[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 11 (Thursday, January 22, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E98]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                             AGGIES IN WWI

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 22, 2015

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, in the trenches of the Argonne Forrest 
in northeastern France, sat thousands of allied troops. It was the fall 
of 1918, it was World War I. The battle was muddy, rainy and most of 
all it was bloody. It was one of the largest and deadliest battles in 
U.S. military history, involving over a million American soldiers. 
Among the masses, in the front line trenches, sat James Vernon 
``Pinky'' Wilson, a marine from Texas, who amidst chaos felt called to 
write what would become one of the most famous songs in college 
history, the Aggie War Hymn.
  Pinky Wilson grew up in the small Texas town of Florence, about 30 
miles north of Austin. In 1917, he was a junior enrolled at Texas A&M 
University when he volunteered to serve our country in World War I.
   Wilson fought with the 6th Marine Regiment and by choice he became 
buck private in the Marine Corps, turning down two commissions, 
remaining a buck private throughout his military career. Not long after 
joining his Marine outfit as a replacement, Wilson saw firsthand the 
rigorous and relentless fighting in the Champagne area of France.
  In November of 1918, Wilson found himself right in the middle of the 
Battle of the Argonne Forrest. By the time Wilson took his first muddy 
spot in the trenches, the battle had been waging on for 37 days. For 
the remaining days, the Germans gave everything they had, fighting to 
the death. Knowing that the end was near, the Germans were desperate to 
try and steer the war in their favor.
  They bombarded and pelted the Marines with infantry, artillery, and 
machine gun fire. While sitting in the foxhole watching this bloodbath 
unfold before him, Wilson was struck with an idea. In an interview with 
the San Antonio Express-News in 1975, Wilson recalled that it was 
during the Champagne battle he had a running idea of writing a song. A 
fight song that a quartet would sing for Texas A&M. He took out a 
pencil and some letters from home and began scribbling the lines of the 
song that would become one of the most recognizable songs in Texas 
history.
  Wilson sat with his lyrics in the trenches until the war was over. 
Since he wrote the song and knew it perfectly in his head, melody, 
lyrics and all, he never bothered to keep the original copy he wrote. 
The tenor of the War Hymn as it was officially named, takes digs at the 
arch rival of Texas A&M, the University of Texas Longhorns.
  By the time the Battle of the Argonne Forrest was over, it had been a 
47 day nightmare that the allies were able to wake up from. And they 
woke up victorious, the war was over. The bloody battle that began on 
September 26, 1918, concluded World War I. It lasted until the 
Armistice, on November 11, 1918.
  What is remarkable about the class of 1917 at Texas A&M University is 
that they all volunteered to serve our country. Some as officers and 
some as enlisted men. These men went on to fight in World War I to 
serve and protect America and her freedoms. They were the fathers of 
the Greatest Generation.
  They came back and had families, instilling the same sense of 
selfless service in their sons and younger generation. When World War 
II started, the entire graduating classes of 1941 and 1942 at Texas A&M 
University did the exact same thing; they all volunteered to serve our 
country.
  The Aggies at A&M have a long tradition of service to the military. 
A&M commissions so many officers into our military that the number 
rivals our service academies.
  Much like the writing of our Star Spangled Banner, the Aggie War Hymn 
was born from a place of true patriotism during a time of pure terror 
and a fight for freedom. While the original version that Wilson wrote 
had a first verse, the second verse makes up the war hymn. And still, 
almost 100 years later, this second verse marks one of the most notable 
and famous A&M traditions. After the war, Wilson eventually returned to 
A&M to earn a degree and graduate with the class of 1920. He went on to 
become a successful Texas Rancher.
  His alma mater will be forever grateful for his contribution to not 
only his school, but to the State of Texas and his country.
  To quote the Aggie War Hymn, ``Rough tough, real stuff, Texas 
A&M,''--those Aggies who fought in WWI, WWII and those who have served 
and are currently serving our country embody this line to the fullest 
extent.
  James Vernon ``Pinky'' Wilson is one of the remarkable men who 
answered the call of his country. There truly are none quite like the 
Texas A&M Aggies.
  The Aggie spirit is engrained and rooted deep into Texas A&M. They 
are hard core patriots, committed cadets and forever rivals of the 
University of Texas. They are and will always be the pulse of Texas 
A&M. Gig 'em.
  And that's just the way it is.

                           The Aggie War Hymn

                           (By Pinky Wilson)

     Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!
     Hullabaloo, Caneck! Caneck!


                              First Verse

     All hail to dear old Texas A&M
     Rally around Maroon and White
     Good luck to dear old Texas Aggies
     They are the boys who show the real old fight
     That good old Aggie spirit thrills us
     And makes us yell and yell and yell
     So let's fight for dear old Texas A&M
     We're going to beat you all to
     Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem
     Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem
     Rough Tough! Real Stuff! Texas A&M!


                              Second Verse

     Good-bye to Texas university
     So long to the orange and the white
     Good luck to 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
     Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem
     Chig-gar-roo-gar-rem
     Rough Tough! Real Stuff! Texas A&M!

                          ____________________