K-2
MC: Secure guidon and report to Colonel McCunniff, “Sir Company K-2 is formed.” Welcome Company K-2 veterans, spouses and
guests. We are gathered for an
unprecedented event – a reunion of those from all classes who served in a now
extinct company of cadets, a company that enjoyed the well-earned distinction
of being the only fraternity at
Before we dine, let us join together in what
may be the last serious events of the evening.
First, to symbolize our reverence for the highest Authority and to give
thanks for our blessings of liberty and the bounty of our nation including this
food, please join Tom Leo who will lead us in the Cadet Prayer, printed in your
program, which he will follow with a special blessing for this occasion.
Tom
Leo: Lead prayer and give blessing.
MC: Now please charge your glasses for three
toasts. As you know, mid-March is
traditionally the time of year when we celebrate the founding of
Our
program will continue after dinner.
Enjoy your meal.
----------------------After everyone is
served dessert--------------
MC: The first cadets to serve in K-2 were from
the class of 1947. The last class to
enjoy the camaraderie of Kappa Dos was the Class of 1968, some of whom served
as Plebes before K-2 was no more.
Tonight we are fortunate to have with us one who was there when our
company was created and some who were there when the guidon was furled. Those of us who roamed the Plain in the years
of K-2 after its creation and before there was to be a third and fourth
regiment, look forward to hearing from them about the conception and demise of
our fraternity. Most in attendance
tonight are of the classes from 1957 to 1962 when K-2 traditions were well
founded and were being further cemented. For those classes it was rare not to serve in
the same company throughout our time at
But first things first. We will now hear from a guy who was there
when the second regiment was expanded and K-2 was created. John Chandler, class of 49, and wife Jane
join us from
John
Chandler:
I
am John Chandler of the class of 1949. I
was present for the conception and birth of company
If something is
really worth doing, then do it superficially.
I
have decided to break my presentation into four parts.
The
first part will deal with the situation in the world and at USMA sixty years
ago. This will provide me and others
with a baseline to work from.
The
second part will deal with three hugely significant events, which triggered a
major transition at
The
third part provides some highlights from the classes of 1947 through 1951
year-by-year.
The
final part will provide some discussion about the tactical officers of Company
K2 during those early formative years.
SITUATION
We
were in the closing days of World War II.
The war in
TRANSITION
With
World War II behind us, rumors were heard in the spring of 1946 that the
academic program would return to the four-year term. Soon a directive was issued to describe the
adjustments necessary among the classes for this purpose. For the plebes struggling to survive until
recognition in June week, it was no big deal to shift to being the class of
1949. On the other hand, the class that
was to become “firsties” upon the graduation of the Class of 1946, it was quite
another story. Half of those expectant
First Classmen would become “Cows”! The
waiting for the by-name list of the Class of 1947 (and 1948) was
agonizing. The 1948 HOWITZER carried a
two-page diatribe about this “injustice”
You can read this emotional statement in the hospitality
room. The new cows, however, were now
the class of 1948. The class of 1947 remembered
their colleagues in the class of 1948 by including 2 x 2 photographs of each
former classmate in the 1948 Howitzer.
The
second earthshaking event was a reorganization into 24 cadet companies. One might ask the question why increase the
number of companies when there were no more cadets then before authorized at
2400. Obviously, each company was
smaller, but there were more leadership positions created for the First
Class. This event took place on August
26, 1946, which was during Reorganization Week.
It should be apparent that adding four companies in each regiment,
without additional personnel involved stringing people out of each company to
the next. Thus, it took cadets from
companies F, G, and H to make up the four new companies. K-2 was an “expansion” club.
The
third major event was not nearly so visible.
It is my speculation that after World War II started to wind down,
graduates who had been in combat and then returned to
CLASSES
OF 1947 – 1951
Now
I'd like to turn to the several classes and their members who were in Company
K2. I want you to know that I tried to follow the example of Gene Witherspoon
by sending an e-mail to a respected and friendly member of each class asking
for a first- person memoir in order to limit further speculation on my
part. Regrettably, I received only two
out of five contributions. But I had a
Plan B: there was another alternative for me, and I have taken a few extracts
from the several Howitzers to fill the gaps.
The
Class of 1947
was the last three-year class. 370 out of 399 cadets graduated with the
class. It was this class that truly
launched Company K-2, and they did a remarkable job. Not the least of their challenges was
“breaking in” the first tactical officer, Colonel Lester L Wheeler, a highly
decorated veteran of four years in the Pacific Theater. The first shocker came
when President Harry S. Truman selected K2 Company as the best marching company
at a formal review in his honor in the fall of 1946. The real cropper, came in the spring when the
company won the Banker's trophy -- not bad for an expansion club. Colonel Wheeler selected Hank Emerson, the
lowest ranking member of the class, as the athletic representative and told him
to win the Banker's trophy. Even more
remarkably, we did. And if you can
believe it, Hank Emerson a.k.a. The Gunfighter, retired as a three-star general
commanding the 18th Airborne Corps! Hank
Emerson, in an audio tape to me, gave full credit to Colonel Wheeler for his
successful military career. Talk about
military psychology and leadership; this was a prize example in my book.
And
here is an extract from their Howitzer.
- In “…uniting our diverse talents with those of the ambitious
Cow, hard-working Yearlings and determined Plebes, we made
The
Class of 1948
were not ”happy campers. The 1948 Howitzer makes reference
to the”MOOOO Hop” intended to assuage their displeasure at their lot. The
class graduated 301 out of 308 cadets, but some are still angry that they made
the “lower” half. Clearly, there was no
way that this group should have seen itself as being the lesser qualified
group. The two halves had to be of equal
talent as best man could determine, in order for the Corps to operate through
the transition. As evidence of this I
call to your attention Bob Mathis. He
was first Sergeant of Company K-2, and he was recognized as a Distinguished
Graduate and retired as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air
Force.
The Class of 1949 was very different from its predecessors. First of all, we were the same age as a class
that graduated in 1946. Over half the
class had World War II service of one kind or another. We graduated 574 out of 906. When the war ended, there were a good many
resignations during beast barracks and later, when we transitioned to a
four-year program. Those who remained
were committed to a longer relationship in the Army or Air Force. Our Howitzer
asserted that “… much have we
been given and much do we take with us as we leave this rich and vital
experience. We have played our part in
creating and preserving the
The Class of 1950 was also an older class, some with World War
II experience. The class graduated 670
out of 928 cadets. The Howitzer
carried the following summary: - “We have tried to lead in our last year --
only the other classes will know if we have succeeded. In our next work we will be separated but our
class will always be together” Little
did it know that it too would be thrown into that same breach in Korea as soon
as graduation leave ended, and their losses would be even greater. Charlie Gabriel, a notable football player
and cadet company commander, retired as a four-star general and Chief of Staff
of the U.S. Air Force.
The
Class of 1951
was a younger class, many coming soon after high school graduation. Also, it was a smaller class and graduated
475 out of 622 cadets. The class entered
TACTICAL
OFFICERS
In
August of 1946, company
We
Yearlings already knew Colonel Wheeler.
His first assignment had been as tactical officer of Second Company at
When
we were invited to his quarters, we met his wife, Dottie, a southern belle and
model Army wife. She was warm and
welcoming to the Tac’s cadets. I believe
he wanted his wife to give the friendship that he could not. And he treated his wife like a princess. As the feminist movement gathered momentum,
she expressed her feelings about it with a question:
Why stoop to
equality?
When
prompted, he shared with us his war stories objectively and without
prejudice. He had a droll sense of
humor, but never at anyone else's expense.
Let
me tell you a little more about Hank Emerson, our athletic representative in
the Class of 1947. LTC Wheeler knew from
the start that Hank was doing poorly after two years and now there is just one
more year left until graduation. The
position of athletic representative was the choice of a tactical officer, not
to “make list”. Colonel Wheeler imposed
a single challenge to Hank. He simply
said “I want company K-2 to win the Banker's Trophy this year”. Hank was an Army brat, and not being a “hard
charger”, he no doubt had received a lot of criticism from his father. But this challenge was a positive statement. Hank was energized and worked tirelessly to
achieve the goal. During graduation
week, LTC Wheeler sought out Hank's father and told him that Hank was indeed
ready to serve as an officer. Hank never
forgot that experience, and he and Les Wheeler, fellow infantrymen, became
friends for life.
For
too many reasons to go into here, I enjoyed a special relationship with the
Wheelers. Suffice it to say they played
a role in my marriage and that young lady is here with me tonight; my wife of
58 years, Jane. And she is here also to
represent her K-2 brother’s class of 1951.
The Wheelers and
I
repaid part of my debt to the Wheelers, when I became “Plebe Papa” to their
son, Duke, of the class of 1965. I was
teaching in the math department from 1960 to 63.
LTC
Wheeler left
Thanks
to Bob Wilson of the Class of 1950, I can report the following:
Major
Frank B. Clay, Class of 1942, took over as tactical officer in 1949. He was the son of General Lucius Clay of the
Berlin Airlift fame. He retired as a
major general in 1974.
Major
Edmund B Edwards, Class of January 1943, followed Major Clay in 1950, but Major
Clay returned to Company K-2 in 1951.
Major Edwards retired as a brigadier general in 1974 also.
CONCLUSION
Company
K-2 got off to a grand start. On the
other hand the Transition was a great challenge for the cadets and tactical
officers as well. Later we would associate ourselves with the Greatest
Generation.
I
want to thank Gene Witherspoon for this “Calling of the Clan”. I only wish some of my peers had come to hear
the “rest of the story”, which I eagerly await to hear.
MC: Thanks, John.
We really appreciate hearing about life on the Plain and K-2 in the 40s
and early 50s. From its beginning in
1946 through the classes of 1963, with rare exception as I have mentioned,
cadets served all four years in the same company, so one had ample time to
enjoy and help build the legend and lore of Kappa Dos. Beginning with the class of 64, USMA began to
shuffle the deck, and effected wholesale reassignment of cadets among different
companies after third class year. Who
knows, maybe the high jinks of Kappa Dos caused this attempt to “divide and
conquer!” Anyway, the folks here from 64
and later classes spent no more than two years in K-2 as did others of their
classes unless they were very lucky. So, the historical four-year camaraderie
of K-2 began to wane with academic year 62/63 until it was finally extinguished
in 1965. I think before we go into some
depth on the McCunniff years when most of those here were assigned to K-2, it
will be appropriate to place the right-hand bookend and hear from two who were
there when the K-2 guidon came down. Bob
Lowry, 66 served his first two years in Kappa Dos and was reassigned just prior
to its last year. He was around for a
year after K-2 deactivation so he can tell us about the Corps just after K-2
was no more. We are fortunate to have
with us, Art Hester who was the last K-2 Company Commander. He will tell us how Kappa Dos went out with a
blaze of glory. Bob and Art will use a
Huntley-Brinkley approach to tell of the last days of our fraternity.
Bob
Lowry:
Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. I
will try very hard to adhere to the three “Bs” of public speaking - be brief,
be brilliant, and be gone. And I’ll be happy if I get two out of three of
those right and a 2.0 on my remarks. But before I begin I have to provide
a disclaimer. Almost 46 years have passed since I took the oath at Trophy
Point, and any inaccuracies or embellishments of the facts are a result of old
age and memory loss – not because of any intent to distort them.
As the summer of 1962 came to an end, anxiety
was rising among the new cadets in Second New Cadet Company. We already
knew that all of us would be going to one of four companies: C-1, D-1,
I-2 or K-2. And we also knew of the reputations of each of those companies.
I, along with 30 of my company mates, was among the lucky ones who got assigned
to Company K-2, known even among the young Class of 1966 as the last of the
great fraternities. Many of you in this room can relate to the sense of
relief I felt when company assignments were posted, and you can also relate to
the flak that those of us coming to K-2 experienced – not only from the upper
classmen on the beast detail, but from our own less fortunate classmates as
well.
Reorgy week came and went, and we settled in
to a new routine of classes, parades and intermurder sports competition.
1962 was the first year that new second classmen were reassigned to different
companies throughout their regiment and it quickly became apparent that not all
of the new cows assigned to K-2 fully understood its customs and traditions.
Sometimes they appeared to give the yearlings more “attention” than they
gave us. But as the year progressed, things began to settle down.
During plebe year we occupied the 47th,
48th, and 49th Divisions, and provided plebe support such
as laundry and mail delivery to the second regimental staff, commanded by Lloyd
Asbury. One night during reorgy week, about 10 minutes before taps, Mr. Asbury
caught me in the hallway and directed me to carry an envelope to his counterpart
in the 1st Regiment, Lynn Cook. He told me to hurry and if I
got stopped by anyone on the way, to just tell them I was on official business
for the 2nd Regimental Commander and that I had diplomatic
immunity. Needless to say, I didn’t make it back to my room for taps, but
Mr. Asbury held up the inspection until I was back in my room. That was
one of my first exposures to “caring leadership” and I have never forgotten it.
When Halloween came around, the yearlings
gathered us together and told us about a long standing tradition in K-2 – that
of the plebes going en masse to the Superintendent’s quarters to “trick or
treat” – after taps! To this day I don’t know if that was really a long
standing tradition, or just something some adventurous yearlings foisted upon
us. But regardless, after the “all right” check, we assembled in the basement
of the 49th Division in B-robes and armed with the company guidon,
headed to Quarters 100.
With 31 plebes standing on the front porch of
Quarters 100, then Major General Westmoreland, dressed in a navy blue blazer
over grey slacks and a regimental tie, opened the door and after a rather
loud chorus of “trick or treat”, he said “Good evening, gentlemen,” almost as
if he expected us. While he was standing in the doorway, his then four or
five year old son came sliding down the banister from upstairs, jumped onto his
back, and the two of them crashed to the floor. I will never forget the silence
that captured the event. But almost as if it was scripted, General Westmoreland
got to his feet, sent his son back upstairs and offered us some treats.
After a few minutes of “small talk” (don’t ask me what we talked about) he
suggested that we get back to the barracks before someone realized we were
absent. Plebe Christmas – an event that ended with the class of 1967 –
came and went and almost before we knew it came our official recognition from
the upper classmen. I have to emphasize OFFICIAL because not all of the
upper classmen-some firsties and yearlings-waited until the end of the year to
shake our hands.
We lost four of our classmates during plebe
year, but compared to D-1, which had an attrition rate of almost 40% (only 19
survived), we did well.
Reorgy week of 1964 saw my K-2 class
reassigned throughout the second regiment, and we were backfilled by 23 of our
classmates who collectively became known as the K-2 ZOO. Now I will turn over to Art Hester who will
tell us about K-2’s last great year of existence.
Art
Hester:
One of the best memories of my two years in K-2
was a sincere desire by my classmates to move beyond the emotional aspects of
going to a new company. We’d all
witnessed firsthand some of the negative impact on ’64. I think we accomplished that early in our 2d
Class year and it grew stronger when we were Firstclassmen.
I recall that we were acutely aware of the
political events going on around us. The
Johnson-Goldwater campaigns in 1964 caused a lot of interest, and our
increasing commitment to
I’m sure that most of you know that we won
both the Bankers Trophy and Superintendent’s Award that final year. That was not by happenstance. We had great participation in intramurals and
worked hard, and often, on such mundane things as drill and ceremonies and
physical proficiency. I almost
personally cost us the Superintendent’s Award since due to poor judgment on my
part I went from being a cadet captain to cadet lieutenant to cadet private in
the span of several weeks. Fortunately,
I accepted my punishment, walked the area during the spring break, and was selected as the permanent cadet
company commander.
One last point I want to make is the fact that
even among the numerous things going on during our June Week, it was an honor
to be there for the 50th
Bob
Lowry: When Reorgy Week of
1965 rolled around the Corps had a different look to it. We had four
regiments, each with two battalions and three companies in each battalion. K-2
had become Company D-4, USCC. And
somewhere along the way – I don’t remember exactly when, either the summer of
64 or 65 -- we stopped using FM 22-5A (Cadet Drill) as our marching guide - you
all remember “Squads Right” as we formed on the plain – and we started marching
in company mass. At about the same time the orientation of the parade
field was changed and the reviewing stand was moved from in front of the Supe’s
house to its present location on the north east corner of the parade field.
Also in our last year there were three details for cadet officers, each lasting
about three months. The final detail is what resulted in our “permanent”
cadet rank. Company D-4, the new designation of K-2, remained in the lost
fifties and tried to carry on the tradition but it just wasn’t quite the
same. However…
In the early fall of 1965, eight firsties,
five of whom had served in Company K-2, began to formulate a plan to steal the
Navy goat. We left on a Friday afternoon and headed south. It was
on the 190th birthday of the United States Marine Corps that we
successfully captured the Navy Goat, which was being guarded by two United
States Marines. In the interest of time, I’ll not share the details of
the operation, but on the Friday before the Army-Navy Game the goat was
recovered by academy officials and returned to the
Illegitimus
non Carborundum!
MC: And now to McCunniff years. We trust you have enjoyed some of the photos
of past K-2 events and people. One picture
is of our four-year Tac, then Major Tom McCunniff. Talk about Black, Gold and Gray running
through your veins, Tom McCunniff not only had a Father who was Commandant of
Cadets, but had he not arrived a couple of days early, Tom would actually have
been born on Founders Day as I am sure was the plan! Happy birthday again, sir! Introduce
those at McCunniff table. Before we
get into detail of our time with Tom McCunniff, let me introduce those seated
at his table. First, Tom’s wife Nina is
remembered by us ex-cadets as the role model of an Army Wife. She was always a favorite no matter how much
grief her husband may have visited on us!
You have already heard from John Chandler who is here with his wife
Jane. Also at Table 1 is our second most
senior K-2 attendee. Bob Bartlett, class
of 53, and his wife Carol live right here on Hilton Head. And finally we are honored to have with us as
special guests, General
Carl
Waldenmaier:
Intro
1.
Jack was born outside
2.
Attended a Jesuit HS and could read, write and speak both Latin and
Greek. He was a hive. Joined USCC July 1953 at the ripe age of 17
1/2, right out of HS.
3. I
roomed with him 2 years, Ed Bodenhamer and I roomed with him 1 year. Never had to study much, quick mind,
fantastic memory.
4.
Rarely drafted anything, used Waterman fountain pen.
5.
Would snow the P's by quoting Latin and Greek.
6.
Firstie year he was President of the Chess Club. Would practice on Ed Bodenhamer and me by
being flat on his back in the rack, staring at the ceiling and play us both at
the same time with a separate board in front of both of us. And he won. (We'd try and cheat and move
figures without him knowing it but he'd catch us) Mike Higgins was his favorite
opponent.
The
Poem
1. K-2
being a flanker company, was already a little loose by USCC standards. But, even though we stuck with the Plebe
system and class rank, there was a spirit of "hanging in there
together." without fraternization.
2.
Example my Beast Barracks and Bill Hauser, '54.
3.
Jack examplified the Kappa Dos Spirit, he was loose but could be counted
on to buckle down if needed, or "the spirit moved him"
4. He
wrote the Poem one night, again, with his trusty fountain pen. Both Ed and I didn't have to change a
word. What you see is what he wrote.
5. We
did go back to bed and caught some more sack time.
6. And
our rooms didn't catch too many demerits, Captain Tom searched and saw
everything. When we had to do the
"shine and blitz" thing, we could do it.
7.
Last time I saw Jack and his family was after he got out of the Air
Force and was working in
The
Stars
1.
Every class has their Star Men, but '57 K-2 had a bunch. Read list.
MC: After surviving his first year with 57, Major
McCunniff recovered nicely and groomed the 58-led company into a finely honed
marching machine. In May 58, K-2 was
selected to represent West Point as its only company to accompany the remains
of unknown soldiers from WWII and
Class
of 59: And then it was time
for the Class of 59 to lead the company, maybe Tom’s greatest challenge as a
Tac. Phil Huntingdon, his Company
Commander that memorable year is out there.
Otie Tibbets is also here and he remembers visiting your quarters for
“social training,” one of the few places a cadet could drink legally on the
reservation in those days. At this
dinner, Otie says you gave him a rather large drink with the advice to “never
serve a small drink or a cheap drink.” I
believe we have followed your guidance tonight, at least concerning the “cheap”
part. (OTL) Another thing you may remember was that 59 instituted an OTL
tradition wherein the person voted grossly “out to lunch” for some deed or
omission would be required to carry an OTL lunch pail for a full day as
recognition of such behavior. As I
recall, you were unanimously selected by the OTL committee to tote the pail for
a day. Your specific OTL warranted
blunder is lost in antiquity, but sir, to commemorate that event and your good
sportsmanship in going along with the tradition, we want to present the OTL
pail to you and ask you to retire it unless someone else tonight is deemed more
worthy by some deed or misdeed.
Take
the pail to Tom, salute and present.
But there were many other capers instigated
and perpetrated by the Class of 59 not least of which were the steam tunnel
adventures. We just happen to have, Tom
Leo, the Head Mole with us tonight and he will describe these and other 59-led adventures
in as much detail as collective memories allow.
Tom
Leo: The Moles ---
I had the pleasure of being the Head Mole,
leading the Moles in the Fall of 1958 and Spring of '59 - AY'58/'59 – hard to
believe that almost a half century has passed . . .
We actually started during Beast in the
summer of '58. I was First Detail Supply
Sgt. for 5th New Cadet Company with a
There I accidentally discovered a map of the Steam Tunnels, my curiosity was
piqued, I took it back to my room; and after some ‘consultations’ among a
bunch of clowns, a few of us started
exploring the tunnels at night. We could
travel to the 'lost 50's' and into the old gym from as far away as the Powerhouse
- as well as all the way up to the Protestant Chapel - which we did one night;
Joe (Joel Spivak,'60) played a few bars
of "Hail, hail, the gang's all here" on the Chapel organ at midnight.
We also hung Reb Bearce by his ankles over
the side of the Chapel bell tower so that he could unfurl a ‘Beat South
Carolina’ banner which then covered half of the tower. On still another foray
into the Cadet Chapel we taped felt pads onto the bell clappers so they were
deadened when played.
One night we rolled some of the wheeled
cannons off Trophy Point, across the Plain, and then chained them to the rail
around the front of the Old Washington Hall - that's why the cannons on display
today are now bolted down into concrete.
Then we went for the breechblock. It may be accurately presumed that the O C‘s
daily report one lovely Fall morning in September of 1958, would have read as
follows:
0600 Reveille
Cannon failed to fire
0610 Upon further investigation it was
revealed that the cannon failed to fire due to the absence of the breechblock
(The tube of a 105 mm
howitzer was the firing piece using a blank round)
0900 Continuing the investigation, based upon
the report and (expletives deleted) commentary of the Commandant, BG
Throckmorton, it was further determined that said missing breechblock was found
– behind the right rear wheel of his vehicle which was parked in the driveway
of his residence, QTRS 102.
Further investigation
revealed that the remainder of the firing mechanism was ensconced behind the
left rear wheel of said vehicle.
It may also be accurately presumed that six
more relatively similar reports (extended research in the archives of the USMA
Library would not yield OC reports) were rendered during the AY ‘58/’59.
The second repository of said purloined breechblock
was the bottom shelf of the icebox in the First Regimental Commanders HQ, then
Bldg 720 – the ‘BOODLERS’
Try as we might, none of those involved in
these escapades can remember the repository of the third removal.
On the fourth try said item was carefully
placed within a pristine, glass enclosed display case on the third floor of
Thayer Hall, – at the intersection of two hallways. Courtesy of the Ordnance
Dept, said case was used to house some of their more highly prized items –
projectiles, fuses, etc. After all, what
would be a more fitting display, a better location for our ‘piece of ordnance’? Unfortunately, the case was locked, we had no
key and our knives could not budge the lock! – We did however carry a full
complement of tools – ropes, a crowbar, bolt cutters, screwdrivers, pliers,
etc. We used a screwdriver to remove the
glass from one of the doors of the display case, placed the breechblock among
the other accouterments, replaced the glass, returned to barracks and went to
bed.
The fifth iteration also remains a mystery to
us remaining old Moles – again no one can recall the action, to include the
‘resting place’ of said item . . .
As an aside; please forgive my ancient,
forgetful memory – our group had a few permanent members – Dan Schrader, Larry Shuck, Reb Bearce, Dewitt
Talmadge Monroe, (now deceased, may God have mercy on them) – myself, Rex Rhein
and Otie Tibbetts and Joel Spivack ( C-1)
were also regulars. Volunteers
from other Classes – whose names I can no longer remember, who however have
done me the honor of reintroducing themselves over ensuing years as
participants in our ‘adventures’ joined
us in our forays.
Our sixth mission involved the removal of all
of the furniture from the Poop Deck, the OLD Poop Deck, in the OLD Mess Hall,
prior to the expansion of said edifice from three wings into six. We made our way out to Trophy Point; Dan did
his thing, and the Breech Block was transported back to Washington Hall and
after bringing the furniture down the interior stairway we set it up again
inside the main interior doors at the entrance to the dining area with the
breechblock prominently displayed in the center of the dining table on a dinner
plate so that the troops could view the ‘coup’ as they marched in for breakfast in the morning! Few if any of these missions were planned in
advance – we just got together when the ‘moon was right’, decided what would be
fun and set out. .
The piece’d’ resistance, the seventh, final
time that we 'liberated' it was to hang it from the Northeast gargoyle on the
Clock tower.
By then, because of the success of our
previous ‘missions’, the TD had installed a heavy canvas cover, secured with a
padlock, over the cannon and had MPs walking patrols on Trophy Point as a
preventive measure. We initially thought
of/planned to replicate MacArthur's alleged feat of putting the entire reveille
cannon up on the clock tower, but the frame supporting the barrel and breech of
the cannon was bolted, welded down - the nuts were welded to the bolts of the
frame supporting the assemblage on Trophy Point; - we used to carry tools,
however, try as we might we could not budge the welded nuts! Again we had to settle just for the
breechblock, which was a very heavy piece of machined tool steel. We used two way radios for that one - I was
on the Plain – prone, Reb Bearce was sitting behind the saddle on George
Washington’s horse and others were deployed watching for patrolling MPs.
Someone using the bolt cutters cut the
padlock off the canvas cover, Dan again did his thing, the group then took off
along flirtation walk up to the top of the tower with a couple of us still on
the level of the Plain as lookouts. The troops on the Clock Tower held onto
Spivack’s legs while he pushed the wire (we had looped field wire through the
block to suspend it) out to the edge of the gargoyle with a broom handle. The block swung about 20' off the ground
until 2pm the following day, much to the joy of cadets heading to and from
class. The Post Engineer finally used a
'cherry picker' to retrieve it. (By way
of comparison, it took a company of engineers to get the cannon down when
MacArthur supposedly put it up there -.Actually Hugh S. Johnson ’03, Cullum
Number 4174, was the leader of that group.)
Larry Shuck, on the staff of The POINTER did
an article on us, complete with photos, with faces of course blacked out. I
have been told that the Comm spent many an hour perusing that article trying to
identify us.
ANOTHER STORY
One evening, after football practice, not
having anything productive to do, and with a couple of free hours (?) to kill,
we were wandering the Post, looking for something to do. (At that point I was
the head of the Administrative Section of the Cheerleaders – actually the head
Scrounge – (The Rabble Rousers) and so had the Jeep which pulled the Rally
Cannon. Passing the Post Dump, with
absolutely nothing in mind, we came upon a standard GI issue ‘headstone’ for a
grave. Again, having absolutely no idea,
no plan for anything, and presuming that the family of the deceased had
arranged for a more decorative monument, we loaded the discarded tombstone into
the jeep, proceeded back to the cadet area, secured the jeep and went in to
supper (In TROG Days, the evening meal was ‘Supper’). Discussing what to do with the tombstone, it
was decided that the block of marble - at approximately 300 #s, - would rest
comfortably in Rocky Versace’s bed, so several of us departed the Mess Hall via
the kitchens, - (again in 'olden days' there were Yearling Mess Hall Corporals
stationed at the doors; if you left before your Class light was lit, you had to
give an 'all right' – meaning you were on authorized business.) prior to ‘Batts
Rise’, went back to the jeep, retrieved the tombstone, took it up to Rocky’s
room, deposited it in his bed.
Nothing happened during ‘call to quarters’ –
we were required to remain in our rooms, studying, or in the library, or at
officially sanctioned meetings – until ‘release from quarters’, when we decided
that we would remove the stone from Rocky’s rack – (He was beginning to wonder
where he was going to sleep) - it ended up in the ‘soap drum’, the garbage
receptacle of the division BP – the ‘Barracks Policeman’ or Janitor – in this
instance “Ed” who had no idea what he would be facing on the following morning.
Needless to say, ‘Ed‘ was not able to move
his receptacle in the morning, we had to retrieve the stone – it ultimately
ended up as the first ‘tombstone’ in a mock graveyard at the base of the Clock
tower, where subsequent excess gravestones were implanted,
This happened I believe between our 1st and
2nd FB games - you will recall that we were undefeated that year (1 tie, Pitt,
21-21). Anyway, we took the tombstone over to the base of the Clock tower,
turned the stone upside down, reversed it in order to hide the original name,
planted it at the base of the Clock tower & painted the name of Army's
opponent(s) and the score on the stone. During
the ’58 season we were undefeated, an accomplishment matched by no Army Team in
the last 50 years.
I do not remember whether or not any photos
were taken – we couldn’t find any, and if not, it's a shame; I presume the
engineers just scarfed up all of the 'stones' at the end of the season and took
them back to the dump . . .
Still ANOTHER Tale . . .
’58, ’59, ’60, ‘61 were all present for this
event , even if you don't remember it. On
a beautiful, sunny Sat in the Spring of 1958, we had a Saturday p'rade, a
Brigade Parade/Review - (I know that there is a difference between a Parade and
a Review, however I have NO idea what it
is!)
Billy (Schwartz) was known for his low (negative) 'care factor', indeed, all he
really sweated were ladies, and doing well in International Relations - his
hobby - actually he did VERY well there, running SCUSA, I believe in '59.
Anyway - he rarely if ever shined anything that he didn't have to, Rog Quinn
& I - his Cow roommates, used to ride him about it. Finally, we hit on a plan to wake him/shake
him up, or so we thought. I found an M-1
training round, no powder, no primer; I shined it up so that it GLEAMED, put it
in the chamber of Bill's M-1 just prior to leaving for assembly for that
p'rade, thinking that the round would eject on the first - of many -
'Inspection Arms'. Didn't happen! Normally in those days a company went through
Inspection Arms prior to departure from the Area for the p'rade; as usual we
were late, Typical for KAPPADOS) In fact
I think that some members were running to catch up as we marched off, out of North Area.
Again - in 'days of yore', at a Brigade Review we occasionally did a
manual of arms on the Plain, to include
Inspection Arms. Not this day! The p'rade went off w/o a hitch, we marched
back into the Area - again - usually before 'opening ranks for inspection' we'd
do Inspection Arms' again - not today! By this time I was Really beginning to SWEAT,
since I was the one who planted the dummy round and would have to own up to it,
pay the price if something got messed up!
Bill, Rog & I were in the third platoon - Neil Mathis,’58 was
Platoon Leader - I ran this past him some time ago - he really enjoyed the
story but has no recollection of it. We opened ranks, McC chose to inspect the
First Platoon, Neil had us, his own Platoon.
As he went along the rank, I was ready to faint, however when it came
Bill's turn, up came the rifle, he cranked the bolt open and out flew the
round, glistening in the bright Spring sunlight!
Bill just about messed his pants, I froze, Neil didn't react - afterwards I
went over and retrieved the round from the pavement.
Over the years, Bill has asked me about getting the round back - he has phrased
in the context of being 'classmated' - he's of course right, minus any malice -
we were trying to get his attention <g>!
I have always told him that I could not find - truthfully - the round. Some time ago, I was rooting through some old
stuff and found it. It was my hope to
present it - all shined up of course - to him at the end of these
festivities - along with this story, tonight, however Bill’s wife Joyce is not
well so having related another KAPPADOS story, we will mail the souvenir to
Bill.
MC: Thanks Head Mole, aka Tom. The only class that had Tom McCunniff as tac for
all four years at
Now to
the class of 61. As one who survived (barely) as Company
Commander in 61 I will do the talking.
Tom, although you and family, including your
last two Army brats born at West Point,
had left before we started our first class year in the fall of 1960,
your leadership carried over as we won at least one Regimental drill streamer
that year. One of the firsts for 61 was
the end of height segregation in the Corps.
Until we arrived, K-2 files were all about the same height. Look around the room and, except for some who
have shrunk, all from classes before 1961 are about 6 feet tall. As a guy who was 5’ 10”, being in a taller
company was a godsend. However, if you
were my height and assigned to M-1 or L-1, it was not so great! Our tallest plebe in Class of 61 was a guy
named Jim Madden who was about 6’ 8”.
Jim was sent from M-2 over to South Area on some mission and he barely
returned alive. He recalled being chewed
out by an L-1 runt who was barking at Jim’s belt buckle. When asked “do you hear me Mister?” Keeping
his eyes straight ahead as required, Jim replied, “Sir, I can hear you, but I
can’t see you!” (Kennedy Inauguration) Another
event of note for 61 was participation in the inaugural parade for President
Kennedy. Those who were there will
remember a bitterly cold day with snow barely removed in time for the
parade.
But on to more pleasant memories of 61. Our most defining K-2 adventure was really an
extension of 59’s OTL tradition as it culminated in a similar
presentation. Here is a rundown of the
Otis T Lee caper. Nothing as exciting
and dangerous as the tunnel mole adventures of 59, but a long weekend of events
that captured the attention of the Corps and the USMA Staff & Faculty as
well. As K-2 Company Commander, I was
merely a facilitator (which means I went with the flow and didn't stop what
transpired under the diabolical imagination of our Kappa Dos files).
It
all started with the arrival of an ROTC cadet from NYU who was at USMA on one
of those sleep-over orientation long weekends.
I do remember his name but will simply refer to him as NYU. Anyway, he
was both gung ho and extremely naïve and gullible, a dangerous combination for
someone assigned to be oriented in K-2.
The first thing he asked me was, "Is this a TO&E Army
Company." When I jokingly told him,
"yes, our Armored Personnel Carriers are parked in the motor pool"
and he believed me, I knew we had a live one.
Unfortunately for him, he was assigned to room with Bob Eveleth (originally class of 60) and Jim Corcoran, two guys who held no admiration for the gung ho and knew gullible when they saw it! When our NYU cadet lieutenant learned that one of his assigned roommates, Bob Eveleth, was a cadet sergeant, he decided to give Bob special dispensation and not require him to call him “sir.” In short order, Bob and Corky enlisted the entire K-2 plebe class and many others to properly orient their ch