Augusta Military Academy - Recall Yearbook (Fort Defiance, VA)

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September sets rapid pace for cadets New classes, new techniques, parades, picnics, and adjustment to new faces filled up the few days in September. Boredom was held at bay by reveilles, drills on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and on Saturdays, and parades on Sundays. Picnics were not confined to the juniors; Mike Hudson and. Band company broke out with a resounding bash on the backfield with music, hot dogs, and cokes putting the Band men in high spirits. Party crashers from the staff and other companies pepped up the pace with a follow-through birthday party for Twiggy Leustig. Economics, general math 9, German 2, and ROTC courses were incorporated into the curriculum. Loaded down with new texts in oo English, biology, and six ROTC manuals, cadets sts staggered in formation down to classes, finding ie the depth of subject matter swamping them . during study hours. By the first of October, tec il calm had returned to the new corps. NAILS IN HIS BOOTS, needles in his knees, and shivers up his spine, Bruce Orenstein gives every outward appearance of maintaining his cool, as he proudly leads the staff and the corps at the first parade of the year. BAND BASH brings Frank Roach, Fran Rametta, and Bob Frankeberger to carouse in the night time festivities on the backfield. Drums, horns, and woodwinds drown out the movie soundtrack during the the picnic. VISIT TO MONTICELLO fascinates Doug Driscoll, Billie d’Orsay, and Charlie Pascale. A visit to nearby Ash Lawn, home of Monroe, followed on the history tour. Mr. Jefferson’s Monticello was the winner. 16 — Cadet Life

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Year’s opening surprises old cadets Rudely, suddenly awakened from summer's somnambulism, Fort Defiance was thrust into bustling activity when 170 new cadets made the scene in mid-September. The real shocker for the 240 returning old cadets was the return of the ROTC program, complete with Major Paul Quattrociocchi, Jr., senior Army Instructor, M Sgt. Warren Little, and S Sgt. James McDevitt, joining Ist Sgt. Ernest Mines. Gone were the days of free time, long hair, and 1968's officer’s privileges. Drill went strictly by the manual. Blisters appeared on blisters when the new cadets were put through orientation paces. Officers bought Sucrets and Vicks 44 by the gross as voices gave out. Straining their brains on tests followed the physical stress of the new cadets. Night sessions displaced letter writing time and warded off home-sickness as the 170 new men learned traditions of AMA. Easy-going football players, on grounds since before Labor Day, gaped at the transition from semi-halcyon days to turbulent times. New coaches, new players, and new equipment made the uncertain future optimistic, and the corps gave its full support. Eight new youthful teachers added new blood and luster for the staff members. Best event was the appearance of Mrs. James McDonald as school librarian. Changes were fast in coming as she took over the helm. Glee spread among RECALL staff members when National School Yearbook Association awarded the 1968 edition an A Plus, the eleventh consecutive year that the yearbook had won its highest accolade. Hardly had classes begun before the weekend brought a feast outdoors for the juniors. Cotillion Club officers and “F” Troop officers were recipients of horseplay from an over-eager group of Lower School enthusiasts. Mrs. Canevet and the Infirmary almost had some slightly tattered tenants. Jaunting off whenever free time was found, cadets discovered Stuart Hall, Madison College, Fairfax Hall and even some areas of natural wonders and historic sites of the Shenandoah Valley. Skyline Drive, Monticello, Ash Lawn, Pioneer Village, and Natural Chimneys were the scene when cadets had visits from parents during the week-ends. Girls were royally discovered when Stuart Hall sent all of the new girls out for the second parade of the year. Chief lover of the day turned out to be Twiggy Leustig when he was introduced to Vikki Chambers. AMA‘s combo provided the soul. Taking over as Commandant was Capt. C.O. Dillow with Lt. Howard Sharp as his assistant. Another promotion found Major John Dekle in the Assistant Superintendent's office. The new year had begun swiftly. BACK TROUBLE follows days of agony for Lt. Hans Wachtmeister, purveyor of gray shirts at school opening. TRANSFORMATION from Summer School hipness to ski-ball bowls over Bob Echols, Mrs. Paul Hendrix, and Mal Livick. Sam Hendrix, butt of the joke, laughs too. Cadet Life — 15

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ODD ANGLE sets the mood for meditation for pensive Jeff Wenzel. Just as the other 409 do, Jeff’ reflects back on summer serenity amidst the flurry of activity during the first days of school’s opening in September. INSTANT KNOWLEDGE ... Mike Kavanaugh gingerly mixes iron sulfide and sulfuric acid to discover, sadly, that the evolved gas is the same one which pollutes all of AMA during the spring chemistry lab sessions. Cadet Life — 17