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Great Article on Aviation, VMI, Marines, and the Virginia Army National Guard
By Charlie
Talk about having a story with everything! Via our buddy Murdoc:
Photo by: Cpl. Jonathan K. Teslevich
Nearly two dozen graduates of this prestigious institution are now serving in Army and Marine aviation units deployed to a remote desert airbase in Al Asad, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.The soldier and Marine graduates of the institute explained how the VMI experience prepared them for the challenges of a combat environment.
"VMI gave me the foundation for being able to deal with a multitude of competing priorities," said a graduate with the Virginia Army National Guard's 2nd Battalion, 224th Aviation Regiment, Marine Aircraft Group 16 (Reinforced), 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. "Life at the institute is a constant risk-assessment where you have to balance your studies, extra duties and military training. Often you have to decide which thing, that day, is going to be least important and which thing has the greatest risk of coming back to haunt you."
Other graduates with the Virginia battalion explained similar benefits of attending a military institute.
"VMI prepared me in many ways, but simply put, VMI prepared me to accept each situation as it comes and realize that is just how things have to be sometimes," said 1st Lt. Gordon S. Larkin III, a pilot and maintenance platoon leader, 2-224 AVN. "I learned at VMI that if you make sure you 'Don't sweat the small stuff,' then when the big stuff comes you can handle it better."
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"VMI prepared me in many ways, but simply put, VMI prepared me to accept each situation as it comes and realize that is just how things have to be sometimes," said 1st Lt. Gordon S. Larkin III, a pilot and maintenance platoon leader, 2-224 AVN. "I learned at VMI that if you make sure you 'Don't sweat the small stuff,' then when the big stuff comes you can handle it better."