In 1905 the U.S. Army Coast Artillery adopted as it's mascot, the mystical and legendary bird known as the Oozlefinch. Over the years this bird became the beloved mascot of the Field Artilleryman, the Anti-Aircraft Artilleryman, and eventually, in 1956 the Air Defense Artilleryman. The Oozlefinch is a bird of obscure orgins and is the only such creature known to exist. His eyes are large, all seeing, unshaded by lids or eyebrows, and rather seriously bloodshot. He is therefore forced to fly backwards to protect his powers of observation. He may have one feather or no feather at all. Since no one has actually seen him he is represented in a variety of ways. Since 1956 he has had a missile tucked under one leg.
The Oozlefinch was brought to Fort Bliss, Texas by it's newly assigned Commander in 1956. He was Major General Sam C. Russell and he had a low tolerance for alcoholic beverages, a deficiency he worked hard on every night. One of his policies was to inspect every unit on his post at least once annually. He liked to flit around on Fort Bliss in a helicopter. Once on a very windy and dusty day, he stepped out of the helicopter while it was still 12 feet in the air. He also had a hard time remembering to zip up his fly. He was determined that the Oozlefinch would enjoy lots of popularity.
The marketing was incredible. The official individual name tag had a likeness of the Oozlefinch on it. It appeared on every vehicle post sticker. In the Post Exchange and the Air Defense School Book Store you could find all kinds of items dedicated to the bird: Ashtrays, coffee mugs, cigarette lighters, T-shirts and baseball hats. Every graduate of the Air Defense School received a certificate designating the graduate as an Honorary Gunner Oozlefinchling.
When Sam Russell retired in 1960, the oozlefinch disappeared from Fort Bliss.
THE MOTTO OF THE OOZLEFINCH: IF IT FLIES, IT DIES, BLAZING SKIES.
