Last Updated: 3/4/99
BARRACKS LIFE Prior to the construction of the new barracks facilities, barracks were vertically oriented and referred to as Divisions; i.e., the 1st Division or Div, etc. and could only be entered through the door that faced the inner area of the barracks or the front door, if there was one, that was only unlocked for noon and supper meal formations. There are still a few barracks from these early days, the most famous of which are what are referred to as "The Lost Fifties". These are a series of Divisions of barracks located facing Arvin Gym and the Supe's quarters and very inconspicuous because of their location. There was also a sally port nearby which made it convenient for 'sneaking' things into those Divisions or up onto the stoops (front porches) of them. One famous story with pictures to prove it is that some Cadets snuck a VW 'bug' in and got it up onto the stoops where all saw it the next morning.--------------------------------- A recent grad says I had the pleasure of spending my last three years at the Academy living in the "Lost 50's" (53rd, 54th and 55th Barracks Divisions) as a member of I-4. One of the "traditions" we always looked forward to was the Land Navigation test administered to all Yearlings during March/April. I'm not sure how long the LandNav testing had been going on, but at the time it was mandatory. The most unnerving part of the testing, which was conducted on a weekday, was that if you failed to pass the first time, the make-up sessions were on the weekend! This provided the necessary motivation to pass the weekday test.During the LandNav day, the members of I-4 and H-4, who also shared aportion of the Lost 50's, would gather at the windows facing the woods and wait for the Yearlings to return to North Area - the finish line. The trail down from Lusk Reservoir, which was referred to as the Ho Chi Min Trail, was very steep, and with a little rain, turned treacherous. Those proficient in orienteering would return well before the 6:00 p.m. deadline and, therefore,had enough time to properly negotiate the difficult descent or take a longer, safer route down. However, those who were "directionally challenged" would be racing against the clock. By far the quickest way back to North Area was the Ho Chi Min Trail. To watch dozens of frantic Yearlings race down the muddy trail with a tattered map flailing in one handand compass clutched tightly in the other was a site to see. You would think they were filming a Keystone Cops video as they tripped and clawed over each other in the mud. And to make matters worse, those who were obviously not going to make the 6:00 p.m. deadline were unmercifully heckled by the I-4 and H-4 cadets. We even gave the Beanheads permission to heckle the Yearlings on the trail.Although the "enjoyment" of this tradition was pretty much restricted to those cadets in I-4 and H-4, I'm sure that each cadet who had to complete the Spring Land Navigation test has his or her own "fond" memories. Hopefully, those memories include being verbally abused by the cadets hanging out of the windows of the Lost 50's.Plebe year there were often Saturday night jam sessions in the I2-K2 sinks. There was a Yearling by the name of Tim Sanchez who could play the strings off a guitar playing blues. Kenny Waldrop got to participate with these upperclassmen because he was the only bass player in the Corps. (He had made his own amplifier and copy of a Fender Precision Bass). Being from New York, I was captivated by the southern blues riffs they were playing. I played guitar, but not like that. Sometimes Jon Little and I jammed together. That was my introduction to Jimmy Reed. (You southern guys know what I am talking about.) I was impressed that Jon had a Gold Gipson Les Paul - a very good guitar.At Camp Buckner, Kenny Waldrop, Alex Hottel and I ended up in the same company. We jammed in the barracks and somehow started playing for the dances that were held on Saturday night. The drummer was Dick Knight. We did "So Fine" and a bunch of Hank Ballad stuff 'cause Kenny was into that stuff. Back at West Point for the academic year, the Saturday night jam sessions resumed. At one point someone suggested we play in the Weapons Room and the group that was present at the jam session helped carry the equipment over to the Weapons Room before the movie crowd arrived. That's how it started. Tom Culver ('62) used to sing - sounded just like Johnny Rivers - before Johnny Rivers! One of the songs we played was the Twist which had been written by Hank Ballad (not Chubby Checker). At that time the Twist had been banned from the military post. The Cadet Officer of the guard used to fearfully guard the door, while cadets with dates took off their tunics and danced in their T shirts. The band was an instant hit. There was no other entertainment! A couple of months later Jackie Kennedy threw a Twist party at the White House and the ban was lifted. Cow year we were asked to come up with a song for the football team for a rally. Myself and Tom Rainville (former cadet '65) wrote the thing during call to quarters. At the 9:30 pm break we raced up to the cadet radio station. Kenny Waldrop hadn't even heard it. We set up the gear. Did two takes. Took down the gear and raced back to the barracks by 10:00 pm. Due to the obvious time constraint, Steve Fisher, a plebe from B2 (Kenny and my company) took Tim's part for the recording. The song was called "Go Team." It was played at the rally and had 3 minutes of fame. Kenny had the distinction of playing on the football team and playing in the band! Also Cow year we were scheduled to play for an officially sanctioned dance in the 2nd floor gym. (Our acceptance had grown). We went to get Tim Sanchez (lost fifties) on our way over to the weapons room and found him passed out drunk in his bed. We walked him around and tried to get him awake. For this dance we played standing on a platform, which Tim almost fell off several times. Playing wise, he was unconscious and laid down some incredible licks that night. I remember playing great versions of "Hold It" and "Honky Tonk." Firstie year, Tim was gone and the other guitar player became Steve Fisher '66. Steve was more rock'n'roll, whereas Tim had been more blues based. Dick, Kenny and I were still in tact. Kenny did most of the vocals with me backing him up. I did a few others, but we didn't do many vocals. Mostly driving guitar stuff. The band was finally given a name - "The Inmates." I think Bob Munson (B2) thought of the name. Whenever I hear an oldie that we played it brings back fond memories. An answer to the above piece:
If you'll remember, if you weren't on Corps squad, you had free time between your last class and dinner on Wednesdays. In the Spring of Firstie year, Kenny Waldrop seemed to disappear on Wednesday afternoons while many of us in B-2 passed the time playing touch football on the plain, which we did this right up to graduation week. After several weeks, Kenny appeared an hour before supper with this huge model airplane he had been clandestinely building in the post craft shop. (I didn't even realize there was such a place and that we could take advantage of such.) A small crowd gathered on the plain to witness the maiden flight of this engineering marvel. The engine fired up, and the plane took off heading north. However, it failed to respond to the radio controls and continued straight up the river towards Newburgh. No one cheered.
From a '48 grad Late in cow year, Jimmy and I realized that we were unlikely to achieve any academic or military awards with which to decorate our cadet careers so time began to hand heavy. I received permission from our Tactical Officer, LTC Hightower, the first non-USMA graduate to serve as a company tac officer, to build a model airplane in my room. The wingspan was 74 inches tip to tip. It had a gasoline engine that was quite noisy. The engine ran for about 30 seconds after which the airplane would glide back to the ground, hopefully within the confines of the parade ground. This did not always happen, and there were instances that required me to visit the Superintendent's house to retrieve the model from his back yard. The Superintendent then was MG Maxwell D. Taylor who had commanded the Airborne landings on D-Day in Europe. Passing through the receiving line at the Graduation Hop, as I was introduced to Mrs. Taylor, she made the comment: "Mr. Kavanaugh, Oh so you're the one with the model airplanes? Well, I can't say we're sorry to see you go." So ended my cadet career.
My beast roommates and I wound up in D-2. Our room on the second floor of the 9th Div during 2nd Beast had been down the hall from the Company Commander, Pat Hoy. He recognized us after reorgy week. He also happened to be the Company Commander of I-1. That meant that I could venture into I-1 territory with relative impunity. When asked by I-1 upperclassmen "What are you doing here, smackhead?" I loved to say "Sir, I am visiting Pat Hoy." You all know what the next question was. When I then answered "Yes, sir, he has recognized me" they usually backed off. But although it was fun to do that, I knew it was dangerous. I-1 was not a place for 2nd Regiment plebes even if some of the beast cadre in 5th NC company had come from there. I didn't visit very often. As far as all this goes, I remember the feeling of relief which I felt by ducking into a classmates' room when visiting a strange company. All the psychological stuff about the "class bond" was in operation. A '64 room was truly a "port in a storm" on several occasions. Art Kelly '64 BTW - funny how the WP connection/bond goes on. Hoy '61 put one of my brothers through Arty OCS in '65 and then taught my other brother 1st Class English at USMA in '69. Hoy and I were then together in the English Dept from my arrival in '70 until his departure in '72. Needless to say I didn't worry about upperclassmen any more when visiting his "room" in Lee area housing. [Editor's note: Also see Bonding Class to Class]
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