Army Day

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Army Day

Who’s the real trooper? Only the road marchers, who finished their hike by crossing the stream, left, know for sure. But Sgt. 1st Class Tom Teel, right, accepted 82nd Airborne lookalike Tony Yannone’s help and company.

It is a celebration that starts with a march

/^^rmy day, the celebration held after the Command Inspection, continued the unity from that event. And when one is on a six-mile road march led by Sgt. 1st Class Tom Teel, formerly of the 82nd Airborne, unity is a must. While Sgt. Teel set a good pace, the corps kept up by singing marching ditties, many of which had been learned by cadets at the Fort Leonard Wood ROTC summer camp.

Water also was a favorite companion on the march. Canteens were called upon repeatedly, and a flooded roadbed and the traditional stream crossing gave all a chance to get wet. Those with dry fatigues, such as Ashok Bokde and Maurice Johnson, were given road-march baptisms, and no one escaped the baptismal groups except Sgt. Teel. He jumped before they could get to him.

Halfway through the march, the cadets were overflown by a National Guard Huey helicopter, which was on static display during the day. When the marchers saw it parked on Colonels Field, they knew it was time for a change of clothes and for a steak lunch.

While all cadets got their fill, MMA’s new mascot, Bear, a Labrador puppy, was in puppy heaven. And he has learned enough in his short time on campus to stay out of the way when the games began. While the games were fun, they also were serious. The Gold Boot, the trophy which goes to the winning company, was at stake. Bravo, the Junior School, missed it by one point in 1984, and they were out to get it this year.

The first contest pitted two cadets with three legs between them against four other sets like them. After running 30 ya* _s and staining a multitude of non-reg costumes green, Bravo came out the winner with Alpha second. Alpha, determined to keep the Gold Boot, added even more grass stains to clothes, and cut a little grass, by winning the wheelbarrow race.

T^lpha picked up its second win of the day in the pony express race, and Bravo stayed in contention by placing second. All the jockies, including Alpha’s William Walker and Bravo’s Dan Swartzendruber, survived the three trips around the football field.

Izzy Dizzy was for officers only, and Alpha proved it had

Flying in the skies of the mind’s eye, the Junior School’s J. W. Snyder checks out the co-pilot’s seat of the National Guard Huey helicopter that was on static display during Army day festivities. Its real pilots thrilled the cadets with a pass over Colonels Field as they departed.

Checking the competition, a lemon-pie encrusted Greg Steinmetz of Charlie Bravo’s Tom Dowler, who placed second. While all, including Delta’s Maurice Johnson and Alpha’s Royce Kingsbury were in contention, Echo’s Julio Martinez won the event, at which spectator space was at a premium.

the dizziest officers by taking the event. Each runner had to rest his forehead on a bat, spin three times, run 30 yards, repeat the revolutions, run back, and slap the hand of the next runner, who reated the task.

Five cadets got lemon pies for dessert, but, by pie

eating rules, they couldn’t share them. Nor could they push most of the pie onto the table with their faces. While Echo’s Julio Martinez won the event, Tom Dowler kept Bravo in contention by placing second.

In between these events, the Tug o’ War prelims were held. And after Delta beat Echo, the Alpha beat Charlie, and Bravo, which had a 15-man team to the other’s 10, which evened the weight difference, Bravo met Alpha for the best-of-three final.

Bravo won the first match, and Delta won a grudge tug with Charlie. Then Bravo returned to beat Alpha again. While they won the tug, they took second overall, and Alpha retained the Gold Boot with 23 points. Bravo had 22, Echo 15, Delta 9. and Charlie 6.

Are they jockies or sacks of flour? Anything went in the Pony Express race as long as the jockies, Dan Swartzendruber, Greg Bruns, Diego del Rio, and Greg Lochridge, didn’t touch the ground during their ride.

Straining muscles, grimacing faces and supporters screaming support didn’t help Alpha’s Jorge Juniga, Bruce Joslin, Craig Barrett, and supporting commander Rich Gathright beat the 15-man Bravo Company team, which beat Alpha two out of three.