Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets

Early years The Corps of Cadets was founded in 1876 with the creation of the all-male, military-focused Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas under the Morrill Act of 1862. The Morrill Act did not specify the extent of military training, leading many land-grant schools to provide only minimal training, Texas A&M was an exception. The only mention of military training is in Section 4: ...the leading object shall be, without excluding other scientific and classical studies, and including military tactics, to teach such branches of learning as are related to agriculture and the mechanic arts... of Virginia Military Institute, joined the university staff and was assigned as the first Commandant of the Corps. In this role, he drafted the first set of Corps regulations and designed the first cadet uniform. James and Dinwiddie both became future presidents of Texas A&M. Morris' experience at VMI and TMI influenced the foundation he laid for Texas A&M's interpretation of the Morrill Act of 1862. P. L. Downs, Class of 1879 and private secretary to Texas A&M's 1st president, Thomas S. Gathright, was quoted on the president's stance regarding military discipline at the university. Gathright was wholly opposed to any military discipline. He believed in putting the boys on their honor and trusting them implicitly, and yet Major Morris, as Commandant, insisted upon carrying out the governmental requirements as to military training and that did not altogether suit the president. The four-day proceedings are well documented in the Galveston Daily News. The board quickly restaffed the faculty, largely with members from the Texas Military Institute. John Garland James, then president of TMI, was named as the 2nd president of the university. One of James' first hires was John Waller Clark, a recent VMI graduate, to serve as the Assistant Commandant. and Dinwiddie faced the pressures of strong competition from the newly formed University of Texas at Austin. In the fall of 1923, the Cadet Corps, with a total of 2,091 cadets in twenty-three individual units, became divided between the Infantry Regiment and the Composite Regiment. The Composite Regiment included the Cavalry, Field Artillery, Air Service and Signal Corps units. The Air Corps Squadron (formerly Air Service Squadron) was phased out at the end of the 1927–28 school year. In the fall of 1928, with enrollment at 2,770 cadets, an Engineer Battalion was added, and the following year a third regiment was formed out of the expanded Field Artillery Battalion. A fourth battalion, the Coast Artillery, was added to the Composite Regiment in the fall of 1933. The Corps first incorporated female members in the fall of 1974. At the time, the women were placed into a special unit, known as W-1. Harassment from their male counterparts was commonplace. Women were initially prohibited from serving in leadership positions or in the more elite Corps units such as the Band and the Ross Volunteers. These groups were opened to female participation in fall of 1985, following a federal court decision in a class-action lawsuit filed by a female cadet; five years later, female-only units were eliminated. In 1977, Freshman Orientation Week was introduced for incoming fish, culminating in the tradition of the "Fish Review", which has occurred since 1988. In 2007, the corps consisted of 3 Brigades, 2 Regiments, 2 Wings, the Aggie Band, and a task force of special units and veterans outfits. Historical service Members of the Cadet Corps have served in every major conflict fought by the United States since the Spanish–American War. During World War II, Texas A.M.C. produced 20,229 Aggies who served in combat. Of those, 14,123 were commissioned as officers, more than the combined total of the United States Naval Academy and the United States Military Academy during the same timeframe. Over 250 Aggies have served as generals or flag officers, and nine alumni have been awarded the highest United States military award, the Medal of Honor: • Horace S. Carswell, Jr., class of 1938 • Thomas W. Fowler, class of 1943 • William G. Harrell, class of 1943 • Lloyd H. Hughes, class of 1943 • George D. Keathley, class of 1937 • Turney W. Leonard, class of 1942 • Eli L. Whiteley, class of 1941 • Clarence E. Sasser, class of 1973* • Matthew O. Williams, class of 2025* • Sasser and Williams were not in the Corps and joined A&M after receiving the Medal of Honor Modern corps , 16 June 2025. Today, the Cadet Corps is a coeducational institution, and all but eight of its units are gender-integrated. Over 2,500 students, including over 300 women are members of the Corps, and, although this is only a small percentage of the overall student population, the Corps remains a highly visible presence on campus, a reminder of the school's origins as an all-male military college. All military branches are represented in the organization of the Cadet Corps and is composed of an Air Force/Space Force Wing, an Army Brigade, a Navy/Marine Regiment, as well as The Fightin' Texas Aggie Band whose members may be affiliated with any military branch. Approximately 40% of the Corps go on to receive a commission in the armed forces after graduating In December 2018, the Corps of Cadets participated in the funeral services for President George H. W. Bush as he was laid to rest alongside the late First Lady Barbara Bush and their daughter Robin at the George Bush Presidential Library on the Texas A&M campus. In April 2022, the campaign "March to 3,000" was launched to grow the Corps of Cadets to 3,000 members from around 2,143 in the fall 2021. ==Organization==

Office of the Commandant }} The commandant is the head of the School of Military Science. Along with his chief of staff and assistant commandants, they provide administrative and professional leadership for the Corps. Organizationally, the ROTC units are organized under the commandant led by a representative of each of the military branches: the Professor of Military Science (Army ROTC), the Professor of Naval Science (Navy and Marine Corps ROTC), and the Professor of Aerospace Studies (Air Force and Space Force ROTC). Corps Commandants Corps structure The Corps of Cadets has its own cadet commander, a cadet colonel, the deputy corps commander, the chief of staff, the corps sergeant major and 21 other cadet officers and sergeants. The Corps of Cadets is organized and modeled after an army corps including Continental Staff positions in both the Corps leadership and the individual units. Corps organization (2024-2025) Key: * male-only unit, # historically STEM unit, ** Pre-professional unit. Note that "Company A-1" or "Squadron 2" are the official designations of the outfits in the Corps. The nicknames of the outfits are included as they are an integral part of the tradition and heritage of the Corps. Squadron 18, K-1, and D-1 are the (transfer) outfits for out-of-cycle cadets who will be completing their freshman year in one semester. Special units The following are special units within the Corps of which cadets can additionally be members (for example a cadet in D-2 could be a member of the Ross Volunteers, but not the Band). Ross Volunteers as candles are lit for the deceased at the 2007 Aggie Muster at Reed Arena The Ross Volunteer Company is the official Honor Guard for the Governor of the state of Texas, and, aside from the Cadet Corps itself, is the oldest student organization in the state of Texas. Started in 1887 during the tenure of President H. H. Dinwiddie, the organization was originally named the Scott Volunteers after Col. Thomas M. Scott, the college's business manager. In 1898, the company was renamed for Texas A&M President Lawrence Sullivan Ross. The company is composed of junior and senior cadets. Cadets are chosen on a basis of honor, humility, and character. Each fall, approximately 72 junior cadets are selected into the company by the RV seniors. A critical voting process, undisclosed to outside sources, is conducted to select the new junior inductees. Once the juniors are inducted into the company, it is composed of those newly selected juniors and 35 seniors holding leadership positions. Seniors not selected for leadership positions retain their membership. Over the following 75 years, the team earned dozens of national championships including every national title since 2004, except 2009, when the team placed 2nd. They were selected to portray the United States Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon during the opening segment of the 1992 film A Few Good Men and served as army soldiers in training in Courage Under Fire. Despite a successful record in drill competitions nationwide, in 1997 the Fish Drill Team was put on hiatus for four years due to leadership concerns and issues, most notably hazing of students. The team was reinstated in the spring of 2002. Parsons Mounted Cavalry Parsons Mounted Cavalry serves as the only mounted ROTC cavalry unit in the country. They were formed in the spring of 1973 to preserve the traditions of the Texas A&M cavalry through the 1930s. The unit represents the university at football games, parades, agricultural, and equestrian events throughout Texas. It is named after Colonel Thomas R. Parsons who oversaw the creation of the unit, former Commandant from 1972 to 1978 and the only active-duty Commandant at Texas A&M. Within this special unit, Half Section (responsible for Field Artillery and Mule Team elements) maintains the "Spirit of '02", a field gun found in the fall of 1974 at a Aggie Bonfire cut site near Easterwood Airport. ROTC special units There are many special units under the different ROTC programs and their cadet-led units: The Warrior Training Battalion, the Midshipmen Battalion and Air Force Detachment 805. Other corps organizations • AMC Honor Guard • Arnold Air Society (Major Horace S. Carswell Jr. Squadron) • C.A.D.E.T (Cultural Awareness and Diversity Expansion Team) • Color Guard • Corps Center Guard • Corps Cybersecurity Special Unit • Gen. O.R. Simpson Honor Society • Major General T. G. Darling Recruiting Company • Summer Recruiting Company • Aggie Eagle Post. Cadets who have earned the Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout rank, or the Girl Scouts of the USA, Gold Award, are eligible to join. Members conduct community-wide and scout related service as well as participate in/lead various scouting events at both the state and local level. While the unit has held an active status with the university, the unit was formally reactivated/recognized by the Corps in the fall of 2015. == Class system ==

As a member of the Corps, a cadet climbs through four classes of seniority. The current Corps of Cadets uniform is unique among military schools, bearing a close resemblance to the US Army uniforms from after World War I to World War II known as Pinks and greens. There are slight differences in the uniform worn by each class year, noted below, including the Senior Boots, calf-skin riding boots harkening back to the US Army cavalry officer's uniform of World War I. All cadets wear the same basic Corps uniform regardless of service affiliation. Freshmen Freshman cadets are called fish. The first year, is analogous to the experiences of the Rooks at Norwich University, Knobs at The Citadel, Rats of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and the Virginia Military Institute, Frogs at University of North Georgia, Doolies at the United States Air Force Academy, or Plebes at any of the other U.S. Federal Service Academies. Both freshmen and sophomore cadets are required to wear metal taps on the heels of their shoes. In addition, male fish must maintain an extremely short hairstyle known colloquially as a "fish cut". Corps freshmen are not addressed by their first name; a freshman named John Smith would become fish Smith his freshman year in the Corps. A freshman whose last name is not known to the speaker is referred to by the generic name "fish Jones." Cadets who started in the same class year are known as buddies. In addition to standardized answers, every fish is required to know the answers to a wide number of questions including, "What's for chow?", "How many days until Final Review?", and a long list of university history questions. Upon meeting an upperclassman fish must introduce themselves and learn the upperclassman's name. As the academic year progresses, some upperclassmen will begin to grant the fish permission to use his or her first name and speak more informally. Sophomores Sophomores in the Corps are known as pissheads, often bowdlerized as "head". A sophomore's duty in the Corps is to train and drill the freshmen through all their necessary duties and responsibilities through Final Review in May. They are graded by the performance of their freshmen. Much like drill sergeants, the pissheads are responsible for seeing that the fish adapt and excel in Corps life through rigorous, diligent, and sometimes intense instruction. Sophomores are expected to be the best example of cadets for their fish. Juniors Robert Gates (wearing senior boots) along with senior cadets at the Pentagon give the "Gig 'em" As a junior, the cadet is called a "sergebutt" or more commonly just butt. The nickname is a result of a junior privilege to purchase tailor made the serge uniforms which were easier to maintain and required less ironing. The Corps juniors, wearing a white braid on their garrison caps and white cotton belts, run the daily operations of the Corps. They hold the rank of cadet sergeant through cadet sergeant major, depending on the position attained. Seniors Senior cadets are often referred to as "zips" (short for "zipperheads"), referring to the black and gold "zipper" braid on the garrison cap. A senior may also be referred to as an "elephant," which derives from the senior class Elephant Walk tradition held the week before the last regularly scheduled football game of the year. Seniors hold cadet officer rank, from Cadet 2nd Lieutenant to Cadet Colonel of the Corps. Senior cadets, like all seniors at Texas A&M, may also order an Aggie Ring, the symbol of the university and one's graduating class. A senior cadet is easily recognized by the distinctive brown calf-skin leather boots, known as senior boots, sabre, and gold braid on the garrison cap. Seniors are the only class allowed to wear their bider without a break or fold in the top seam. ==Corps Life==

Today, cadets no longer occupy all of the student housing on campus. The Corps is housed only in the dorms located in what is now called the Quadrangle, a.k.a. "the Quad". They are divided into companies, batteries, and squadrons, and serve as the basic units of the Corps of Cadets. These units are aligned by ROTC affiliation under a Navy/Marine Regiment, an Air Force Wing, an Army Brigade, a veteran's company, and the Combined Band. There are normally two Corps formations each day—one in the morning and one in the evening to observe the raising and lowering of the American flag before marching to Duncan Dining Hall for chow. In addition to college classes, cadets participate in daily Corps activities. These can range from intramural sporting events, helping the local community, and unit physical fitness to school football games, trips to military bases, and marksmanship instruction at the rifle range. Corps Brass Following the Corps reorganization and dropping of Army branch designations, cadets required a new symbol to be used. The solution to this was the Corps Brass, the class gift from the Class of 1960. Created by cadets from Company F-1, it is used as the symbol for earning full membership in the Corps. All cadets go through the process of earning it during their first year. It is a shield with knight's helm on it with a sword and fasces crossed behind it and scrollwork over the top that says "Per Unitatem Vis," translating to "Through Unity, Strength." These elements represent how one of the first presidents of the university, Lawrence Sullivan Ross, was described: Soldier (sword), Statesman (fasces), and Knightly Gentleman (knight's helm). To distinguish themselves, cadets in the band do not wear Corps Brass, instead wearing a small brass lyre device. In recent years, bandsmen often combine the lyre insignia with those of the U.S. Army infantry and field artillery branches (crossed rifles and crossed cannons, respectively) on some uniforms to reflect their affiliation with the Infantry or Artillery Bands (these designations having been reintroduced in 1976). Corps Athletics Corps athletic teams compete against university club teams across the nation in baseball, basketball, golf, lacrosse, marathon, soccer, tennis, and triathlon. Additionally, the Corps of Cadets Marksmanship Unit (CCMU) is the Corps competitive shooting team, partaking in competitions throughout the state of Texas and across the country. They compete in a wide variety of shooting fields, including the following: SASP, 3gun, Trap and Skeet, and USPSA. The selection process for new freshmen is very strenuous, with over 200 applicants and less than 15 are selected. Unit awards The following major awards are given annually in connection with the Corps Awards Program: The tradition of senior boots came about in 1914, when the Corps of Cadets changed uniforms from the West Point style. The seniors wanted a way to differentiate themselves from the other classes, so they began wearing officer boots, which evolved into the senior boots worn today. By 1925, the boot style was integrated into the official cadet uniform, as a "knee-height officer boot, of a light brown or tan." Lucchese's bootery in San Antonio became the main supplier of boots. To assist in removing their boots, seniors are allowed to yell "I need a fish!" at which point all available freshmen in the senior's outfit will race—and sometimes fight—to assist. == Uniforms ==

A variety of uniforms are issued to a cadet, including summer and winter versions of daily uniforms, dress uniforms and field uniforms. The "Uniform of the Day" depends on the weather. For special occasions and events, the uniform is specified in the Field Order or invitation for the event. Special Corps units have special uniforms, such as the Ross Volunteers, the Fish Drill Team and Parsons Mounted Cavalry. Uniform components Uniform combinations ==Rank==

The rank structure of the Cadet Corps is generally based on the Army ROTC cadet rank structure. Today, the ranks are divided by class and, unlike at some other military schools, at Texas A&M a cadet can never be demoted such that a person of a lower class outranks him/her, although this has not always been true. Up through the early 1950s many senior and junior cadets held private rank, although they were accorded privileges and respect commensurate with their class rather than by their rank. Unlike most of the personnel in the U.S. Armed Forces, the rank is always a piece of metal approximately 1 square inch in size affixed to the uniform much like a tie tack, but is never cloth rank sewn onto the fabric. == Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association ==

The Corps of Cadets Association is designed to provide funds to maintain its programs. The Ross Volunteer Association, and the Fish Drill Team Association. The Corps Recruiting Program was established in 1988 by order of Major General Thomas Darling as the first organized and professional recruiting for the Corps. Four years later, funds were raised to create the Corps Leadership Outreach Program which would support for the program. On 21 April 1993, the CLO was converted to the Corps of Cadets Association (CCA), receiving its state charter from the State of Texas and being established as a non-profit organization in 1995. == Texas Aggie Band Association (TABA) ==

The Texas Aggie Band Association was formed in the 1970s for the primary purpose of supporting the FTAB with private money. It is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, membership-based and led by volunteers. Intensely focused on supporting the Band, the TABA funds Texas A&M Foundation scholarships for bandsmen, sponsors certain Band-unique events, and provides direct financial aid to the Office of the Director of Bands. In the past year the TABA has funded: $120,000 endowment for Bugles & Banners, almost $40k in scholarships, tutoring, band sweaters, senior awards, & dinner, fish practice t-shirts & travel polos, BQ Ball, drum major's brass plating, and more. ==See also==