This photo is of a tradition that First Class cadets take, where they modify their uniforms to look 19th century, and pose in particular manner (some of them appear to be lounging, leaning against posts, etc.), and this photo is usually taken on the stairs of one of the older barracks.
Typically, this type of photo would make it to the yearbook (Howitzer), and each company’s first class cadets take such a photo. This photo is not all from one company, but it very well may be a club photo, intended for use in the Howitzer...and I’m wondering if it actually did make it into the published book.
The ‘clubs’ can be just about anything - from fencing to kayaking to history. Being part of a ‘club’ usually allows you to go on off-post field trips, without taking leave.
One of the clubs I remember is the Contemporary Affairs Seminar, or CAS. We called it ‘Caucasians Aren’t Sh@t’. It was supposed to be about politics and current events, but was really a club that all the black cadets joined...and the officer leadership that ran the club was mostly black officers. I thought they somewhat abused the system, as they went on an off-post trip just about every other week. And who knows what kind of anti-white echo chamber it was on their trips. All I know is that they were effectively self-segregating...spending a large portion of their (very limited) free recreational time deliberately avoiding white cadets.
This must be a similar club, limited to women. I had a black woman cadet in charge of me at one point during my time there (88-92). She was smart, and ‘squared away’ - a good cadet. But she kept getting sucked into this type of nonsense, which is really a shame.
Anyway - its not new. They’ve just been emboldened enough to go above ground.
Oh, it was fairly well beat into our heads not to engage in anything political while in uniform or representing the military. They had to have known better, but assumed their cause trumped the rules.
Thank you...That sounds most possible and like you say, they’re now emboldened enough to go above ground.
Anyway - its not new. They’ve just been emboldened enough to go above ground.
Oh, it was fairly well beat into our heads not to engage in anything political while in uniform or representing the military. They had to have known better, but assumed their cause trumped the rules.
Interesting - thanks for sharing.