Welcome Rats! A New Mass Enters the "I"

I'm a new "plebe" at West Point, and we had our own "matriculation week," last week, called Re-Orgy week. It blew, so I know what they have to look forward to. Good luck to our brothers in arms.

Awww yeeaaahhh. And to think, somewhere deep inside that amorphous undisciplined mass, reeking of fear, piss and sweat, lies at least one general officer, maybe more.

God help us.

Good luck, Rats. If I did it, you can do it.

Is that the best video you could find? That is still the cleaned-up version. Hopefully someday someone will throw a real March In up there pre-2002 where it kicked off with sprinting and a sweatparty instead of the silliness that transpires these days.

The language kills me. "New cadets" instead of "Rats." "Matriculation Week" instead of "Hell Week..." VMI is no place for what George Carlin famously called "soft language. The language that takes the life out of life."

And I'm with AA. No smashing into the rat ranks? No one was ever hurt back when cadre truly *marched in*, and it was a great way to quickly let the rats know that they weren't in Kansas anymore.

ps- what's with the lame oath?

As a now Senior Alumnus--e.g. I have been out of VMI for almost 35 years it is interesting to observe the evolution of traditions. What I find most interesting about the video is the formalistic nature of what Cadre has become. The Cadre marching in at a slow cadences to the beat of drums seems to be more about the Cadre than the rats becoming Cadets.
In 1972 we were held in the Mess Hall, assembled by company, called out by company, marched up the hill and entered the barracks and entered the rat line by gaunlet of screaming 3rds, 2nds, and 1st Classman. We then had to go to 4th Stoop retrieve out belongings and move to our rat rooms. Being in Echo Company were were one of the last to march up the hill (only six line companies then.) All we could hear as we formed up was this noise echoing out of barracks.
But when I compared my introduction to VMI to my Dad's introduction in the fall of 1937 it was very different.
Moral of the story; while the traditions continue they evolve. . .what is done today will change in five even ten years and when you are my age it will be very different than it was when you were a Cadet.

BRs,
It brings me back to the old times when we used to host polite dinner parties at the Regt Sgts table. Ah, the sweet memories.
I wonder if there is a record for the time between a Rat actually sitting at the table to the squirt of the first tear?

Wow,
Why aren't the rats on their faces and what's up with the gay boy scout pledge by the cadre at the end of their little flame session. It just seems that every year they chip, chip, and chip away. But the excuse is that it's professional right? Amazing.

Young whippersnappers... they got it easy compared to my ratline...

Blah blah blah... I'm an old alumnus... it was tougher back in my day... where did I put my teeth at...

Good luck to the rats... hang in there. It's worth it!!

It was always different back in the "Old Corps"...

We learned how to be Rats at midnight in JM Hall...

All I have to say is STRAIN, RAT!

Things have definitely been watered down in my opinion. I was a rat last year and somewhat disappointed. On the upside this year i think they are getting a little tougher. I was not there but from what I heard they had a push party right off the bat. Not sure how long, but 09 is definitely trying to toughen up, but it wont match the old corps eh?

Chris is right, they moved the march-in to Old Barracks so there was room for a short workout.

They did March In a bit differently this year. They formed the Rats up in Old Barracks, then Cadre marched in, the Reg XO gave his usual speech, and then Cadre gave the Rats a sweat party. It helped to set the tone pretty well.