This Collie Outranks Every Cadet at Texas A&M

At Texas A&M, the highest-ranking member of the Corps of Cadets is not a colonel, not a general, and not even human. It is a rough collie named Reveille, and every cadet on campus ranks below her.

Five Diamonds, No Exceptions

Reveille holds the official title of Cadet General, the top rank in the entire Texas A&M Corps of Cadets. Her rank is marked by five diamonds stitched onto the maroon-and-white blanket she wears to games and events.

According to the Corps of Cadets, that makes her the highest-ranking member of the Corps, period. Every other cadet in the chain of command, all the way up to the Corps Commander, technically answers to a dog. Even the Corps Commander, the top cadet in the entire Corps, wears only four diamonds on his uniform - one fewer than she does.

A Stray Dog on the Road From Navasota

The tradition did not start with a plan. In 1931, a group of Texas A&M cadets were driving back to campus from Navasota when they accidentally hit a small stray dog on the road.

Pets were not allowed on campus. The cadets picked her up anyway, patched her up, and smuggled her into their dorm room to keep her hidden from the university.

The next morning, a bugler played the wake-up call known as "Reveille." The dog barked along with it, loud enough that hiding her became pointless. The cadets had their answer for a name.

From Hidden Stray to Official Mascot

That first Reveille did not stay a secret for long. By that same football season, she was leading the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band onto the field at Kyle Field, and the university made her its official mascot.

Since then, a line of dogs has carried the name and the rank. Each one wears the same blanket, the same five diamonds, and the same title her predecessors earned that morning in 1931.

Who Actually Takes Care of a General

An entire company within the Corps, Company E-2, has been responsible for Reveille's care since 1959. Cadets in the company nickname themselves the "Mascot Company."

Each year, one rising sophomore is chosen as the Mascot Corporal. That cadet becomes her primary caretaker for the year, walking her to class, feeding her, and making sure the highest-ranking member of the Corps shows up where she is supposed to.

The One Rule Nobody Breaks

The tradition carries a standing rule that has followed Reveille since the beginning. If she falls asleep on a cadet's bed, that cadet does not wake her up. They sleep on the floor instead.

It is a small rule, and by most accounts it traces back to the earliest days of the tradition, when Reveille had far more run of the dorms than her modern successors do. But it has never been formally retired.

At a school built on rank and command, Texas A&M decided a long time ago that the top job belonged to a dog who barked at the right moment. Nobody has challenged her for it since.