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Something about the steel in men's hearts to do what they did in those times amazes me. And universally what I read and hear is, they thought nothing about it. It's what any MAN would do. Thank you servicemen. Thank you all!

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My grandfather was in the Navy in WW2. I remember I had to interview a WW2 vet for a school assignment. I came home and asked my Dad, a Vietnam vet, if he knew anyone who had been in WW2. He looked at me like I was crazy and said, "How about my Dad?"

I remember feeling annoyed that it was just my grandfather. Surely he didn't have any interesting stories to tell. I left his house with my tail between my legs and more respect for that man than I may have for almost anyone.

For starters, he was in the battle of Midway. A few stories stuck with me.

• My grandmother was pregnant with their 1st child, my Dad, when my grandfather left home. They chose a name for him beforehand. She only received a few communications from him while he was out to sea but one was during a lull in one of the battles. According to my grandmother, which he did not dispute, the extent of the message was, "Dear Martha, it doesn't look like I am going to make it. Better name him after me. Love, Ken" I don't remember how long it was but I know she didn't hear from him again for quite some time and she figured he was dead. It wasn't just the men who had steel.
• When he did return home, she didn't recognize him. He had left for the war at 19 year old and was 5'9" and 140 lbs. he returned home a few years later at 6'2" 200 lbs. It must have felt like living with a complete stranger. I repeat, it wasn't just the men who had steel.
• My grandfather lost quite a few friends in the war. One was crushed between 2 ships while being transferred from one to the other via a rope (can't remember what it was called). A wave hit the ship and pushed them together.
• My grandfather's ship was hit with a bomb but it wasn't bad enough to sink it. In the blast, another friend lost his jaw. He described how his tongue was hanging out onto his neck. Yet, he tried to help others more injured than himself as long as he could stand the pain.

As Pinky's story illustrates, soldiers on the ground were much worse off than that. It's staggering for our generation to comprehend.

Awesome story, here it all is put together (minus pictures) for anyone just tuning in. Thanks for sharing War Hymn!

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An off-season thread that hopefully my fellow Aggies will enjoy:

My grandfather, Pinky Wilson came to write the Aggie War Hymn while serving his country during WW1.

Without going into great detail, I'd like to spend a few moments telling you a story, Ags. The story of how the Aggie War Hymn came to be written, so here is the 1st chapter of this amazing story:
James Vernon Wilson was born in 1897 at a ranch outside of Florence, TX. His father, William, owned a mercantile business & was also a goat rancher. William had been orphaned as a small boy after his mother & father had both died. Living in Arkansas at the time, William's father, who was an Arkansas Confederate soldier fighting in the Civil War, died in a Union POW camp of small pox. About this same time, William's mother also got sick and died, so William was raised by his uncle, Isaac Newton (imagine the gravity of being given that name) and had a very Pioneer-like life, having traveled by wagon from Texas to California as an 8 yr old. Another Uncle of his, Willis Newton wrote a book about his travels entitled "The Recollections of an Octogenarian" It is available to read online for anyone interested about Pioneer life in the mid 1800's. http://www.wagontrain1865.com

William returned to Texas as a young adult in the 1880's & raised his family in Williamson Co.. My Grandpa was the 5th of 6 boys in the family and he also had 1 sister.
Here's a pic of my grandpa (on the right, holding a racoon, nonetheless) in th early 1900's.

His father sent Pinky from Florence to Austin High School in as a freshman in 1911,where he graduated in 1915. It was at AHS that he garnered the nickname "Pinky" when fellow classmate Rip Collins threw a ball that nailed the new-kid-on-the-block in the back during recess. After being hit by that pitch, my grandpa developed turned so red in complexion that Rip & the other boys started calling him "Pinky". Rip went on to attend A&M with my grandfather and was a 4 sport star athlete and was later a pitcher in the majors where he won over 100 games during his playing career. Collins & my grandpa remained friends throughout their lives.
Below is a pic of my grandpa & Rip while both were attending Austin High:

Pinky & Rip both arrived to A&M in the fall of 1915 and my grandfather apparently distinguished himself as a very astute student. So much so, that he was invited to be a Ross Volunteer as a Sophomore in '16, one of only a handful of Aggies that can ever claim this distinction.
Additionally, Pinky was a very good musician & singer, & enjoyed performing with the A&M Glee Club.

Life for Pinky at A&M was great.....& then in 1917, the United States entered WW1 & many Americans lives were turned upside down, including my grandfathers......
Next up.....From A&M to Marine.

Once the US entered The War in April of 1917, Pinky wanted to see action ASAP so he turned down the Army and enlisted with the Marines. Pinky turned down the Army because he was afraid that they would commission him as an officer due of his A&M training and that would postpone his ability to fight in the war. As an enlisted Marine, Pinky arrived for basic training in Parris Island, SC. After a couple of days, the recruits were issued new Springfield rifles & were were given the task of disassembling, cleaning & re-assembling their weapons. As the story goes, the instructor had left the building for a few minutes before training began and when he returned, he noticed that Pinky had finished his task and was instructing fellow recruits on how to do the job. The instructor asked my grandpa how he knew so much about the details of this task & Pinky replied that he had learned it from his 2 years attending Texas A&M & that he could handle that weapon in his sleep. As soon as Pinky said this, he knew that he had made a big mistake. The instructor immediately left the barracks only to return a few minutes later with an order to see the captain. Once Pinky reported to the captain's office, he was asked if he had indeed attend A&M, to which Pinky acknowledged that he had.. He was then instructed to go pack his bags because he was going to be sent to Virginia for Officer Training School. However, Pinky turned the commission down because he knew that being an officer would delay his goal of fighting the enemy ASAP. It was a tough decision to make, in more ways than one, as you will discover later. Obviously, the military doesn't take too well to soldiers disobeying orders. After repeatedly denying his commission, the sergeant made sure that for the next 8 weeks, 'ol Pinky was to be recognized as the 1st to do wrong & the last to get it right. He was awarded the worst details & was given every late watch assignment. He received scoldings about every day, but he remained tough & credited his training that he had received @ A&M as helping him get through these difficult times. Pinky made it through basic training & became a Private 1st Class Marine.

From South Carolina, Pinky was sent to Quantico, Virginia for advanced training. It was here that his decision to turn down a commission cost him again. Pinky was assigned the position of Muleskinner, which made it unlikely that he would see any fighting at all. A muleskinners job was to supply guns, ammo, food, etc. to the soldiers. It was a bitter pill for my grandfather to swallow. He had turned down a commission in order to see action ASAP, but since he had turned down a commission, the Marines punished him by keeping him away from the front lines.
While in Quantico, Pinky did best he could to keep up with the Fightin' Texas Aggie football team. In 1917, they were having a great season & had won their 1st 5 games when Pinky & the other Marines in the 6th Regiment got orders to sail to France. In mid October, Pinky & Co. sailed out of the New York harbor & 14 days later, they docked in St. Nazaire, France.
Next stop: War

Immediately after Pinky arrived in France, he began his duty as a Muleskinner. Along the way, he had several close encounters with the enemy as bombs & mustard gas killed several of his comrades and their mule teams. The Battle of Belleau Wood http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/belleau.htm in June of 1918 would add to his responsibilities. This battle saw nearly every Marine officer killed and reports showed that up to 70% of Marine soldiers were killed or seriously wounded.
Pinky continued to bring supplies to the front lines, but on return trips, he carried a very dear cargo back to the home base.it was the bodies of fallen soldiers. Day trips were extremely dangerous & only used in emergencies, as the German "Air Force", with the Red Baron & his flying circus dominated the skies at this time. Many Allied forces were killed by this new war weapon called the airplane.

Once the Marines duties had been finished in Belleau Wood, the Marines in the 5th & 6th regiment were sent to a French town called Soissions https://www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/world-war-i-75-years-ago-attack-soissons which was controlled by the Germans. This 5 day battle was fierce, as 12K Americans lost their lives, Allied forces lost 125K & Germany lost 168K men. My grandfather was making supply runs both day & night. Day trips were extremely dangerous & only used in emergencies, as the German "Air Force", made famous by "The Red Baron & his flying circus" killed & injured many Allied forces during the course of the war. Pinky had one encounter where his mule team was killed & his wagon destroyed by a German aeriel attack but he narrowly escaped, receiving only minor injuries.

During the Battle of Soissions, Germans attacked the allied trenches while Pinky was present. Besides gunfire, there was also a lot of hand-to-hand combat going on. The allied code word for an incoming attack was "HULLABALLOO". Soldiers communicated this code word down the trench line by shouting Hullaballoo! Hullaballoo! Hullaballoo!! This kind of communication makes me think of the 12th Man @ football games, where for years, the yell leaders give hand signals for upcoming yells and the 12th Man passes the signals to other 12th Man members..Anyway, as Hullaballoo was announced along the line the soldiers would ready their guns for firing, which sounded like "caneck, caneck, caneck" to Pinky. This sound brought back memories of the yells that he participated in at his days at A&M. The song was not even thought of yet, but the seed had likely been planted.
Next up: Pinky gets his wish

Pinky kept making supply runs through July & into August & September while the war waged on. Weather began to change & in October, it cooled considerably & began to rain.....& rain....& then it rained some more.

On October 31, 1918, Pinky received the biggest surprise of his life. His sergeant walked up to him & several of the other muleskinners & told them to get their gear & rifles ready & report to the 1st Battalion. The Supply Company would now be a part of the Meuse-Argonne offensive & they would be a part of the 1st regiment of the 6th Marines.
It took Pinky 7 months, but on November 1, 1918, the "hullaballoo" for him would finally begin.
Into the jaws of Death
Into the mouth of Hell
Next up: The fighting & writing begins.

Early November brought cold weather to France and Pinky & his fellow Marines dug "foxholes" to protect them from enemy fire. Hunkered down in the Argonne Forest, Pinky's 1st mission with his unit was to help take down a German fortified area called Barricourt Heights. The Germans knew that the Americans were coming and lofted many rounds of explosives & gasses in an effort to thin out the troops. After many hours of bombardment, Pinky & several other of his comrades slowly begin to crawl up a hill in a dense fog a little before dawn but the fog lifted & the Germans picked off many of the Marines. It was a furious battle, but the Allied forces wanted that ridge more than the Germans did and once overtaken, the Germans either ran away or surrendered on the spot. Without this reinforcement, the enemy retreated to their next fortified town, about 5 miles away. Allied progress was being made, but during this battle, Pinky had lost his 2 best friends that he had bonded with since basic training as a Marine. As you can imagine, this upset Pinky very much.
The next day's weather was once again cold & damp. The rain, along the rapid advancement of the allied forces made it impossible for the "kitchen on wheels" to keep up. Except for hardtack, there was almost no food to eat and no place to get dry. These circumstances, along with the loss of a couple of his comrades that he had be platooned with didn't help enlighten Pinky's mood....everything on Pinky's body was wet except on the inside of a little oil pouch. In it Pinky kept his most valuable possessions....& in that oil patch were some letters from home. It was a miserable day & it was miserable weather. It was so miserable that my Grandpa had to think of something other than the situation that he was in. If he thought of his 2 best friends, I would imagine that he became more depressed. Thoughts of home made it just as miserable. The only thing that seemed to get his mind off the situation was A&M and thinking of how the football team was doing, as football season was in full swing last he had heard & that Fightin' Texas Aggie football team was having yet another unprecedented season. So, being wet, cold, hungry, homesick & in mourning, he decided to rehearse some of his favorite yells from A&M:
Farmers, Fight!
Sky Rocket!
Hullabaloo, Caneck, Caneck!
Warhee, Warhee! Look at the team, Look at the team! Look at the A&M team!!
Then it came to him. He thought about putting some of his favorite yells into a song. After all, Pinky was a musician at heart and he was a natural musician, as he could play any instrument presented to him, as long as he had scales to play it. Unfortunately, I inherited none of his musical abilities.
The lyrics "Hullaballoo, Caneck, Caneck" came immediately to him. His hate for the Germans would only be replicated by his distaste for the T-Sips over in Austin, so he thought "Goodbye to the Orange & the White". About this time, the rain stopped for a moment, so he pulled out a letter from home out of his oil pouch and with a pencil, he scribbled these words on the back of the letter:
"Hullaballoo, Caneck, Caneck" &
"Goodbye to the Orange & the White"
Here's a pic from his 1917 yellbook:
He folded the letter back into the pouch. It was time for him to move forward.in more ways than one.
Next stop: more hell & circumstances that helped forge the song.

Even tho the conditions were grim, Allied forces were actually making progress. The Germans were retreating quickly and the marines kept pursuing. As Pinky settled down for a rest later that day, he began to think again of his fallen friends and of Texas A&M, so he pulled out his paper and began to write "Good luck to the dear old Texas Aggies, they are the boys that show the real old fight". He folded the letter up again & put it back in his oil cloth. That night, it was another cold & wet night and continued throughout the day. Enemy fire, hunger, weather elements, lack of sleep & now, Spanish Flu was decimating the ranks. It was so bad that the the battalion camped in the woods for several days without moving while they waited for food, replacements and (hopefully) warmer, drier weather. The Germans were still retreating and were no better off than the Allied forces.. Finally a field kitchen arrived which helped feed to starving soldiers. After eating, Pinky collapsed due to exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep in his foxhole, even tho it rained most of the night.
After a hot breakfast the next morning, Pinky felt much better & there were periods of time that the rain would stop for awhile, so he pulled out the letter & tried to work on his song again. He tried to think of some more yells, but he was stumped. He started thinking about songs about Texas & he immediately thought of "The Eyes of Texas are upon you" but immediately debunked that thought because the T-Sips had used that song for several years, but then he realized that they didn't have the rights to that song at all. That song was popular for several years before the horns had "pirated" it , so his thinking was the song really belonged to ALL Texans., but since that's the song that they "stolen" from his fellow Texans, then he would give them credit for the theft and say "that is the song they sing so well". And then he included "so good bye to Texas University, we're going to beat you all to hell".

IMO, by including this last sentence, Pinky basically showed how much hatred he (& likely many of his fellow Aggies) had for t.u @ the time & it also showed how much love & pride that he had for his future alma mater.

In these modern days, many might object to my grandpa's sentiment at the time it was written, but back in his day, there was great animosity between these 2 schools & knowing the history, I can understand why Aggies despised Longhorns for so many years & vice-versa, but that's an entirely different discussion for others to elaborate on.....
So now, we have in writing:
Hullabaloo, Caneck, Caneck
Hullabaloo, Caneck, Caneck
Good bye to Texas University
So long to the Orange & the white
Good luck to the dear old Texas Aggies
They are the boys that show the real old fight
The eyes of Texas are upon you.
That is the song they sing so well
So Good bye to Texas University
We're going to beat you all to hell
That was it for now. The song would have to wait to be finished on another day.
BTW, how many of you cannot read the bold phrases listed above without singing it in your mind. I, for one, cannot do so.
Next up: The end of WW1 & of the beginning of a completed song.

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

The words were written, but the notes were still in Pinky's head. It took more than 1 month to get them on paper. After Armistice was signed, Pinky was traveling from France through Germany and had some long, arduous treks ahead of him as the Allied forces were leaving the country. During the trip through Germany, Pinky had time to run the notes through his head to see how they might fit the words and the cadence of the song. I think that the reason that the forces were leaving Germany was because Armistice required forces to stay out of Germany until Dec 1, so many troops, including my grandfather, were sent to stay in Belgium until then. Once returning in Germany, the troops followed the Ahr River up until it merged with the Rhine River. There, my grandfather & a couple of other Marines quartered in a caretaker's house on the grounds of a summer estate home that had belonged to a Kaiser. Finally, these guys had a roof over their head!
However, the most important thing for Pinky was that the bunkhouse contained an upright piano. As soon as he could do so, Pinky sat down and began to play the notes that had been locked in his head for the past few days. As he played the notes, he transcribed them to paper. The notes that he played that day would eventually become the music to The Aggie War Hymn.
On the 2nd day that the soldiers were quartered in the cabin, Pinky had just come back from standing guard at a depot near the river & as he entered the cabin, Pinky sat down, unfolded his paper & propped it against the music stand on the piano.& he began to play & sing the song that he had kept locked in his head the past few weeks. The words slid in perfectly to the notes & the Aggie War Hymn was born.

This may have been the paper that Pinky wrote his music to: (I've enclosed a closeup)
On a side note: There have been several stories over the years that told of Pinky wroting the War Hymn at this point in time. I actually believed this story to be true for several years, but it's simply not the case. I have newspaper articles & this story that proves that the words were indeed written in a "French Trench". The truth is that the music was written at this time, but the wording had already been completed.

During the next few days, Pinky recruited a quartet of fellow Marines to help him sing his song. Who would have thought that the Aggie War Hymn would 1st be sung by a group of Marines along the banks of the Rhine River in Germany?

Pinky was stationed in Germany until he got his papers to return home on July 5,1919. It took a couple of weeks to get everything ready but on July 15, trains began to arrive to take the soldiers back home. In late July, the soldiers boarded a ship to go home & in early August, Pinky and his comrades arrived in New York to be greeted by Lady Liberty herself. On August 15, Pinky finally arrived back to his childhood home in Florence.
I have several pics of Pinky from overseas that I will be posting very soon, so stay tuned.
Pinky with Marine buddies. (Pinky on far left)
Pinky(center) with fellow Marines on the Rhine. Serenading the ladies with a song perhaps?

German frauleins. Notice the vineyards in the background.

Pinky (right) on the ship going back to the good ol' U.S. of A.
Next up, the final installment: Pinky goes back to A&M & the rest is history.
Let's finish up this story:
In September of 1919, Pinky returned to A&M to begin his Junior year. One of the 1st things he did was establish a quartet. He soon formed his team & together they dubbed themselves "The Cast Iron Quartet".

The Cast Iron Quartet
The quartet began by singing after dinner and at informal student events. The big night came when the quartet attended a movie in downtown Bryan & the quartet gave a performance during intermission. Back then, all movies were silent movies so a piano player performed to the audience while the movie was playing. Naturally, Pinky was a substitute Piano player for the theater and he talked the manager into allowing his quartet to sing during intermission. The Cast Iron Quartet began their performance and it just so happened that the Yell Leaders were also in attendance. The final song was the Aggie War Hymn and after finishing, the place went wild. It was so boisterous that ushers rushed in expecting to break up a fight.
No fight that night, just a fight song.
After the movie was over, the Yell Leaders came up to the group and asked it they would sing that song at the next Yell Practice. Back then, it was held after the evening meal on the steps of the YMCA building. At yell practice the group was introduced and performed the song. It helped that the QB of the football team (Arthur Knickerbocker) & one of their star lineman (E.S. Wilson) were also members.

Knickerbocher & Wilson outside Sbisa
The song was such a hit that the quartet members were picked up and carried around the area on other Aggies shoulders. A reminder that this was in 1919. That year was a particularly good year for the Fightin' Texas Aggie football team, as the Ags under legendary coach Dana X Bible were undefeated & unscored upon for the ENTIRE year! Along with my grandfather, Coach Bible was also stationed in France in 1918( as an Army pilot, I believe), but he returned to coach the Aggies in 1919. My, how times have changed. I wonder how many famous current college coaches would be required to do the same thing in this day & age.....
Anyway, before the game against the horns, the quartet performed at yell practice again, and the results were the same, as they were once again carried around the square.
The Aggies ended up beating the horns 7-0 and Coach Bible had the team so inspired that he did not make 1 single substitution or call any timeouts during the entire game.
The song written originally written as a ballad. However, in 1921, George Fairleigh, director of the FTAB approached my grandfather about "jazzing it up" a bit, and soon afterward, it made its inaugural debut on a football field.

In June of 1921, Pinky said goodbye to Texas A&M, but only as a student. He was now a former student. He moved back to Florence where he ran the Wilson Family ranch. Several years later, he purchased his own ranch outside the community of Joppa in Burnet Co. where he was a goat & turkey rancher. He sold his ranch in the early 70's and retired in Burnet until his death in July of 1980. A couple of years ago, I went by his old ranch & saw Longhorns & a big Texas Longhorn flag flying above the entrance. Ol' Pinky is probably turning over in the grave at the sight of this

Pinky as an upperclassman
In 1928, Pinky was asked to write a 2nd verse to the Aggie War Hymn at the request of several Aggies, who thought that the song was too focused on t.u (sound familiar?). He reluctantly wrote the 2nd verse and made it the 1st verse.
The newer verse has been "tried out" several times over the years, but as stubborn about traditions as Aggies are, the 1st verse has never really caught on.
Finally, many people over the years have asked Aggies what "Hullabaloo, Caneck, Caneck means", so the next time you can tell them it was a yell that Aggies had at the time the War Hymn was written....or you could give an answer like Jack K Williams did. President of A&M at the time, Williams was asked this same question & quipped that it was Chickasaw Indian for BTHO t.u. My grandfather loved that response and it became his standard quote afterwards whenever he was asked that same question.
An older Pinky
The other note to add was that the "sounds like hell", "saw varsity's horns off" & the Hot Time medley at the end were later added to the War Hymn. I have not found any evidence that my grandfather added these in or when they were introduced. I don't know who was responsible for this addition, but it has made the song what it is today.one of the most recognized & most famous fight songs in the country.
........so now, you know the story of how the Aggie War Hymn came to be written.

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