Remembering the Immortal 32

Who are the Immortal 32 and why do they matter to Texas?

It is a part of Texas history, often overlooked, that should be remembered and celebrated, especially on March 1. That was the day 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived at the Alamo, the only reinforcements to answer William B. Travis call for volunteers to help at the besieged Alamo.

They showed up knowing they were traveling to their own death in defense of their new country Texas.

Terrence Ogden and Keith Busby had an idea to help remember their sacrifice.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time,” Ogden said. “We should do something for Texas Independence Day… Few people know who the Immortal 32 are.”

“I have classes here from (Busby’s) gym and mentioned it to Keith.”

“What time do you leave?” Busby said.

They decided to make it a “ruck” and carry a backpack around 32 lbs. heavy along for the hike from Gonzales to the Alamo, a hike of more than 74 miles. It is essentially the same hike made by the Immortal 32.

They decided that they would try to make it into something that had meaning, so any donations they could receive they would donate to the 22 Kill, an organization that: “create(s) a community that raises awareness and combats suicide by empowering veterans, first responders, and their families through traditional and non-traditional therapies.”

Getting all their ducks in a row, they left Gonzales on February 29 at 5:30 a.m., exactly 184 years to the day later than the original, and they were on their way.

“We followed (US) 90 to Interstate 35 to the Alamo,” Busby said. “We arrived at the Alamo, Sunday March 1 at noon… We contacted the Gonzales paper, so they knew we were coming.” It had taken them 27 hours for the hike.

They did take a few breaks of about 15 to 30 minutes, and they ate some trail mix. “But we weren’t worried about food. It was water, getting enough and staying hydrated,” Busby said.

Ogden and Busby ran into people along who would inquire about their cause during those breaks and donate to the 22 Kill cause. They were also informed about the Immortal 32 and their sacrifice to the cause of Texas Liberty.

When they arrived at the Alamo, an unrelated celebration of the arrival of the Immortal 32 was being celebrated without the knowledge that Ogden and Busby trek was happening. They too were surprised of their warm arrival at the Alamo.

“The re-enactors were excited and came and took pictures with us,” Ogden said.

Both were open about having a repeat ruck honoring the 32.

“We met a lot of nice people, that the hike was inspiring, and we touched a lot of people,” Ogden said.

For more information about 22 Kill, see their website at 22kill.com/about/

To donate to their gofundme account see gofundme.com/f/immortal-32-ruck.