Give me a handful of Texas Aggies...

[Sunny]

The discussion on police uniforms reminded me of my favorite modern uniforms - favorite because of their Golden Era flavor:

The Texas A&M University Corps of Cadets

Summer Bravos (B's) are the uniforms most often seen on campus at ordinary times. This young man is a freshman.

Summer Alphas (A's) (sophomore)

Midnights are worn for special occasions, including various memorial days. This is a senior in his midnights.

There are other variations that I've seen, especially during the three years I lived on campus.

This picture is dated 1964, but I saw the jackets occasionally.

The cadets have khaki raincoats and campaign hats (complete with covers) for when the heavens open. I couldn't find any pictures, however. Perhaps photographers melt in the rain.

The Corps Center Guard.

They're black and white, but the pictures below are probably from the early 1990s or 1980s. The uniforms haven't changed.

A little more information on the uniforms.

With 2000 cadets, the Corps is the largest uniformed body of students in the nation outside the U.S. service academies. The full quote:

"Give me an army of West Point graduates, I'll win a battle. Give me a handful of Texas Aggies and I'll win a war!"
By Gen. George S. Patton, Jr., of course. Who else?

 

[Fletch]

The green shirt, and senior riding getup, are a great pre-WW2 tradition - but the hard faces, skinhead cuts, and the dead-level cutter caps are 100% mean modern military. Things have changed...

 

[Orgetorix]

Are they holding scabbards in their left hands, or something else?

 

[Fletch]

Maybe they're just glad to see ya...

 

[Foofoogal]

Being a lifelong Texan that had a great grandfather come here in 1858 I know a bit about Aggies.
There is a running joke that goes like this:

You know what you call an Aggie?
No, what? [huh]
Boss, what else..............lol

My son is in the Coast Guard and I really like those blues!

 

[Sunny]

The green shirt, and senior riding getup, are a great pre-WW2 tradition - but the hard faces, skinhead cuts, and the dead-level cutter caps are 100% mean modern military. Things have changed...

Hard faces? Heh, they're just acting tough kids. Especially for their yearly photos. It's probably 90 degrees plus, anyway. The more casual shots I could find were usually in BDUs or PT gear. The cuts I don't know about, except that the more hair on top, the higher the class. I want to say that that's a post-WWII code, but I don't know myself and again can't find photos.

I'm not sure what you mean by cutter caps. I can guess, but would you clarify?

Are they holding scabbards in their left hands, or something else?

Yes, those are scabbards. They're not regular class-going wear, unfortunately. The top two pictures are from pre-game march-in. All outfits form up on the Quad, then march to Kyle field and around on the sidelines for a review. The top picture appears to be the corps commander and staff; the second one is of outfit E-2, I think. Only the outfit commander is wearing his saber in that case.

Being a lifelong Texan that had a great grandfather come here in 1858 I know a bit about Aggies.
There is a running joke that goes like this:

You know what you call an Aggie?
No, what?
Boss, what else..............

My son is in the Coast Guard and I really like those blues!

Salute from another Texan! I am (sometimes) proud to claim Sam Maverick as a direct ancestor. I'm the first Aggie that anyone knows of, though! Breaking tradition by going to a school just reeking with it... But do like that line.

Ah, I love the blues, too... My grandad (Kanas farm boy) joined the Coast Guard when Korea broke out. He was on his way over there when it ended. It's sad... the Coast Guard is way too often overlooked.

Tid-bit: The Military Sciences building is known as the Trigon: Army, Air Force, and Navy-Marine. That's always struck me as curious.

 

[Fletch]

The cutter cap is aka the garrison, fore-and-aft, or overseas cap.

"Cutter" is a Navy term for the hat, properly preceded by a 4-letter Anglo-Saxonism starting with p.

 

[Sunny]

That's what I suspected. I do know that they're worn in different ways. My old lady (um, roommate) who was in the Corps for a year and a half, once warned a fish when he was accidentally wearing his as only a senior was allowed to. I never did figure out the difference for myself, though. lol