What made you want to become a Cadet.

[Joel Thomas]

I first saw them in 84. I just watched and saw perfection. I knew then that I wanted to be one. In college, I met George Croissant and Scott Slutter who were both involved and informed me alot about it. I was going to try in 86 but Mono put me in the hospital for over a month and the doctor said no. Finally, I got my chance in 87 and was able to become one. I remember after semi-finals, we were marching back to the buses and I saw Scott against the stadium just bawling his eyes out. Afterwards, I asked him if he was okay and he said you will understand in a few years. Well, a couple years later I went to a show in Hershey and I just welled up and bawled my eyes out. I was just so moved by what I had seen and heard. Later on, I told Scott and he said now you know what it means to be a Cadet.

[Jim Latten]

I have to thank some people for turning me on to corps and, ultimately, to the Garfield membership that means so much to me. Each of these things led me to want to be in corps, and I list them in thanks as well as for readers to reminisce if you too know these fine people. To Cheryl (at the time) Nevius and the late Rick Rogers for the crazy drive to Watkins Glen for a Squires rehearsal, and to turning me on to the annual show held in Corning NY for many years, at which Garfield often performed. It was at those late 70s and early 80s Corning shows, and the PBS championship telecasts, that I was attracted to corps - the perennial Corning winners (Bridgemen) and other corps (one of which, oh by the way, was Les Chatelaines of Canada, which in 1981 outfitted the whole corps with wooden CHAIRS to occasionally sit down, stand on, etc...! It did not win them the show, however.). Then, in 1982, the Bridgemen didn't win the Corning show...Instead, it was a jaw-dropping, innovative, powerful show by Garfield that had me and everyone surprised and very pleased. This was new, fresh, exciting, symphonic, and wow. Little did I know that in the corps I had just seen was future college friend Joe Roche. Joe, along with Mark Bowling (Westshoremen) and Mark Brumbach (Bucs) were the wearers of the JACKETS - corps jackets seen on the Mansfield State campus upon our arrival there in fall 82. Still far from thinking that I could actually ever BE in one of those corps I had seen in Corning, those wearers of jackets were, at first, unreal gods to me - whoa, corps members in the same classroom as me! Getting to know them led me to pursue corps membership, at first with Empire Statesmen '84 (thanks Bill McGrath and Dave Denman, and thanks/RIP to an amazing person, the legendary Vince Bruni). To bring this back to the point, though, thanks Joe for the endless hilarious stories and impressions of life in the '82 and '83 Cadets...they portrayed what a great experience being a Cadet was, and had a great deal to do with my wanting to be a Cadet. Thanks for the endless, annotated playings of corps LP records which taught me true excellence, intensity of detailing, musical beauty, and strengthened my desire to be a Cadet. Thanks for encouraging me to audition at good old Piermont Elementary School for the '85 Cadets, and for putting up with the many travels on terrible US Rt. 6 to and from corps camps, filled with cassette replayings of '84, '83, '82 Garfield. They get me choked up and I didn't even mahch those years!

Those tears, referred to in Joel's opening post and others too, by the way, will never leave - in '86 at Syracuse, '90 at finals in Buffalo, watching my recent birthday present (80-89 Garfield DVD), or just last month at Giants Stadium, getting choked up when seeing the corps has been standard in my post-ageout life. If you're a current or future corps member reading this, those tears and these types of lasting people-memories will not only stay with you for the rest of your life, they'll bring ongoing pride and joy long after aging out. At all costs, do corps. Keep doing it.

[Chris Boyd]

Like many others, I began watching the annual finals telecasts of 79-80 finals, then decided I wanted to join a corps. I remember asking my band director if he knew the closest corps to Texas. His response was the Sky Ryders in Kansas, so I sent off a letter, found out a bunch of us from Texas went there, and ended up marching 1981 with them. We ended up placing just outside the top 12 which was disappointing.

During the fall of 81 I remember talking to my freshmen college roommate, also a Sky Ryder, and asking him "If you could go anywhere, where would it be?" He said Garfield. We had only been at a couple of shows with GC in 81 and I hadn't paid much attention. Then I looked the 80 and 81 results and knew this corps was headed up. I called the next week and got an info packet on the way.

Since I lived in Texas, it wasn't going to be as easy as driving over to monthly practice. I talked with Hop and explained I could only afford to make one trip up in January and get there in May after school. He said that would be fine. It helped that they needed contra players at that time. My parents thought I was crazy, but they did help me with the plane ticket to make the Jan. camp. I didn't know a soul when I got there, and they handed me a beat up old valve-rotor contra. Now, in 81 Sky had purchased brand new King two-piston monster contras, so when I got handed this "toy" contra I wasn't impressed. So I kindof hung around for a while, when a group got together and started an impromptu playing of Elks Parade. Wow! That was just sweet. I remember after a couple of hours of ensemble, Donnie Van Doren coming up to me and saying "we want you back in May." The deal was done.

I arrived in May and went that night up to the old Mahwah Ford plant. I just stood on the sideline and watched what was going to be the opener drill. At that moment, I knew this was the place to be, and I was thrilled to be a Cadet. I was so proud when we stood in Montreal and got 3rd. It was just awesome. Unfortunately, I couldn't financially afford to come back in 83 or 84, which I will always regret. I knew they would win in 83, but I just couldn't swing it. My one special year with the Cadets did provide wonderful memories which I will always cherish.