Draft:Company D-1
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| Company D-1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1877-1969, 1995-2018 |
| Country |  United States |
| Type | Military Reserve Officers' Training Corps |
| Part of |  Corps of Cadets First Brigade |
| Garrison/HQ | The Quad, College Station, Texas |
| Nickname(s) | D-1 Spider D Spiders Old Army Spider Company |
| Motto(s) | "Per Unitatem Vis"[1] "Blast from the past! Last of the red ass! The best damn outfit in history!" "Rangee! Rangee!" |
| Anniversaries | 1877, 1944, 1959, 1995 |
| Website | Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets Spider D |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | First: J.T. "Spider" Westbrook '45 First Executive Officer: Unknown First 1st Sergeant: Unknown First Guidon Bearer: Unknown |
Company D-1 is one of the oldest outfits in the Texas A&M Corps of Cadets, having been one of the original four Companies formed for A&M's first forty cadets in 1876-1877. The Cadet Corps was originally organized into one battalion with companies A, B, C, and D.
| Company Name | Nickname | Military Branch | Military Unit | Year Started | Year Ended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company D | Army | 1st Battalion | 1877 | 1901 | Original Infantry Company D formed along with existing Company A, as well as Companies B and C under one Battalion | |
| Company D Infantry | Army | 1st Battalion | 1901 | 1916 | Company D renamed | |
| Company D Infantry | Army | 1st Regiment | 1917 | ? | Infantry 1st Regiment Company D that co-existed with Composite 2nd Regiment Company D | |
| Company D Infantry | Spider D | Army | 1st Regiment | 1944 | 1947 | Created from cadets from several Companies |
| Company D Infantry | Spider D | Army | 1st Regiment | 1952 | 1957 | Company reinstated |
| Company D-1 | Spider D | Army | 1st Brigade | 1959 | 1969 | Brigades formed, Company created from Infantry Companies B Ordinance, A Transport, and A Armor |
| Company D-1 | Spider D | Army | 1st Brigade | 1995 | 2018 | Created from Company E-1 'Jocks' |
History
[edit]"J. T. "Spider" Westbrook '45 was the son of a Texas Ranger from Menard, TX. Bear in mind that these were war years and the classes were all messed up. At that time, The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (Texas A.M.C.) was on a tri-mester basis with 3 four-month periods per year. Therefore, it was possible (if you were smart enough) that a 4-year course would be completed in 2 years and 8 months, so a cadet progressed rapidly up the campus pecking order.
In the Summer of 1944, "Spider" (a jock-swabber) was given command of Company D Infantry (a new outfit) and was told to man it with cadets of his choosing. We were quartered in old Mitchell Hall (now gone) next to the YMCA building.
One night after chow, Jimmy Henderson (deceased), his cousin Curtis Henderson, and myself were sitting on the steps of Mitchell Hall, and Jimmy remarked that the outfit needed a nickname and he proposed the name "Spiders". I told him it was a dumb name. Who wanted to be a damn Spider? But he persisted since our CO was named "Spider" Westbrook, and that's how it all began."
(As told by Robert A. "Bob" Seyle '47)[3]
J. T. "Spider" Westbrook passed away on June 20, 2005. Robert A. "Bob" Seyle '47 passed away on March 25, 2016.[4]
Traditions
[edit]Bonfire
[edit]Since 1907 Texas A&M University students have worked together each year to build a massive bonfire. Building Aggie Bonfire was always been a huge tradition in Company D-1. Cadets would spend every minute of their free time on Saturdays at "cut" as well as "stack" after class.
The stack of several thousand logs collapsed early morning on November 18, 1999, killing 12 students and injuring at least 27 others. Bonfire was cancelled that year. It was to have been ignited on Thanksgiving evening as a prelude to Texas A&M's November 26th morning football game with texas university. The Aggie Bonfire has never burned on campus since, but the Student Bonfire is still going strong year after year off campus in Bryan, TX.
One of Spider-D's own Brown Pots, Jeremy Frampton '99, was one of the beloved 12 that tragically lost their lives building a 92-year old tradition that they loved so dear.
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." -John 15:13[5]
Notable Spiders
[edit]CPT Luther L. "Lee" Sanders '64, the Commanding Officer of Delta Company 3/187th 101st Airborne Division was one of the many true heroes that fought at Hamburger Hill in Vietnam in 1969. “Hill 937” which was a small mountain between the A Shau Valley and the Laotian/Cambodian border was called “Dong ap Bai” (The Mountain of the Crouching Beast) by the Vietnamese. You can read the great article honoring Lee HERE.[6] CPT Luther L. "Lee" Sanders '64 passed away on August 18, 2024.[7]
Thomas H. "Tom" Ralph Jr. '62, following legendary exploits at Texas A&M, in heroic actions, made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam on May 17, 1968. You can read the article honoring Tom HERE.[8]
Unit Insignia Through the Years
[edit] |
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References
[edit]- ^ Colton ’22, Ray. "Corps Brass: 60 Years of Corps Unity". Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Corcoran, Amy (February 21, 2025). "Corps Genealogy". Archived Information from CorpsofCadets.org.
- ^ "History Information, Formation of the Oufit". Old Army D-1, Spider Company. Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on September 11, 2006. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
- ^ "Find an Aggie". The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University.
- ^ "John 15:13". BibleGateway. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
- ^ "Honoring.....LUTHER LEE SANDERS '64" (PDF). The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
- ^ "Find an Aggie". The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University.
- ^ Davenport '01, Dennis. "TOM RALPH '62". OneDrive. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External links
[edit]- Spider-D Facebook Group
- Old Army D-1 Spider Company Website
- Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets Website
- Texas Aggie Corps of Cadets Association