The Last Corps Trip

by David Morefield

Title

The Last Corps Trip

Artist

David Morefield

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Photograph - Photo

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An experience that will forever be engrained on my heart was when Aggie Bonfire fell at Texas A&M University on November 18, 1999. Twelve were killed and I knew seven of them. The events of that night are as crystal clear as if they happened just yesterday. To this day, when I walk out to the site where this occurred, I am overwhelmed with emotions. On that day, I had no emotion, I was focused on helping those who could be saved. As the days went on, the depth of loss gravitated to my soul and pressed my heart with the reality of what had happened.
The twelve that were killed were Miranda Adams, Christopher Breen, Michael Eubanks, Jeremy Frampton, Jamie Hand, Christopher Heard, Tim Kerlee, Lucas Kimmel, Bryan McClain, Chad Powell, Jerry Self and Nathan West.
Just weeks prior to this tragedy, I had met Chris Heard, who was a freshman in the Corps. He had run up to me on the Quad and whipped out to me. I dropped handles with him quickly in order to save the structure of the bones in my hand as he had a crushing grip. This young man was still a first semester fish, but he was completely squared away. Chris and I talked as we walked across campus. When I asked Chris why he joined the Corps, he said, � I want to be just like my Dad and serve in the military.� My own son had been born just months prior and I thought to myself, what a wonderful thing that he looks up to his father like; I hope I can earn that level of respect with my son one day.
Chris and I made a habit of walking to class on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until he was tragically killed at Bonfire.

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December 6th, 2013

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