COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Corps of Cadets has a storied history at Texas A&M, but one of the people who have had the biggest impact on its members was never even a cadet.
“Everybody knows Old Army Al,” cadet Wyatt Kamin said.
“Father figure,” cadet Chris Haerr said.
“Guidance,” Kamin said.
“Mentor,” Haerr said.
“He's an institution here,” Kamin added.
“Al is, is actually a legend,” Haerr said.
That's Old Army Al, or rather, 81-year-old Albert Bradley.
Some call him the oldest cadet, even though he never attended A&M
So what is his story?
He moved to College Station in the 1960s, started supporting the corps in the 1970s, and when he retired 18 years ago, began attending every single formation the corps had – roughly nine per week.
“I have no family. My family died and I was down here, you know? OK, some of these kids become family to me down here,” Bradley said.
And what did Bradley receive in return?
“We have definitely adopted him into our family. You can ask anybody and we would say he's one of our own,” Haerr said.
That's why when Haerr saw Bradley looking at a scooter catalog one day, he knew what the cadets could do.
One GoFundMe campaign later, and with more than $7,000 raised, he and Kamin gave Al his new scooter.
“This is the least we can do for Al. He's been here for decades. He's done a lot for us. He's mentored tons of cadets, tons of people and for that, Al, thank you,” Kamin said.
“Uh, they overdid it. I'm not a man that looks for praise,” Bradley said. “I believe God had a plan, and his plan was for me to be here,” Bradley said.
In a few years, these cadets will have graduated and moved on, but now, thanks to their efforts, Al will still be here.