Silver Taps is the Aggie tradition we all hope never to observe. And this campus has been fortunate this year — the Silver Taps ceremonies for October and November were cancelled. Circumstances demand we stand once more for the fallen.
Three students have died. You might never have known them. You might never have sat near them in class, shared a lunch with them or lived down the hall from them. But someone did, and their families lost brothers, sisters, sons and daughters.
Standing in the somber dark, surrounded by trumpet sounds and quiet breathing, can’t replace for those families even one smile from their fallen Aggie. But it’s all we as students have to give. It’s all we can do.
Tuesday marks the last Silver Taps of the semester. Silver Taps doesn’t belong on an Aggie bucket list; it’s not a one-time affair. The first ceremony of the semester traditionally has strong attendance. Now, December has arrived and so have exams, projects and all-nighters. The burden of a closing semester is heavy; for some students the half hour of Silver Taps might represent a giant sacrifice. So make it.
Show with your presence what it means to remember. Tuesday, we stand for Chad Alexander Holub, Maria “Maya” Stavrianakou and Christian Amadeus Taylor.
Mark Doré is an English senior and the editor-in-chief of The Battalion.