Best thread ever

Kid's who have pet raccoons

I have to agree that this is one of the best threads I've read on TexAgs. Thank you for sharing your grandfather's story.

The next day & night brought more miserable weather, but Pinky & the troops trudged forward. The weather and being confined to a foxhole didn't help matters in an effort to get any shuteye. If the Germans didn't kill you, Mother Nature was turning out to be just as formidable of an opponent.

Throughout the night , the Germans knew that the Allied & Marine forces were coming, so they threw everything they had at them---all types of bombs and poison gas. The next morning, Nov 9 ,what was left of the unit crawled out of their foxholes and began looking for a meal, which was found not too far away.

Soon after eating, the Marines were told to be ready to attack the night of the 10th & the morning of the 11th. So at 4:30 AM on the 11th the Marines were told to get up and get ready to fight. After marching for several hours, the attack was called off because the engineers could not get a bridge built in time for the troops to march across due to heavy enemy fire the past few days. So the troops marched back to the same spot that they had camped at previously and waited for orders on what to do next. I can only imagine the thoughts that were going through all of the troops heads after having to deal with such harsh circumstances for likely seemed like days on end..... That evening, Pinky, having not slept for 2 days was exhausted & fell into a deep asleep. It was so deep a sleep that he didn't wake up until the war had ended. Yes, ENDED. Pinky eventually woke up from his sleep....but not by the sounds of bombs exploding or the shots of gunfire....it was by the ABSENCE thereof.

For the 1st time in seven months, the area around him was peaceful. Arising from his muddy foxhole, he found the kitchen on wheels & nearby he noticed something else: Bonfires! The Marines were collecting wood, building & burning bonfires in an effort to warm themselves up & dry their clothes out. This simple luxury must have been a glorious feeling for Pinky & his fellow Marines.

After an hour or so, Pinky had warm, dry clothing for the 1st time in 11 days. Once he put them back on, my grandfather had time to reflect.on his fallen friends & on Texas A&M. His mind was still fresh from thinking of the miserable nights that he had just spent in the forest and he wanted to convey on paper on just how hard that it had been . Doing so made him think of another popular yell at the time, Rough! Tough! Real! Stuff! Texas A&M! so he got out the letter from his oil pouch and wrote down:

Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem! Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem!
Rough! Tough! Real! Stuff! Texas A&M!

So he added these 2 lines to the previous ones and read it over & over again. He liked what he read, except for one word.

Hell.

In 1918, the word "hell" was a word that was generally frowned upon if used in public, so he crossed through it and tried to think of another/better word to use in it's place. It didn't take him long to see that the yell Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem fit perfectly, so he inserted this in.

Pinky then looked over the letter and decided that the song was complete.

It must have been a very satisfying feeling for Pinky that day.....finally being warm, wearing a dry uniform, no one trying to kill you, a hot meal and & song that would eventually be known as The Aggie War Hymn.

Next up: Armistice & notes to the words

Yes, Gladiator.

Very few have heard of this story & I've never known it to be broadcast like this before.

As a person that particularly enjoys Texas history & especially Texas A&M History, it's a story that I feel compelled to tell to other Aggies that want to learn more about the how this song came to be.

Many Ags over the years have accepted this song as what it is: The Aggie War Hymn. For many Aggies, along with the Spirit of Aggieland, it's the song that defines A&M,
Additionally, the War Hymn is simply the song that many Ags over the years have enjoyed because we all lock together as we "saw varsity's horns off".
It's also the most popular song that the media plays when they want to promote A&M, so it's our most recognizable song to others that are not blessed to be called Aggies.
Finally, it's a song that Aggies play when they get married....and when they get buried.
It's THAT important to many Aggies.

For me, it's a sense of pride, but more than pride, it's also a sense or purpose.

Even as the grandson of Pinky himself, I never knew about the circumstances that led to why or how these verses were written until just recently. I learned that these verses were written under extreme, stressful, life & death circumstances while a proud Aggie was helping to defend his & our country.....not by comfortably sitting in a chair while drinking a beer or 2 (or 3) while listening to some good 'ol music (like I'm doing right now). Since I am now privy to this story, I feel like it's my responsibility as an Aggie & the grandson of James Vernon "Pinky" Wilson to disseminate this story to my fellow Aggies.

The circumstances that led to the creation of the Aggie War Hymn, similarly with Texas' Independence, is a unique story that should be embraced by Aggies due to the circumstances that they were both created in.

I'm being totally biased & I'm probably over-emphasizing the importance of the song, but that's my honest feeling.

quote:

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I'm being totally biased & I'm probably over-emphasizing the importance of the song, but that's my honest feeling.

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nah

I'll never sing or hear the War Hymn again without knowing the exact circumstances and deeper meaning of each phrase. You have brought your Grandfather's genius and sacrifices to life for all of us. God bless him and God bless Texas A&M.

Once this series is done, you should submit the content for publication. Aggies everywhere, especially those who have served, will greatly appreciate it.

What a wonderful, marvelous thread. I absolutely love the full story and many of the comments--such as the War Hymn at Disneyworld. Heard that last year when we took some of our grandkids and finally figured out it was slightly different. Many of us knew Pinky Wilson wrote the War Hymn while serving in World War I. However, now we have the rest of the story. Thanks so much for sharing with us.

story should be put in football programs and may be put up a statue of Wilson with the story of how he wrote the Aggie War Hymn. Maybe in a renovated Spence Park in the shadows of the New Kyle Field