In the Blink of an Eye
They say time flies when you’re having fun, but really, time flies independently of how much fun you’re having. Last week on October 1, the 68th Game Warden Cadet Class started their training to become Texas Game Wardens. Thirty-five years ago, to the day, the 42nd Cadet Class, of which I was a part of, began ours.
I saw some pictures of the 68th’s first day on the Texas Game Wardens Facebook page and couldn’t help but notice how much things have changed. The training center is impressive. Beautifully designed, modern buildings blend into a sprawling landscape. There are state-of-the-art classrooms and workout facilities, and the dormitories and dining hall are – dare I say – lavishly appointed compared to the old Texas Game Warden Academy that my pals and I from the 42nd attended.
Our academy was off Rowena Avenue in Austin, Texas. Our combined dormitory/ classroom/workout area with no dining area save for a little breakroom table on the first floor and some extra space at the end of one of the hallways on the second, was a converted warehouse, complete with a loading dock with an-honest- to-God pay phone with a booth and everything. Each evening, there’d be a line for that phone. We kept our calls short.
If there had been anyone there to take pictures and run the film on down to the Fox Photo booth to get them developed in a couple of days, the images captured would have been in sharp contrast to those of today. I think there was 34 of us to start with, and none of us really knew what to expect. The guy in charge of it all, the late Captain Lynn Stanley, was a U.S. Marine before his game warden gig, and that first day we all got a little taste of the Marine way. When we gathered in the classroom, Capt. Stanley started with the guy in the first seat on the front row. As he stood next to that cadet, Stanley called out his name and ordered him to stand, and though I don’t remember any instruction for the standing to be “at attention”, everyone took that to be the case. Stanley would then give each one of us a good looking-over.
Mind you, we were all dressed well; maybe you’d call it business casual? I don’t know much about that. Anyway, we had all arrived with short haircuts, even the gals, but no matter how short anyone’s hair was, we were all told the same thing. For me, it was, “Brauchle! YOU need a haircut!” Those that showed up with any kind of facial hair, were ordered to lose it on the next break. Later that evening, a barber showed up. Bzzzzz….
For the next seven months, we were a captive audience. We’d wake up around 5:00 a.m. for PT and then have chores and stuff to do until class started at 8. We’d get an hour break for lunch, and then, class again till 5. I think 7-10 p.m. was mandatory study time and 11 was lights out. Save for a few weekends when we went on field trips to get work experience, that’s pretty much how it went. And contrary to what I began all this with, those seven months seemed to take forever. BUT – I still had fun.
I think there’s only one guy out of the 42nd who is still working. Time flies, for sure. For those in the 68th who are just starting out, I wish them all the best. It’s an honor and a privilege to get to wear the blue badge of a Texas Game Warden. Wear it well, make us proud, and enjoy, because once you graduate, it all goes by in the blink of an eye.
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