Texas A&M Bush School Dean Gen. Mark A. Welsh III will serve as the keynote speaker for the Campus Muster ceremony Thursday, April 21
The Aggie Muster Committee has announced General (Ret.) Mark A. Welsh III, USAF, as the keynote speaker for the 2022 Campus Muster ceremony.
The ceremony will be held Thursday, April 21 at 7 p.m. in Reed Arena.
Aggie Muster is a Texas A&M University tradition in which Aggies worldwide gather to remember their time at Texas A&M together and honor those who died during the past year. Welsh will speak at the Campus Muster ceremony, the largest of more than 300 Muster ceremonies held across the nation and around the world.
Welsh has served as dean of the Bush School of Government and Public Service since he retired from the U.S. Air Force in August 2016.
During his 40-year military career, he led an F-16 fighter squadron in combat, served as the commandant of the U.S. Air Force Academy, worked as the associate director of military affairs at the CIA, commanded NATO’s Air Forces as well as U.S. Air Forces in Europe, and served as the 20th U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff. Here at Texas A&M, Welsh said he and the faculty and staff of the Bush School work with the entire Aggie family to help dedicated men and women prepare for lives of service to their fellow citizens.
Welsh is the son of an Aggie, brother to five Aggies, father of four Aggies, and grandfather of a soon-to-be member of the Class of ’26.
At each Muster ceremony around the world, the speaker will be followed by the “Roll Call For The Absent” which is a reading of the names of those from that area who have died in the past year, along with those of other classmates or friends. As each name is called, a family member or friend will answer “Here,” and a candle will be lit in honor of their loved one.
For more information about Muster, including a list of the “Roll Call For The Absent” and off-campus Muster sites, visit The Association of Former Students’ website.
For more information about Welsh, the campus Muster ceremony and surrounding events, visit muster.tamu.edu.
By Erin Nugent, Texas A&M University Muster Committee
Note: This article originally appeared in Texas A&M Today on March 15, 2022
