We did, Buzz... you don’t remember it.
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 16, 2021, at 9:13 PM, Stephen Wright <dr.wilbur.wright@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Buzz - I am right with you. My best memory is the summer w Gomez and Brown
eating masa tortillas and watching Walter Cronkite and Hogan’s Heroes. How
sad is that? I mean, Gomez and Brown!!!? Cheers, Steve W
On Tue, Mar 16, 2021 at 9:10 PM Kyle Braswell <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>--
wrote:
Dang. Diane is always telling me I am oblivious to the world going on around
me, and maybe she is right. I hardly remember squat from four and a half
years at A&M. I remember a few things but not in near the detail you guys
do. I think my main objective was to get through school - not remember it.
One of you guys should have slapped me upside the head and told me to pay
attention.
Buzz
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 16, 2021, at 6:57 PM, Wayne Zieschang <waynez1122@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Not sure which one or ones got me. There were at least 4 species of fruit
bats caught, maybe more and we caught, leg-banded and released over 10, 000
bats, fruit, fish, insectivorous and blood (vampire). .
On Tue, Mar 16, 2021 at 4:29 PM David Pointon <david.pointon@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Centurio senex
Sent from my iPhone
On Mar 16, 2021, at 16:12, Wayne Zieschang <waynez1122@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Stu,
That reminds me of January 1977. In early February, the Navy side had
their mandatory semi-annual PT test for the record.
I was never a fast runner, but I could run forever. The Navy PT test was
sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups and a 1-1/5 mile run, which had to be
completed in under 28 minutes. This is a relatively slow speed but I
never made it in less than 24 minutes. I mean a 16 minute mile is
pathetic, but when it came to running for speed, I WAS pathetic.
Well, come time for the PT test, I woke up with a 103ºF fever and felt
like crap. On top of that, the day before I had had my 19 rabies shot.
I had not been running in nearly 2 months, what with spending 27 days in
the Yucatan jungle catching bats, rats, mice, snakes, lizards for a Field
Mammalogy/Herpetology class, followed by the rabies shots due to being
bitten by a bat 2x while in the Yucatan. No running was allowed down
there due to the fer-de-lances, rebels and banditos. (Forgot to mention
we were being guarded by Federales over half the time we were down there
due to the latter 2).
Well, at the PT test, I did my typical max-out of the situps, pushups and
pullups. Then I proceeded to run a miserable 29 minute 1-1/5 mile, drag
myself to the Quack Shack where I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory
infection and spent 3 days there.
After release, I got back into my running routine as I knew I was going
to have to pass the make-up test or be up shit creek. My routine was to
run 2 or 3 laps around the golf course and a steady pace.
About 3 weeks after the failed test, I got called before a review board
where a full Commander, who was as big as a whale and had donut crumbs on
his shirt, chewed my ass out for being out of shape. Didn't care about
the note from the doctor explaining my medical condition on the day of
the failed exam. Just said to go see
Captain XXXX (USMC Captain).
So I went to see the Marine, who then proceeded to chew me out as well.
When he got through chewing and asked what I had to say, I just spewed
the 4th fish answer to him, replacing the rank with "very dumb almost
Ensign".
That shocked the shit out of him and he looked at me with that "Huh??
What???" look.
"What do you mean?"
"Why try to explain? CDR YYY didn't give a shit about the reasons behind
my failure, so why should I expect you to care?"
"Try me."
"Well, no one seems to have noticed I never failed a prior PT in the 4
years I've been here. No one seems to have read the letter I wrote the
board explaining the conditions that lead to my failure, or give credence
to the letter from my doctor describing the medical condition I was in
the day of the test. So why should I give a rat's ass about anything
anyone in the Trigon thinks about me? Why do you think I never come to
the building except for classes or when required due to a summons such I
received for today?,................ Sir."
"Uh, well, you're going to have to pass the next one or be kicked out.
Here's a recommended schedule for getting into shape." And handed me a
piece of paper with a list reading something on the order of -
Run 1/4 mile a day for 3 days. Then add 1/4 mile every 3 days.........
I looked at the paper, said "Thank you, Sir." crumpled it up and threw
it in the trash can.
"Why'd you do that?"
"Sir, A - I already memorized it. And B I'm already running way more
than that every day."
"Bull shit." was his reply.
"Sir, I'll bet you right now 2 cases of Dr Pepper to a case of beer that
1) I'll pass the test when it's run in April and that 2) I can run
further than you right now."
"What?"
"Meet me on the south steps of the Band Hall at 22:00 for my nightly run."
"OK, you're on."
At 22:00 he and a Marine SGT showed up to run with me.
I explained my route and said "Let's go."
The CPT asked "Aren't you going to stretch?"
"Why? If it's a flight or fight situation, the bad guy isn't gonna let
me stretch before chasing me." And took off at my typical "herd of
turtles" pace.
Both of them soon caught up and left me in their dust. Got back around
to the Band Hall and they were waiting on me. As I passed the CPT asked
"You're not done?"
"No sir." and kept going. They followed me, and again caught up and
passed me. About half way around the golf course I caught them and
passed them. When I got back to the Band Hall, they were on the steps,
having cut through the Navasota parking lot while I continued around the
AF drill field, When I just kept going, they stayed there.
When I was back after my 3rd lap, we had a short conversation.
Essentially, he said don't worry about the test if this is how you run
all the time. Then he looked at the SGT and said "We've been on desk
duty too long, just training for the PT test. We need to fix this."
Come test time, I again maxed everything and this time, I pushed a bit
and actually broke 21 minutes for the first (and last time). I just
grabbed my book pack and kept running to my 0800 class for an exam. In
grassy PT gear.
On Tue, Mar 16, 2021 at 2:04 PM Stu McLennan <sgmclennan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Lieutenant (then Captain) Holzman was Army, but fortunately we never
interacted. Major Carothers, Captains Laidig and Orr, and MSG Petty had
“lock and tone” on me because I spent 7 of my first 8 semesters on
scholastic probation. I was then summoned multiple times each semester
by all three officers for an “attitude adjustment”. Carothers was
Infantry and did his Airborne Ranger shtick. Laidig was Field Artillery
and tried reason because he knew that, like my father, it was my branch
of choice. Orr was Ordnance and just nuked me. How fitting. One time he
saw my reflection in his office mirror, as I stood at attention,
lip-syncing his tongue-lashing. The fallout from that was epic; I ended
up in Colonel Parson’s office. The essence of each rant however was the
same; the Army is going to yank your scholarship and send you to Fort
Benning as a PFC if you don’t straighten up. MSG Petty always batted
clean-up. He’d pick me up and dust me off, in a combat vet, Special
Forces kinda way. Years later I discovered it was all an empty threat.
Seems 4-year US Army ROTC scholarship awardees, even from California,
were coveted by colleges and universities and tracked by HQDA. Who knew.
Fast forward to 1991. Major McLennan met Colonel Ira D. Orr at a Command
and General Staff Officers Course function at Fort Leavenworth. It was
the first time we’d met since 1976 and he introduced me to his wife. “So
you’re Fish McLennan”, she said sweetly as she held my hand, “We didn’t
think you were going to make it.” It was funny by then, and we all
laughed. Truth is, sometimes neither did I. Thank God for Kay and Dr.
Roy Gilbert, Econometrics 463. That is a story for another time.
Stu
From: <fighting_texas_aggie_band_class_of_1977-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> on
behalf of Edward Retta <eretta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Reply-To: <fighting_texas_aggie_band_class_of_1977@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tuesday, March 16, 2021 at 1:12 PM
To: <fighting_texas_aggie_band_class_of_1977@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [fighting_texas_aggie_band_class_of_1977] Re: Female AFROTC
instructor
Our zip year, when the high school ROTC groups visited for a football
game weekend, those kids saluted me. I guess cause I was wearing boots,
who knows? I just looked at them like they were stupid. The second group
tried the same, so I just saluted back. They seemed pleased. Nowadays
young people hold doors open for me. That's nice. I always salute them.
Edward Retta
On Mar 16, 2021 11:36, Michael Brown <dmarc-noreply@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Well, the trip down memory lane was fun, but the guy finally admitted
his mom was getting a grad degree in meteorology, and was not part of
the cadre.
I figure his mom was telling him some big stories that may or may not
have been based in facts. I doubt that she spent much, if any time on
campus in uniform, if she was a grad student. Therefore, unlikely that
a cadet refused to salute her.
Even if one did fail to salute, it could have been a confused fish. I
believe I saw some fish try to salute one of the janitors who was
wearing the janitor “uniform”.
Dr Steve "Wilbur" Wright
