ironic, given that the number has a reverent status in A&M lore (the student body which attends football games is known as the 12th Man).