Silver Taps

There are a lot of opinions about Aggies, especially in East Texas. You either hate us or love us. It didn't used to be that way here until UT Tyler became a 4 year school and those poor misguided students started believing they were Longhorns instead of Partriots. But I digress.

I am proud to be an Aggie this week. As you may know, a great Aggie student from Tyler was killed Monday morning on her way from Tyler to College Station. She was supposed to get her Aggie Ring -- the ultimate symbol and tradition of being an Aggie -- on Tuesday. Instead, she was part of another tradition -- Silver Taps. Taps is a tradtition that sets us apart from other schools and is, apart from Aggie Muster, the most moving non-religious experience I have ever experienced. As we Aggies say, "From the inside looking out, you can't explain it; from the outside looking in, you can't understand it."



From the Aggie Traditions website:

By far, one of Texas A&M's most honored traditions is Silver Taps. Silver Taps is held for a graduate or undergraduate student who passes away while enrolled at A&M. This final tribute is held the first Tuesday of the month when a student has passed away the previous month.

The first Silver Taps was held in 1898 and honored Lawrence Sullivan Ross, the former governor of Texas and president of A&M College. Silver Taps is currently held in the Academic Plaza. On the day of Silver Taps, a small card with the deceased students name, class, major, and date of birth is placed as a notice at the base of the academic flagpole, in addition to the memorial located behind the flagpole. Around 10:15 that night, the lights are extinguished and hymns chime from Albritton Tower. Students silently gather at the statue of Lawrence Sullivan Ross. At 10:30pm, the Ross Volunteer Firing Squad marches into the plaza and fire a twenty-one gun salute. Buglers then play a special rendition of Silver Taps by Colonel Richard Dunn. Taps is played three times from the dome of the Academic Building: once to the north, south, and west. It is not played to the east because the sun will never rise on that Aggie again. After the buglers play, the students silently return to their homes. Silver Taps is a sacred tradition that Aggies hold dear.