Recent Aggie grad and soon-to-be med student Brock Jones, Class of 2021, has spent several months in Buenos Aires, volunteering with a homeless shelter and school run by Argentinian nuns.
He hadn’t met a fellow Aggie during his time there. Since he’s been celebrating Muster since childhood, however, he knew he wanted to host one now.
"I went onto the [Association of Former Students] website and put a Muster announcement for Buenos Aires and had a few people reach out," Jones told KRHD. "So tonight I’m going over to someone’s house - he’s, like, a class of 1975 Aggie. And there’s going to be a few people.”
Aggie Muster brings together students and alumni from all across the globe, a time-honored day of memorial, fellowship and bonding. Dozens to potentially hundreds of alumni hold their own services in international homes, restaurants, and military bases this year, in approximately 17 different countries on five continents, according to the Aggie Network website.
Jones said he and these Aggies will eat a meal and share stories about their times at Texas A&M.
About 8,200 miles away from Jones, stationed with the U.S. Navy in Bahrain, U.S. service member Kristina Goldstein, Class of 2015, just finished celebrating Aggie Muster with several fellow sailors in a shopping mall restaurant outside the base.
“We just chatted and shared our stories," she said.
Goldstein said they weren’t able to sing the Aggie War Hymn, as Bahrainis are celebrating Ramadan, and singing during daylight hours would be considered culturally insensitive. So, she recited the Last Corps Trip and Corregidor Story instead. The group couldn’t think of any recently deceased Aggie friends to roll call for, Goldstein said, but she found a meaningful roll call subject anyway.
“Unfortunately suicide is still a huge thing in the military, and civilian life, so I said anyone who died because of suicide, I will call them and say 'here' for them," she said.
While their experiences are different, Ags like Jones and Goldstein feel a connection with one another, brought together by a common spirit.
“Aggies are always there to support Aggies, to meet other Aggies and share life and stories from the university we all hold dear," Jones stated.