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April at the I
By Bull Nav
April (to me anyway) was the one month during my time at VMI that had nothing going on in it. Sure, we did not have to go to Saturday classes on Easter weekend, but that was about it. Each month seemed to have an event or set of events that made it unique.
August was when the new blood, the fresh Rats matriculated. It also sucked for everyone else because it meant summer was over.
September brought football.
October had more football.
November had Ring Figure and the Thanksgiving Break.
December, of course, meant final exams and then the Christmas break.
January was return to classes (this time, in the Dark Ages).
February had basketball and (well maybe) Breakout.
March was Spring Break. Yeeeehaaaaa!!!!
May: finals, New Market Day, Commissioning, and Graduation.
So what about April? Not much going on, Institute-wise. Not much to set it apart…or was there?
Spring would finally come in Lexington. Buds on the trees, Dogwoods flowering. Dark Ages DONE.
I remember going fishing out on one of the local rivers or creeks (Maury, James, or a variety of the smaller creeks)…throw a 12-pack of Milwaukee's Best (since it was the cheapest) in the back of the fly-fishing vest, throw on the waders and away we went. On Wednesday's. Leave post right at 1530 and get back just before SRC (Supper Roll Call-the evening formation). And no, you were not going to march down to Crozet to eat. You would fall out and go take a nap before heading over to NEB (Nichols Engineering Building) for an invariably long night of studying (ending about 0500 or so).
April also gave you time to breathe. To reflect.
If you were a Rat, er I mean 4th Classman, sure you had no privileges but you didn't have to strain all the time or do pushups every time you entered Barracks. Good time to head up to Estelle's on the weekend and have a couple.
For the 3rd's and 2nd's you were already looking forward to summer: maybe a Midshipman cruise or Ranger school or Bulldog. Or you looked forward to finding a summer job (like me).
For the First Classmen, you were looking forward to the END. Maybe commissioning, maybe grad school, or maybe a job in the real world…
I know that April for a lot of folks, in a lot of places, is not their favorite month. Not one they want to remember.
To them, I offer my heartfelt prayers.
For me, however, April has some of my best memories of my time at VMI.
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Comments
Watching the local college girls "parading" while marching parade was one of my favorite memories. Of course, by April, it was warm enough for them to wear their more revealing dresses and clothes.
Oh, you had to throw in fly fishing....getting close to some big hatches on the Au Sable. My creel only holds a six pack though.....time for a new creel.....
Great trip down memory lane. I shared some of those same experiences; fishing and time spent in NEB. One of my BRs and I liked to wade the Maury from the footbridge down to the old locks sometimes catching red-eyes and smallmouth bass by the dozens.
In April 2004, a couple of my BRs and I met up with some cadet 1st Classmen one Saturday for a day of motorcycle riding on the Blue Ridge Pkwy up to New Market and back to VMI along Route 11. It was one of the most enjoyable experiences I remember. I'm thinking it may be time to plan a trip to Lexington soon.
Will Harris '92
you know what I remember most? Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting, for the damn trees to bloom.
Seems like you had to wait until New Market Day to see some leaves and flowers, dammit.
Still, a great time. If you were a rat, you were nearing the end of that crap-ass year. If you were a third, you were that much closer to Ring Figure. If you were a second, you were about to talk the reigns.
Well, before the administration decided to step in and run barracks themselves. But that's another story for another time, I suppose.
We, too, had that experience. That's why we had our "combination against authority" i.e., STEPOFF in the fall of our First Class year. Yeah, changed out the 1st Captain...and a lot of others. Ask LTCOL P when you see him next month...
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AMEN ON THAT. Damn, you're right April was just about the best month, rivalled only by October (unless you were a Rat). Although December had its own charms. But Spring at VMI was (is) something else altogether.