Early in the semester, the campus was hit with the tragic news that a cadet had gone missing and was later found dead. Tuesday, the student body has the opportunity to come together and pay tribute to Anthony
Joseph Carey.
Carey, who had been a member of Squadron 18, was reported missing before the start of classes on Aug. 27. Soon after, his car and body were found in Marlin, Texas. Once his family identified Careys body, the Corps of Cadets held Echo Taps to say goodbye to one of its own.
The Corps was a challenge for Carey, his mother Carolyn Moore said. But it had been a worthwhile experience for him,
she said.
It was a huge challenge and it tore him down to nothing and then built him back up, and he just had a love for it, Moore said. He made friends that he knew he would have for the rest of his life.
Stuart Scott, member of Squadron 18 and senior modern languages major, said Carey was a buddy in every sense of the word and was a solid part of the outfit.
Anthony Carey was a mountain of a man. Nothing ever wavered him, nothing broke him, he was a rock, Scott said. I dont think youll ever find as good a friend as he was.
Moore said it was the closeness Carey shared with his friends that he valued
the most.
He would tell me every time we spoke about his buddies and you could tell there was a genuine family feel to it, and he loves the family aspect of everything, Moore said.
Cai Benavides, 1st Wing Commander and senior industrial engineering major, said the time that has passed since Echo Taps has allowed people to recover from the events surrounding Careys death.
Echo Taps is something that happens the day right after and people havent quite come to terms with whats occurred, Benavides said. For Silver Taps to happen a month later brings closure to the events that transpired.
Moore said Carey grew up loving A&M. She said one Halloween Carey even dressed up as a Yell Leader. And while nobody he visited that night knew what he was doing, Moore said he was still proud of what he was representing.
He put on a white shirt and white pants and wed knock on doors and say trick-or-treat and nobody knew what he was doing. They didnt know what he was, Moore said. But he was so proud to be a Yell Leader.
Outside of school and the Corps, Carey was interested in music and nature. Moore said he was a very earthy person, constantly taking trips into the wilderness.
Moore said Carey was aspiring for a career that would keep him outdoors. He was interested in being a hiking guide or an occupation in construction management.
He wanted to live in Colorado and do something where he would be outdoors, Moore said. He always told me, I dont want to be in an office all day long, sitting at a desk.
Moore said Carey was always aware of those around him. He was always concerned with others feelings, and constantly put others before himself.
Anytime he had to make decisions about doing a group deal, he would never make a decision someone didnt like, Moore said. He thought about others, to an extreme.