Spring Break
GUESTCOLUMN
Take time to develop friendships
By: Sayer Houseal
Issue date: 6/1/09 Section: Opinion
I wanted this message passed as a testament to the bonds that can build between buddies and classes. On Freshmen Orientation Week Sunday my fish year, I fell out on the wall for the first time with my mohawk and my cocky attitude. I remember very clearly the words that my C.O. told me, which I passed on to your kids.
He said "The most important thing in the Corps is your buddies. They will marry you and bury you." Those words kept me running for four years and guided the majority of my decisions.
This week I had the opportunity to understand the literal meaning of those words. Two weeks ago, I sat in Bryan with my buddies to see the first of my buds get married. It was a wonderful ceremony and I was glad to see everyone before we went our separate ways.
I am very proud to have been a part of his wedding, plus I got to model off my black suit that had been sitting in mothballs for the last year. Later the next week, I wore that suit again and put on a black tie for a funeral, after receiving a call that one of my senior Corps buddies was killed in a car wreck at the same time the wedding was going on.
I don't know if there has ever been a more appropriate time to hear "marry you and bury you,"than on the same night.
I am not writing this for sympathy or pity, but I urge all Corps members to spend as much time as you can with your buddies while you have the chance. You will not always get along, and you will rarely tell each other how you feel, but you can learn an amazing amount by working closely with all of your buddies instead of a select few.
Above all else, the bond with my buds has been the most meaningful and will be the most tangible lesson I have learned from the Corps. I hope you get the opportunity to look past differences and get to know people regardless of their views or their work ethic. All the little catfights disappear when you walk
Final Review.
He said "The most important thing in the Corps is your buddies. They will marry you and bury you." Those words kept me running for four years and guided the majority of my decisions.
This week I had the opportunity to understand the literal meaning of those words. Two weeks ago, I sat in Bryan with my buddies to see the first of my buds get married. It was a wonderful ceremony and I was glad to see everyone before we went our separate ways.
I am very proud to have been a part of his wedding, plus I got to model off my black suit that had been sitting in mothballs for the last year. Later the next week, I wore that suit again and put on a black tie for a funeral, after receiving a call that one of my senior Corps buddies was killed in a car wreck at the same time the wedding was going on.
I don't know if there has ever been a more appropriate time to hear "marry you and bury you,"than on the same night.
I am not writing this for sympathy or pity, but I urge all Corps members to spend as much time as you can with your buddies while you have the chance. You will not always get along, and you will rarely tell each other how you feel, but you can learn an amazing amount by working closely with all of your buddies instead of a select few.
Above all else, the bond with my buds has been the most meaningful and will be the most tangible lesson I have learned from the Corps. I hope you get the opportunity to look past differences and get to know people regardless of their views or their work ethic. All the little catfights disappear when you walk
Final Review.
Be sure to include your name, major, and class year. Submissions without this information are subject to deletion.
By submitting a comment, you agree to thebatt.com's Terms of Use.
You may also send a Mail Call to The Battalion at mailcall@thebatt.com