Roach clip
From USAFA Folklore
In 1979[?] at 2AM, the night before the Commandant, General T (for Tool) Richards, had his farewell pass in review, the Polaris Memorial behind the Cadet Chapel (still under construction) was made into a roach clip by the addition of a 15' long pole, wrapped in sheets, stuffed with newspaper, and with grass sticking out both ends. This required being hauled up on a rope by three smacks. (memo to other midnight mountaineers: that aluminum is freezing on the hands). The next morning, as the fog slowly lifted above the roach-clip, there was an announcement that all AOCs would report to the Comm's conference room. They tried to get it down with a cherry-picker all morning and finally cancelled the pass in review because King Richards wouldn't share the terrazzo with it.
Some 98'ers tried to reproduce the roach clip spirit mission using a rolled mattress, but broke the star off of the memorial. For a couple of years the starless Polaris "Roach Clip" sat on the hill, and was then moved to the cemetery and a new smaller star was put on it.
