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VMI'S CLASS OF 2009
By Lt Col P
We welcome 249 new alumni, and we especially welcome the 128 newly commissioned officers among them (although we wish it were 249, and still can't understand why it isn't).
LEXINGTON, Va., May 16, 2009 – Army Gen. David H. Petraeus shook the hand of each of the 249 members of the VMI Class of 2009 after they accepted their diplomas. Many of the 128 graduates who commissioned the day before will serve in the area of operations he is responsible for as commander of U.S. Central Command.In his commencement address, Petraeus commended the graduates for overcoming the hardships they have faced as cadets to earn their diplomas, and he urged them to join the generations of Virginia Military Institute graduates who have lived their lives committed to work worth doing.
“Now, more than ever, our nation and our world need leaders like those developed here – disciplined, intelligent, innovative and courageous leaders who are committed to service,” said Petraeus. “Whether in the deserts of Iraq or the mountains of Afghanistan, in the commercial sector or in the domestic political arena, there is much work worth doing.”
Of course he is absolutely correct, although I think he's being polite with that last for those who, unaccountably, didn't take a commission.
Good luck to all! And to some at least, we'll see you downrange.
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Comments
Hey now... remember some of us VMI grads serve proudly as enlisted men.
War is politics by other means. Military service exists to further the policy of an extant government. The military is not apolitical; it is the ultimate extension of any nation's political will.
Maybe those not seeking commissions made that decision while conscientiously deliberating on their ability to commit (or not, as the case may be) to saluting the existing CinC et al.
Sir:
For your non-military readers, would you tell us if there is anything extra a VMI graduate needs to do to obtain the commission -- beyond, of course, signing up and serving?
psyop-cop: you are correct, there are undoubtedly some who also took the oath and are headed to boot camp. i salute them as well. no offense intended.
pjh: nope, that's pretty much it, unless things have changed drastically. all you have to do is go see the ROTC dept and sign up, stick with the program, and keep your grades up and your self out of trouble.
Half the class did not take a commission but a few years back I thought I heard the rate was in the 30 percent range. You also have to take into account the many athletes who attended to play D 1 sports. The Holmes twins attended VMI so they could play basketball together.
None taken, sir... although you did forget to capitalize PSYOP. :-)
Actually, most of us enlisted alumni are reserve/guard types who stayed in after graduation. The REAL citizen-soldiers, as I always liked to say.
I find this commentary to be a disturbing mis-characterization of the historical and contemporary purpose of the VMI education and VMI experience, and to be indicative of the attitude expressed by the current administration that is doing irreperable harm to the spirit of VMI. The Virginia Military Institute is not, and should not attempt to be, USMC-Lite or USMC-South. The stated purpose of VMI is not to create military officers (or professional soldiers of any sort.) The purpose of VMI is to provide an exemplary education within the military framework of the co-curriculum to create a special breed of graduate uniqually prepared for the "varied work of civil life." Yes, ROTC is a mandatory class, as it ought to be. However, I find it to be totally appropriate that taking a commission is not mandatory, and despite the brief experiment with mandatory commissioning that was a Vietnam era anachronism by the time it was eliminated in '91 (ish), think that the voluntary commission policy is more in keeping with the stated goals and mission of the Institute.
Given that, 50% is a wholly appropriate number, and I would argue represents what is an ideal proportion of commissioning cadets to non-commissioning cadets. In my experience, in a class of 250, there are probably at least 25-50 cadets that desperately wanted a commission but were unable to get one for whatever reason (or that decided late that a commission was for them, and will be attending OCS in the coming months or years). That leaves about a 100 or so that made a different choice. And I think that that is exactly what the place needs for some diversity of opinion and experience.
What I am awkwardly arguing, is that VMI needs to focus on being the best VMI it can be and be less concerned with being the best alternative to an academy it can be. It needs to stand up and be proud of what VMI itself offers and see the VMI experience as an end to itself and not merely as a 4 year stop on the way to a commission. I think this has gotten lost in recent years and the increased emphasis on running the Corps as "army-lite" (watered down rat line, New Cadet Military Training (a bastardization of the traditional rat experience if ever there was one), constant references to how "the army does things", etc.) has, as I said before, potentially done irreperable damage to the VMI experience and the concept of that experience as an idependent and unique crucible.
Is there a list of the VMI grads for 2009? Have a relative that graduated but was unable to attend the commencement.Thanks
Is there a list of the VMI grads for 2009? Have a relative that graduated but was unable to attend the commencement.Thanks
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WOW, half the class didn't take commissions? That's quite surprising to me.