November 18, 1999 Forever Burned into the Minds
Of Aggieland.
The night was cool, but warm for November,
And the first words I heard, I will always remember.
"Get dressed, and hurry, there are lives on the line"
"Bonfire has collapsed and were are short on time!"
Quickly I dressed and to the Polo Fields I ran,
I had to be there, to try and give a hand.
The first sight I saw, is forever burned in my mind.
For Bonfire itself had decided not to be kind
My stomach began to roll as I looked at the rubble,
I knew in my heart, that what I was seeing was trouble.
The stack that was enormous, so tall that it towered,
Had collapsed to the ground, it seemed it had cowered.
There were Aggies on that stack, all Building to Hell,
Then they laid there with stack, with it they fell.
The news had spread fast and as quickly people came,
Floods of Aggies to help Aggies and none of it for Fame.
The goal was to save fallen Aggies, to do what was needed,
Some worked with logs, others prayed and with God they pleaded,
"Lord Please Be with the Ags Trapped within,
Please be with their loved ones, family and friends."
The Corps and NON-Regs worked side by side,
Together they swamped logs, and together they cried.
Their will was inspiring and it seemed there was no limit,
This was because they were fueled with The Aggie Spirit.
As the morning was beginning to age, somewhere around ten,
Our work Finally paid off as we rescued our friend.
I did not know him, but I loved him no less,
For he was an Aggie, and an Aggie in distress.
The day concluded with the loss of eleven of our friends,
All had passed on, but their memory will never end.
In Aggieland we are a family, one of the Closest Kind.
A bond exists between us all, a bond that has Lasted Time.
Throughout the rest of my life, until the day I die,
The thought of this date, shall bring a tears to my eye.
I will remember how this school, so big and so proud,
And how she United and voiced these words so loud,
"WE ARE THE AGGIES, THE AGGIES ARE WE,
TRUE TO EACH OTHER, AS AGGIES CAN BE."
(This was written in memory of those twelve fallen Aggies who gave their life
to the Fight'en Aggie Bonfire. These people may have spent their time here
on earth, but their memories will never come to an end. I hope that everyone
prays for the families of the students killed on this tragic November Day.)
Thanks For Reading this,
Charles Thomas Payne II
Fightin' Texas Aggie `02
