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April 21st is Muster Day. It's a special day in the the Philippines. At each place we stopped, we had ;'
lives of all Aggies, but it is of special significance for an planes flying around the clock hitting the Japanese. ,
Aggie named Freddie Wolters. who participated in one When we landed on Leyte, we knew it was the big '
of the most significant Musters in A &M history, the buildup for Japan. The talk was that we could expect a ;
Muster held at the mouth of the tunnel on Corregidor death loss in excess of 500,000 men. That was just the
Island on April 21, 1945. As a result, he will remain a Americans. The Japanese death toll would a multiple of
, . perpetual part of A &M history. that.
Wolters grew up in a German farming family just "While at A &M, we had all heard about General
north'of Denton, Texas, in a community called Round Moore gathering all of the Aggies together on
Grove. Corregidor Island to observe Aggie Muster just before
"Life was tough for us, but it was tough for it fell to the Japanese. On April 20, 1945, word went „`'
everyone. The Depression touched and affected every- out that any Aggie in the area would be allowed off duty
• one. I went through the seventh grade at Round Grove, the next day to go to Corregidor and attend Aggie
which was as far as the three teachers there could Muster. The next day, April 21, 1945, Army, Air Corp,
offer. In 1935, two weeks after school had started, I Marine and Navy Aggies gathered there and observed
caught a bus and enrolled in Denton High in the ninth Muster. We had a great time seeing and being with .
grade. I didn't have any eighth grade credits, but I told each other, just like Muster is supposed to be 1
them I would get them if they would let me stay in the "Before we left, they lined us all up in the mouth
-` ninth grade. At 6'2" and pretty good size and with the of the tunnel and took a picture. That picture now ,
help of the football coach and some other teachers hangs in several buildings on campus and is usually
helping, I made it through the twelfth grade. included in the Texas Aggie magazine before Muster
"I enrolled at A &M in the fall of 1940, hoping and each year. You also hear about it in a lot of different f
praying that I could make my grades. but more impor- Muster speeches. When you look at that picture, I'm
tantly, find a way financialiy to stay in school. I went the good looking one, without a hat, on the third row
out for the football team as a freshman for Coach from the top."
Homer Norton. The Aggies had just won the national Wolters and all the other Aggies attending that
g championship the year before and were still loaded Muster said their goodbyes and left to return to their t:
with some really talented players. One hundred forty units knowing that in all probability, a lot of their names
F four 'fish' came out for football and we really had it would be called at the next Muster. ?:
4. rough. Coach called all of us together after one of the e "On August 5, 1945, we had boarded ship and
s early practices and told the other freshmen that if were going to leave the next day for Japan when
-1' everyone worked as hard as Freddie Wolters, they President Truman dropped the bomb. We waited and
would be able to letter. What he didn't understand was, hoped it would bring the war to an end. When we heard
I wasn't just working to make the football team, I was the Japanese generals wanted to continue, Truman
working for my life. Of the 144, 18 of us received letter dropped the second one. I am so glad he had the
sweaters." courage to do that, because it saved so many lives, ,
December 7, 1941, changed life for Wolters and ours and theirs."
a ; all students then attending A &M. After the war ended, Wolters car,ie back to A &M .,<
The classes of '41, '42 and '43 got in the war in and finished his degree under the G.I. Bill. He went to
a big way and in a hurry. After Pearl Harbor, those of us work in North Texas but was able to come back to A &M
in the class of '44 were sent to Camp Wolters, Texas, and work for Jocko Roberts as his assistant at the
where we became privates in the Army and were A &M farm. He eventually was recruited by Marshall
trained as soldiers there and later at Dodd Field in San Peters to go to work as a banker for City National Bank.
.` Antonio. I told all my classmates that Camp Wolters He served as a banker there until he retired. Wolters
was named after my uncle; it wasn't. When we has served as the Chamber of Commerce President
,:t.f, returned to A &M, we remained and were paid as pri- and President of the Brazos County A &M Club.
vates. They placed us on a three - semester program per "Since that Muster on Corregidor, Muster cere-
year so we could accelerate our education." mony has had a special meaning for me. I am thankful a r
In the fall of 1943, Wolters and his other A &M that my name has not been called yet, unlike so many
' classmates were pulled from school and sent to vari- of the great and wonderful Aggies I went to school .
ous posts around the country for OCS. Wolters and with, served with, and those who attended Muster with
143 other Aggies were sent to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, for me on Corregidor. I'll be there on the 21st to answer
OCS artillery school. After 17 weeks, he received his 'Here' for them."
commission, married his bride Micki and headed to Freddie Wolters name can be found on the
California to join the 11th Armored Division. He ended Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial. For more informa-
'' up in the 358th artillery group and shipped out of tion, to make a contribution, or if you know a World
Seattle for the South Pacific to prepare for the invasion War II veteran whose story needs to be told, contact £;
of Japan. the BVVM at www.veterans- memorial.org, or Bill
"We went to Hawaii, Eniwetok in the Marshall Youngkin at 979 - 260 -7030.
Islands, Saipan and finally on to the island of Leyte in
The Eagle
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