VMI Archives

Major John Moder '98-- Heard from Today!

By Lt Col P

The ever-vigilant Brother Rat BullNav, perched high up in a virtual crow's nest scanning the mil news wavetops, zapped this great piece of news to us:

MarSOC officer awarded Bronze Star

Staff report
Posted : Friday Mar 12, 2010 9:37:04 EST

The officer in charge of Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command’s assessment and selection received a Bronze Star with “V” device on Tuesday for his actions in Afghanistan.

On May 30, 2008, Maj. John A. Moder, 36, repeatedly exposed himself to Taliban sharpshooters and rocket-propelled grenades during a firefight in the Garmsir district of Helmand province. Then-Capt. Moder was serving as commanding officer of Charlie Company, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

Over the course of a 14-hour fight, Moder “fearlessly” led his Marines from bunker to bunker, killing several insurgents with an M240G machine gun and an M4 assault rifle in support of Operation Azada Wosa.

“Calm and courageous under fire, he remained at the front of his company in constant contact with insurgent fighters,” according to the citation. “He was conspicuous throughout in his leadership and heroism. Capt. Moder’s resolute leadership and courage in the face of a determined enemy reflected great credit upon him and were in keeping with the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.”

Moder, who has deployed four times since Sept. 11, 2001, received his commission in 1998 after graduating from the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va.

Well done, Marine. You make us proud!

Development of Counter Insurgency

By Townie 76

There is a new blog section at Washington Post, the Political Bookworm, today there was a guest blog by Historian Mark Perry in which how the first steps were taken in turning insurgents to the US side. One of the actors in this drama was my Brother Rat, Colonel John "JC" Coleman USMC, then Chief of Staff of the I MEF Camp Pendleton California. Here is the blog, "Time to Talk to Terrorists." Rah Va MIl 76 76 76.

More VMI Marine Colonels

By Lt Col P

Thanks to BR BullNav, we (belatedly) bring you the FY10 USMC Colonel Selection List.

Note please the FOUR Marines from VMI '89-- Matt Ans, Wayne Jones, Matt StClair, and John Giltz!

Good news all around.

VMI in the Governor's Inaugural

By Lt Col P

Courtesy of our source deep within the four walls of the Institute, the Corps of Cadets on parade:

Brings back memories!

UPDATE: Photos and more at the VMI public affairs site.

College President's Pay

By Townie 76

Copied from today's Richmond Times Dispatch, on Virginia College President's Salaries. Given what he has accomplished, I have to believe that General Peay is not being paid enough, however I also admire him and the Board of Visitors for not succumbing to the failed ideology that bigger pay is better. I would like to hear the thoughts of those out there on this subject.

Read More »

Lee-Jackson Day

By Lt Col P

Has not been forgotten.

Thank God.

Snowy Stonewall

By John

In my four years at the Institute, I can't ever remember a storm hitting us this hard. The base of Stonewall's statue looks like a giant snowdrift, the flagpole mount is close to invisible, and the cannons (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are nearly buried. Many thanks to Cadet A.M. for sending, poor guy was stuck in barracks after finals thanks to this beast.

Now that Sucks

By John

Everyone's heard of school being canceled due to shitty weather.... but ever hear of vacation getting snowed out?

Only at VMI --

A significant winter storm will move through Southwestern Virginia this afternoon through Saturday. The weather forecasters are predicting heavy snowfall in our area tonight and Saturday. Barracks and food services will remain open to accommodate cadets who can not depart. In the interest of safety: cadets may remain in barracks following the completion of their exams and are highly encouraged to do so if road conditions deteriorate or airline flights are cancelled.

Cadets, I want some photos of VMI being hit by this behemoth, so I can post. Email to noonanjo at gmail dot com.

Prison Visit

By Lt Col P

Brother Rat Doc H reports on a medical mission to a prison.

"Yesterday was an altogether wholesome and satisfying day. It always feels good to give or provide services to those with so little. At the end of a day it is a very good feeling when I can say that Afghanistan is better off because of what we did today."

Damn good stuff, and it's always motivating to read of an op where it was all steps forward and none back. Not only is Afghanistan better off, those folks will long remember what Americans did for them. It's all part of the effort.

Visit to VMI

By Townie 76

Over Thanksgiving I visited VMI. I really like the New New Barracks, very classy design.

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Why Not VMI?

By Lt Col P

Sounds like our kinda guy.

Colin Banks can talk to you about World War I and World War II planes until you're not interested anymore. He likes to TiVo aerial dogfights on the History Channel. The 17-year-old can't drive the distance from Maryland to Richmond by himself, but he's flown it.

As a young black man with a passion for flying, Colin is an anomaly. The teen, a senior at South County Secondary School in Fairfax County, has his sights on the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and dreams of becoming a fighter pilot.

I do hope that he has gotten a call from a (540) 464-7xxx number to talk about admissions. Feel free to dial up Smith Hall and clue them in.

170

By Lt Col P

Pardon me for me being a few hours late, but happy Founders Day to all alumni. We few, we happy few, gathered atop the NSE at ISAF HQ (pics to follow); we were soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and civilians under arms, from the Class of 82 to the Class of 2010. Not a drop of the good stuff to be found, but I tell you it was a memorable gathering, a fine crowd of honorable youths and ex-youths. I expect other clusters of alumni held similar gatherings across the country.

Here's to next year's Founders Day, back home with glass in hand.

Statement on the Death of Cadet John A. Evans '13

By John

Here's an appropriate and wholly sensible statement from General Peay on the tragic passing of VMI Cadet John Evans, a Rat who died after a 10-mile forced march.

Read More »

Sad News From VMI

By Lt Col P

VMI cadet dies after training event.

Our condolences go out to his family, and to his Brother Rats.

Taps: Sgt. Dale R. Griffin '03

By Lt Col P

Sad news from Afghanistan:

VMI alumnus Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, 29, was killed by a roadside bomb while on duty in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, Oct. 27. His remains were among those of 18 Americans who died in Afghanistan that were received at Dover Air Force Base, Del., Wednesday night.

Griffin matriculated with the Class of 2003, and attended VMI for three semesters. A wrestler, he won his weight class in the 2000 All-Academy Wrestling Championship, and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.

RIP, brother.

VMI in Today's Washington Post

By Townie 76

There is a story about VMI in today's Washington Post. Some quotes from the article, the article itself is not all bad:

The cultural shifts have proved more difficult. Last year, the U.S. Justice Department began investigating whether VMI's environment is especially hostile to women. Allegations of sexual assault have become a fact of VMI life, occurring about once a year, typical for a school of this size, according to college officials. The first case to result in a criminal charge ended Tuesday.

The institute's methods are unique and, after 170 years, increasingly out of sync with the world beyond the post.

The U.S. Education Department's Office for Civil Rights opened an investigation of possible sex discrimination at VMI in summer 2008 in response to an unnamed complainant, according to spokesman Jim Bradshaw. The complaint alleged "a climate and culture that is derogatory and discriminatory toward the women that are required as cadets to live in the barracks."

The bellowing, the sweat parties, the endless push-ups of August were, "more than anything, a head game," she said. "It's all mental."

Beyond Duty Released

By John

Few stories break the heart like Shannon Meehan and Roger Thompson's Iraq War memoir, Beyond Duty. Meehan, a 1st Cavalry Division tank commander and VMI graduate, may as well have titled it "heavy lies the crown," as Beyond Duty is the first book I've read that fully captures the crushing burden of combat leadership.

Meehan and Thompson (a professor of English at VMI), started writing the book after disaster struck -- Meehan, freshly promoted to acting company commander during an offensive into insurgent-infest Baquba, called in an airstrike which killed a house full of Iraqi civilians. Beyond Duty details that fateful day in the prologue, the rest of the story's arc rides wave after wave of hyper-realistic tension ultimately leading to Meehan's antagonizing decision -- send his men into the dragon's mouth and possible death, or safely negate a house full of unknown occupments with a precision guided airstrike.

I've read my share of Iraq and Afghanistan war memoirs, God knows there's plenty of them out there. This, however, is the first "under the helmet" account of the terrifying nature of MOUT operations that I've read. Further, Beyond Duty forces the audience to come to terms with the immense responsibility we place on kids who are often times fresh out of college. The decisions Meehan faced were terrifying, yet through those unforgiving experiences, the light of this wonderful generation of young men and women shone through. The tougher the fight became, the faster Meehan ascended into a strong, confident leader. The great tragedy of Beyond Duty --and indeed it is a tragic tale-- was that after an uninterrupted record of deeply admirable and virtuous leadership, one bad decision completely unraveled Meehan's confidence and demeanor. Indeed, the pain doesn't stop after the wound has healed.

Read Beyond Duty. Understand what we ask of these young men and women, the angry seas we ask them to navigate, the agonies of combat, and the crushing burdens of leadership.

Shannon and Roger will be on the Ed Morrissey Show at 4pm EST, Thursday 24 September. Our friends at WRKO Boston also have a must-listen interview up with Shannon and Roger, click through for the link.

Finally, I'm proud to say that Capt Shannon Meehan will be joining us here at OPFOR full time as a blogger. I expect that will happen when the buzz from Beyond Duty calms (and it's buzzing loudly, folks -- pass the word).

Bloody Day in VMI-Citadel Rivalry

By John

Fox News has the scoop

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Cadets and staff at military schools in South Carolina and Virginia are trying to prove that the sight of needles and blood don't make them squeamish.

The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute are holding blood drives Tuesday and, for the first time, the events are a competition to see which institution can give the most blood.

The winner gets a trophy and bragging rights and the knowledge that they are helping others.

The Citadel is the largest donor of whole blood to the Charleston area chapter of the American Red Cross. It is also the largest donor of platelets in South Carolina.

Tuesday's event is hosted by the Red Cross and the Armed Services Blood Program at Ft. Gordon, Ga.

Last year, The Citadel donated almost 1,900 units of blood

Project 2,996: Op-For Remembers

By Lt Col P

We willingly signed up with Project 2,996 to remember our two fellow alumni who were murdered in cold blood on the 11th day of September in the Year of Our Lord 2001. We remember:

Mr Charles William Mathers, VMI '62

Lieutenant Commander David Lucian Williams, VMI '91

N E V E R F O R G E T. Never forget them, and their families, and never forget why we're fighting. Never forget that the war was brought to us. Never forget that there is a time and place for cold, hard vengeance. Never forget that victory in this war is not a mere theoretical possibility, but an absolute requirement for a Nation that wishes to remain free and sovereign.

Matriculation!

By John

Tweet from @vmialumni: 488 Rats signed the book this morning. GEN Peay is making his welcoming remarks.

488!!! They're certainly serious about filling up that third barracks.

We're @noonanjo on Twitter, btw.

Contrast

By Bull Nav

Between today and tomorrow, two of my BR's are mobilizing.

One is a Marine Corps Reservist, the other a Navy Reservist.

One is headed to Aghanistan, the other to Norfolk.

One is going for six months, the other is going for a year.

One will perform a job which bears little resemblence to his civilian job, the other is going to perform a function not that dissimilar from his civilian job.

One is an O5, the other an O4.

My point? I just don't get what we are trying to do with the Navy Reserve sometimes...

Interestingly, they both have the same first name.

VMI, Then and Now

By John

God Bless the Richmond Times Dispatch, for both their clarity and long memory:

In an effort to retain female cadets, Virginia Military Institute recently watered down its physical-fitness standards. All cadets used to be required to do five pull-ups; now female cadets need do only one.

Because of that change, federal investigators have dropped the physical-standards angle of their investigation into a complaint that the school discriminates against women. The Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights continues to pursue other aspects of the inquiry.

The news stirred memories of the heated debate, nearly two decades ago now, over whether admitting women to VMI would require the school to relax its ferociously vigorous regimen. In arguments before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1992, Justice Department lawyer Jessica Silver insisted, "The record clearly shows that some women can do everything that is part of the physical training program at VMI."

A Times-Dispatch news article on the hearing included this exchange:

"Judge Paul Niemeyer, a member of the three-judge panel that heard arguments today . . . asked Ms. Silver whether VMI would be forced to adopt a 'twotrack' system if it admitted women . . . .

"Ms. Silver said no . . . .

"Judge Hiram Ward wondered if women were admitted to VMI under the school's current strict standards and a controversy over equal treatment arose, whether 'you'd be right back before the court, yelling "sex discrimination."'"

"Ms. Silver said no."

Reference.

Sigh

By John

There's no truth to this, of course.

The state attorney general's office is working to defend the Virginia Military Institute in what's been a barely publicized 14-month federal probe into allegations that, more than a decade after enrolling its first female students, the school remains a hotbed of sexism.

The complaint that prompted the investigation asserts not only that an overall hostile atmosphere exists at the school, but that its tough physical standards are unfair to women. Federal investigators halted their query into the physical standards, though, after VMI recently softened them

I never thought VMI should go private instead of accepting women and continuing on as a Commonwealth institution -- we needed the ROTC programs and state funds. Now, I'm reconsidering. It's becoming more and more clear that the VMI system and women are incompatible. Even after the slow dismantling of the freshman orientation process (the Ratline), tireless efforts on the part of the administration to "change the culture of VMI" (whatever that means), loosened physical standards, a thickened bureaucracy that includes Title IX, gender equality officers, female liasons, female commandant's staff members, and a subtle-yet-obvious unspoken affirmative action policy that aggressively places women in influential regimental and student government positions -- there are clearly still females that are unhappy with the atmosphere.

I readily admit that during my journey as a member of one of the first coed classes, there were some superb female cadets who cruised through the school without batting an eyelash. But is it sexist to concede that VMI is at a crossroads here, where they have to choose between safing barracks for females by completely neutralizing the natural male aggressiveness that made VMI men so remarkable on the battlefield, courts of law, and board rooms, or admitting that -despite the school's best and noblest efforts to obey the rule of the law- there's always been a discordance between the Institute's spartan lifestyle and women's natural biological construct?

It's tough to get into these debates, because many are wont to call you a misogynist dinosaur and dismiss even tiny whispers that yes, single-sex education does have its benefits -- particularly in the fierce military culture.

Honestly though, I've been numb to this fight for years. I just don't care anymore. VMI is too old school for the 21st century society, where feelings truimph over virtue. It will continue to be the target of lawsuits and federal investigations and any other witchunt the culture police feel is necessary to usher along their vision of a neutral, mediocre, and thoroughly boring utopia. I'll keep donating money to the school, because God I love it so, but not without a certain degree of sadness. Not at Supreme Court decisions or lowered standards, but because of the Institute's devolution from national treasure to national pariah -- and I don't think there's a road back.

VMI and the USMC Colonel Command Screening Board

By Lt Col P

The results of the USMC Colonel Command Screening Board are out. VMI did well--

FURNESS ['87], DAVID J. ... 6TH MARINES

NEARY ['88], STEPHEN M. ... 4TH MARINES

STARLING ['88], CHRISTOPHER C. ... 23RD MARINES

Congrats to all, not just the fellow VMI alumni although it is good to see them do well, and especially to my good friend and roommate from the USS Iwo Jima (LPH-2), Sparky Renforth!

News From Mazar-i-Sharif

By Lt Col P

Two items out of Mazar-i-Sharif:

First-- Doc H gets out and about. The first thing that struck me was that his description of the women and children's wing of the prison is right out of A Thousand Spendid Suns.

Second-- Swedes and Finns put the fear of God into Taliban punks. Good work, boys! (Sgt Sven Hestrand, USMC: If you're reading this, you should be proud!)

Five-Letter Word, Means "Standing At Attention"

By Lt Col P

OK, how about "upright"? No, too many letters. "Upstanding"? No, way too many letters. Hellfire and damnation! It's on the tip of my tongue (so to speak).

OH, YEAH--

E-R-E-C-T

Read More »

"First Mission"

By Lt Col P

Brother Rat Doc H has reached his destination after a series of hops, skips and jumps-- read the whole series of recent posts-- and has even treated his first patient.

Looking forward to the rest of it.

VMI to hold Citizen-Soldier Symposium this Fall

By Bull Nav

This September, a symposium is going to be held to discuss the role of the Guard and Reserve in what they can do here in the US.

LEXINGTON, Va., June 26, 2009 – The linchpin role that the National Guard and Reserve components of the Armed Forces play in the defense of the American homeland will be the topic of a national conference this September at Virginia Military Institute. Top state and federal officials will attend the conference to debate the progress that has been made and the future refinements needed to answer grave homeland challenges.

It looks to be an interesting discussion.

As I read the article and the symposium website, however, it struck me that this seems to be geared specifically towards the National Guard and the Army Reserve. Granted, they bear the brunt of call-ups in the event of a major disaster, but each of the other services has reservists who are available in time of emergency. As far as I know, there are no contingency plans to augment the local Guard with reservists of other services in the event of a disaster or attack. Certainly we could bring some experience and help in the event of a major disaster/attack.

In looking at the invited speaker list, I noted that it is made up entirely of Army/National Guard GO's:

Among the invited speakers are Maj. Gen. Arnold L. Punaro, chairman, Commission on the National Guard and Reserves (2006 – 2008); Lt. Gen. (retired) Russel L. Honoré, commander of Joint Task Force Katrina; Lt. Gen. Steven H. Blum, deputy combatant commander, US Northern Command; Maj. Gen. (retired) William Terpeluk, commander of the 77th Regional Readiness Command during 9/11; Maj. Gen. Michael Davidson, National Guard adviser to the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Maj. Gen. Robert B. Newman, adjutant general of Virginia.

It would be beneficial, I believe, in this age of joint operations to have representatives from the other Reserve forces to speak, comment, and participate in round table discussions as to how the rest of the reserves can help.

Haze-Gray, Underway, and HEARD-FROM-TODAY

By Lt Col P

Got a nice note this morning from Brother Rat Doc H, saying that he's finally headed outbound for Afghanistan.

It'll probably be a few days (or more) before he posts again, but go leave him a comment and wish him well.

A VMI grad, former Marine, Navy doctor, wearing ACUs... He's a one-man joint operation.

Doc H Preparing to Launch

By Lt Col P

I know that more than a few of you visit Doc H's International Adventure on a regular basis, which he greatly appreciates. Not only is he BullNav's and my BR, but he has a great blog-- hey, he's been linked by Thunder Run more times than we have!

Well, Doc H's long pre-deployment training is at an end, and he's on the cusp of leaving for somewhere "East of Suez".

Today was the final day of training. Our final ceremony, complete with a rousing acapello chorus of Anchors Aweigh, is over and we leave for a quick stop to our homes late tonight. I believe the training has prepared us as much as can be expected. My sincere hope is that I will not need to use all of it.

He looks ready too-- he's the one facing the camera across the hood of the vehicle. You wouldn't think he's a doc, would you?

Make sure you pay a visit and leave a comment. And stay tuned for updates after he gets on deck.

Good luck BR, and let's hope we see each other over there. If not, when we get back!

In Honor of and the Memory of the Men of the 121st Field Artillery Battalion 32nd Infantry Division (Red Arrow)

By Townie 76

Today, as the world rightly remembers the valiant sacrifice of the men of Allied Armies who landed at Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha, and Utah beaches on the coast of France, we sometimes forget, that on the other side of the world, Allied Armies were locked in a struggle against the Armies of Imperial Japan.

Read More »

Navy FY10 O6 Staff Corps Selects: VMI '89

By Bull Nav

ALNAV 037/09, FY-10 ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY CAPTAIN STAFF CORPS SELECTIONS, was released a couple of weeks ago. Just as we had some of our BR's on the URL list, so there are a couple of folks on the Staff Corps list.

I would like to congratulate John Adametz and Joe Grealish, both CEC officers, on thier selection for O6. Great job guys!

(Sorry I am a little late; a touch busy here.)

June 5, 2004

By John

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. ~Laurence Bunyon

Died on the field of honor.

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.

New Market Day 2009

By Lt Col P

Happy New Market Day to all!

And may this time next year see all of our alumni home safe and sound, with their battles won.

As a preview for a longer post later today, go read this article, which prominently features one member of the Class of 76.

More to follow...

USS HAWAII (SSN776) AWARDED THE USCG MUC

By Bull Nav

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Steven Myers/Released)

USS HAWAII (SSN776), commanded by CDR Ed Herrington, VMI '89, was awarded the US Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation yesterday for their work during a deployment last year.

GROTON, Connecticut – Virginia-class submarine USS Hawaii (SSN 776) became only the second Naval submarine in history to receive the U.S. Coast Guard Meritorious Unit Commendation during a presentation ceremony on May 7th for its role in tracking drug runners and helping to keep illegal drugs off the nation's streets.
The Groton-based submarine earned the award for its part in counter-drug operations in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in support of Joint Interagency Task Force (JIATF) South from February 20 to April 17 last year.

Of course, we are not going to find out exactly what they did.

"Really, all we can talk about is that we supported counter drug operations in Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)," said Cmdr. Edward Herrington, Hawaii's Commanding Officer.

Congratulations to the whole crew of HAWAII as it truly takes a team effort to make that happen. In particular, congratulations to my BR Ed Herrington for having such a great ship.

Keep up the outstanding work!

Doc H Marches On

By Lt Col P

Been following Brother Rat Doc H? You should be.

"I was sorely nostalgic for those good old days when things were simple and you could talk no further than 5 kilometers on a good day with a PRC-77." ...

If the President had Outlawed "Finning Out" VMI Would Be in a World of Shit

By John

Found the following press release in my inbox earlier today. For the record, I had never even heard of waterboarding until after I graduated VMI.

LEXINGTON, Va., April 30, 2009 -- False reports have been circulating on some talk television and radio programs and on the Internet alleging that cadets are routinely waterboarded at VMI as part of a “ritualized hazing.” These false accusations are apparently being made to justify the practice of waterboarding suspected terrorists, now banned by the President.

VMI does not waterboard anyone, nor can we find any reference in our records that such a practice has ever occurred here. Some reports are specifically alleging that George C. Marshall, a graduate of VMI’s Class of 1901 and arguably one of the greatest soldiers America has produced, was waterboarded when he was a cadet. We have found no reference in our records or in the voluminous biographical information about General Marshall that he was ever subjected to waterboarding.

In their first months at VMI, cadets experience the Rat Line. This is a very tough period, both physically and mentally. The Rat Line at VMI today is a carefully calibrated experience that is professionally run. It does not include waterboarding, and it cannot be equated with hazing.

These allegations are not appropriate to the reputation of General Marshall or the Virginia Military Institute.

My BR wrote next to the press release: How many meetings do you think they had to have about this? After the fourth check form, I am sure cadets were starting to claim the water boarding was a VMI tradition dating back Corporal Atwell.

Twenty Years Down

By Lt Col P

BullNav and I were unable to attend the milblog conference this weekend, because we were at the Class of '89's 20th Reunion. A good time was had by all. (That's me on the left, and BullNav on the right. YES, I was in Delta Company, and he was in Alpha Company...)

Speaking of MAD-DOG DELTA, here's one platoon about to make the left flank for the pass in review.

We have to send out a virtual Old Yell to those still in uniform who, because of hard and fast commitments, were unable to make it, like Doc H, and many many others. Hopefully we'll all be there at the 25th. Rah Virginia Mil!

Navy FY10 O6 Selects: VMI '89

By Bull Nav

ALNAV 029/09, FY-10 ACTIVE-DUTY NAVY CAPTAIN LINE SELECTIONS was released today. For those of us from VMI '89, it is significant because this was the first O6 selection board in which our BR's were in zone.

I would like to congratulate CDR Ed Herrington, CDR Rick Skiff, CDR Winton Smith, and CDR Todd Hooks for selection to Captain. Great accomplishment, guys.

Not to mention, just in time for the reunion this weekend...

Shameless VMI Real Estate Agent Plug

By Lt Col P

Attention in Barracks...

Anyone PCS-ing to the National Capital Region in the near future?? If so, contact me at ltcolp at op-for dot com for the contact info for the best realtor in NoVa, and a true member of the VMI family. (Hint: anyone from the classes of 87-92 will know her well.)

She fully understands the needs of the military family, and will zealously defend your interests. (She handled the sale of our old house and the purchase of our new one back in 2003, and I can supply other alumni references on request.)

You gotta have a realtor, might as well keep it in the family!

And yes, she'll help non-VMI folks as well. Really, we can't say enough about her. :-)

Doc H Preps for Afstan

By Lt Col P

Go to [Brother Rat] Doc H's International Adventure and catch up on his ongoing pre-deployment training. Leave a comment or two while you're at it.

(But why the ACU uniforms and gear?)

Medical Monday: Doc H Mounts Out

By Lt Col P

Check this out and book-mark it: Doc H's International Adventure. A Navy physician, former Marine officer, and '89 Brother Rat heads out the door to prep for a mission to train medical personnel in Afghanistan.

Visit often, leave comments, spread the word.

Good luck, BR. Keep your scalpel sharp and your senses sharper!

Another Star in the VMI Galaxy

By Lt Col P

Great news from the Marine Corps:

Marine Corps Reserve Col. Paul W. Brier has been nominated for appointment to the grade of brigadier general. Brier is currently serving as a [M]arine liaison officer to the Government of Guam.

Make that Col Paul Brier VMI '81.

Col Brier is a fighting Marine; during the Gulf War he commanded the greatest artillery battery in the history of warfare-- Battery H, 3d Battalion, 14th Marines-- in combat they lowered their tubes and engaged Iraqi armor with direct fire. He later went on to command the battalion as well. Recently, he raised and commanded 6th Civil Affairs Group in Iraq. He is a phenomenal officer and Marine. I know this from experience, having myself commanded Hotel Battery when (then) LtCol Brier was the battalion CO.

Congrats, sir, and good luck!

H E A R D - F R O M - T O D A Y.

General Petraeus VMI's Commencement Speaker

By John

Great score, Cadets!

LEXINGTON, Va., Feb. 27, 2009 – Army General David H. Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Central Command, will deliver the commencement address to Virginia Military Institute’s graduating cadets on May 16.

The commencement exercise is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. in Cameron Hall.

“I am honored to accept the invitation and look forward to what I know will be a great event,” General Petraeus said in his letter accepting the invitation to speak at commencement. “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to thank VMI’s faculty and cadets for their service when I join you for Commencement ceremonies this spring.”

His phenomenal war record aside, the good General has always impressed me with his... well, availability. Always seems open to share his vast knowledge with the American people who love him. Remember one of the first media spots the General did after taking command in Iraq was with this blog.

Maybe the old West Pointer just has a soft spot for the Institute, heh.

RIP, Colonel Stockwell

By Lt Col P

Sad, shocking news out of VMI:

"The Superintendent regrets to inform the VMI community of the death this morning of Colonel William J. Stockwell, Acting Deputy Superintendent and Dean of the Faculty. ..."

Farewell to a good guy and a real fixture at VMI.

RIP.

VMI BB in Sports Illustrated

By Bull Nav

Well, the Keydet Basketball team has this great write-up in SI this week.

But it was the intro that grabbed me.

TO APPRECIATE the small miracle of Virginia Military Institute basketball, you must go to the Hill at dawn. You must wait under a purple winter sky, with a hard frost beneath your feet and dense fog lying low across the surrounding Shenandoah Valley. Then you must train your eyes on the olive-drab stone walls of the four-story gothic barracks rising from the west end of the parade grounds, for this is where every long day begins.

At three minutes before seven last Thursday morning the nearly 1,400 corpsmen and women of VMI emerged from portals in the barracks walls and formed into precise rows that stretched more than 100 yards across the front of the building. A lone bugler sounded reveille and the flags of the U.S. and Virginia were hoisted skyward. A steady drumbeat began, and the cadets, dressed in identical gray uniform slacks with black jackets, marched to the end of the barracks, turned sharply left and downhill toward the mess hall, into the rising sun.

Took me back twenty years...woolies and waking up at third call, hoping and praying the bugler was going to play last call SLOOOOOOOOW.

Go Keydets!

REAR ADM McKNIGHT '78: Heard From Today

By Lt Col P

We were invited to this week's Bloggers Roundtable, at which the guest was none other than Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, VMI '78, currently commander of Expeditionary Strike Group 2. The topic was piracy.

I was all set to call in until last-minute work issues intervened. I did submit a couple of questions, and the hosts were good enought to forward them to RADM McKnight, who was more than good enough to reply personally. A good session:

“The combination of the coalition working together and the maritime community has decreased the pirate activity over the past couple of months,” U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Terry McKnight told bloggers and online journalists during the DoDLive Bloggers Roundtable today. Rear Adm. McKnight is the Expeditionary Strike Group 2/Commander, Task Force 151 in the Gulf of Aden. McKnight also gave a brief current history of piracy in the region and the coalition and maritime community efforts to protect free commerce across the seas."

I asked if I could post those questions and replies; in the meantime the transcript is here.

Update: The good Admiral has give the OK for me to post my questions and his answers:

Q: Comparisons of the HOA piracy to the Barbary Wars are frequently drawn. To what extent are these valid, and therefore a basis for historical analysis, and formulation of a firm and effective policy?

A: In historical terms, there are a couple notable similarities. The Barbary pirates operated off the northern coast of the African continent, but on the Atlantic side, whereas the Somali pirates are operating in the Gulf of Aden. Back in 1815, the piracy problem had gotten so out of hand that Europe called on Britain to help suppress it. Fast-forward nearly 200 years and we're facing a newer piracy epidemic, one that involves AK-47 rifles and rocket-propelled grenades instead of swords and cannons. What hasn't changed though is that the international community has called for nations to help combat that epidemic. That's what CTF 151 is here to help accomplish but we can't do it alone.

As we progress as a task force, we need to continue to work with other nations and their navies to help protect and foster the flow of free commerce throughout the Gulf of Aden. This is a problem faced by all, not by a few. Our policies will continue to focus on finding the pirates, trying to catch them in the act and acquire the evidence needed to prosecute them in a court of law. Working together as a coalition, we can help stem the flow of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Q: Do you view the arrival of the P.L.A.N. on the scene at HOA as an ominous development, and if so, what can be done about it?

A: Absolutely not. I think its great the Chinese are out here. This should truly show the world that as professional navies, we are faced by a common problem and that we can work together to try and solve it. Having the Chinese here reinforces the fact that piracy is an international problem that requires an international answer.

VMI ECON DEPT: Heard From Today

By Lt Col P

Apparently, there's plenty of disagreement.

(Second column, one down from the top.)

More, please! :-)

Smokey Gilliam VMI Class of 40 and Professor of History and Politics 1948-84

By Townie 76

VMI is noted for professors who are characters, ones who leave a lasting impression on you because they are unique. During my tenure as a Cadet, back in the Dark Ages we had a number of Professors who fit that description. In my day there was Jack Reeves who taught Biology, Oscar Gupton who also taught Biology and was the wrestling coach, Dodo Dillard who taught English, and Smokey Gilliam who taught History and Politics. Each was a character, but Smokey Gilliam for some reason stands out in my mind.

Read More »

The Time Is Now-- 1850...

By Lt Col P

Just saw the Corps march past the reviewing stand. We switched from local news to Fox just in time to see them approach, but then Fox cut to a commerical. Switched rapidly to CNN-- God help me-- and saw the whole thing. They looked good, I must say. Speaking from experience, it's easy to get out of step because you can't hear your own band over the crowd and all the other, lesser, bands in attendance, but I saw very little of that.

Good work, men!

Anyone else see it?

Bullnav update:

Osprey at VMI

By John

Plucked shamelessly from my Brother Rat's facebook page. Nice shot of the New-New Barracks as well.

Ode to the Warrior Class

By Slab

Our good friend and fellow Institute man Michael Solovey is working on yet another print honoring our warriors. This one, titled "Ode to the Warrior Class", is a tribute to our heritage and the warriors who have gone before. To quote Michael:

This main image could be a Marine or Soldier. He looks off into battle with allusions to other great warrior cultures in the background--Vikings, Spartans, and Romans. Across the sky, there are silhouettes of Blackhawks, Hueys, and Cobras flying into battle. This future print will be a watercolor with the intent of celebrating the Warrior Class and what we do as a profession.

Here is the concept sketch he sent me. Continue to check the Solovey art website for updates.

Additionally, I created a Military Artwork category for more posts about the work of Michael Solovey and his fellow artists.

Previous work by Michael Solovey:
MARSOC Artwork*
Thus Ever To Tyrants

* Also, Michael posted an update on his MARSOC print, titled "Precision Pride" in the comments section.

All the prints are signed & numbered and ready for release next week. This print is also in memory of Corpsman Luke Milam (Upper left-hand corner). I spoke with his family this week and have given the original to them. Please keep them in your prayers. If interested in one of these prints (they are going quickly already) please send me an email at soloveyart@earthlink.net. Appreciate the support. Semper Fi!
Michael Solovey VMI '96

Inaugural Info: The VMI Angle

By Lt Col P

From our clandestine source deep within the four walls of the Institute:

I just want to let everyone know that the Virginia Military Institute - in force - will be marching in the Presidential Inaugural parade on Tuesday. We are by far the largest unit in the parade (1300 cadets, with rifles and fixed bayonets), and have been told by the organizers that we are the "showcase of the parade."

We are the second to last unit in the parade. Again, in the words of the committee, they wanted to "finish the parade with a 'big finale'". So what that means is that you don't have to sit through all of the hours of
coverage to see us march. We should cross the reviewing stand between 1730-1800 (5:30-6:00pm for you non-military folks).

USMC Selections and Promotions

By Lt Col P

Playing catch-up here after a long drill weekend. Thanks to BR BullNav for rooting through a heap of message traffic, we are pleased to bring you news of the best and brightest of the VMI Marines...

* LtCols Chris Goff, Wayne Sinclair, Steve Neary, Jim Mumma and Chris Starling, all '88, all selected for Colonel

* LtCol John Giltz '89, selected for the College of Naval Warfare... GO SHOVELHEAD!!!

* LtCol Bill Bowers '90, selected for the National War College

Congrats to all. Go forth and do great things.

Death of a Professor

By Townie 76

Most VMI graduates associated with site shan't know the name of "Smokey" Gilliam as he was retired before most attended VMI. Here is a link to his obit http://www.rockbridgeweekly.com/obits/obit.php. I will reflect later on the life of Smokey Gilliam, it is too early in the morning for my brain to properly function.

VMI Corps On The March

By Lt Col P

From our clandestine source inside the four walls came a tip that the Corps of Cadets would march in the Inaugural Parade. Now, ace local news operation WSET confirms it.

Speaking from experience, this event will be a very long, very cold, very tiring day, culminating probably in but a fleeting glimpse of the new President. However, it is a great honor for the Corps, and a long-lasting memory for the cadets.

This Institute of Ours

By John

I don't mean to push Bullnav's post down, because -- well, I like what he's saying... semper vigilans and all that.

But I couldn't let this column from The Washington Post -of all places- escape my discerning eye.

Cadets' Valor Lives On

I drove out to the New Market Battlefield State Historical Park on a sunny day and parked under a shady tree. As I wandered the farmland where so much blood was spilled, a Carolina wren sang nearby. A red-tailed hawk keened overhead.

While I crossed the ground where the cadets advanced, I thought about my Uncle Frank. He was a tall, straight, cheerful man who played tennis well into his 80s. He graduated from VMI 80 years after the famous charge at New Market. I never entirely understood why he loved VMI as much as he did. But he did. At his funeral five years ago, a VMI honor guard was on hand to carry his casket.

But why did he care so much about a place where his first year was a hellish exercise? The freshmen at VMI are called rats. They are harassed and harangued. They are barked at and belittled. They are subjected to a raft of what look, to an outsider, like silly, arbitrary rules.

Why would anybody pay to go to a place where people yell at you?

Uncle Frank, a decorated bomber pilot who never talked about his medals, would probably have said that suffering through his rat year at VMI taught him grace under pressure, taught him something about comradeship and courage.

And I think Uncle Frank would finally have gotten around to an old-fashioned idea of doing what has to be done, even when you don't feel like it.

On the occasional long drive or during a period of tedious manual labor, I've done my share of soul searching on this. Externally, VMI appears to hate you. In fact, it hates on you for four harsh years. But the alumni, those who survive at least, are fiercely loyal to their beloved "Mother I." Why the hell is that?

In the memorial garden just outside the museum entrance, a wall filled with plaques commemorates VMI graduates who died serving their country. It is not on the battlefield at New Market or inside the museum in Lexington, but there, looking at the modest bronze memorials, that you get the truest measure of VMI.

I don't suppose anybody wants a war, but looking at the history of sacrifice by the graduates of VMI, you begin to think that when there is one, it might be a good idea to have the folks from VMI on your side.

Oh, right.

Because to be a VMI man means that you stand on the shoulders of Titans. And once you have a gold ring on your finger and diploma in hand, no one... no one, can take that away.

VMI's 11th Rhodes Scholar

By Lt Col P

Congratulations are in order to Cadet 1st Classman Gregory E. Lippiatt, for being named VMI's eleventh Rhodes Scholar.

LEXINGTON, Va., Nov. 23, 2008 – Cadet Gregory E. Lippiatt is one of 32 American men and women selected to receive the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, the Rhodes Trust announced yesterday. In the process, the York, Pa., native also became the 11th cadet from Virginia Military Institute to earn the honor since 1921.

Lippiatt is a 1st Class cadet, what VMI calls its seniors. He is double majoring in history and English, with a concentration in military history. His scholarly interests are focused on the medieval period. He intends to pursue a doctorate in medieval studies following his study at Oxford and his service as an Army Officer.

Well done, young man!

Never Say Die!!

By John

I.Don't.Believe.It.

LEXINGTON, Ky. | On their bus ride to Friday’s game, Virginia Military Institute players watched a video of Gardner-Webb beating Kentucky last November.

“To show them it can be done,” VMI Coach Duggar Baucom said.

Then they did it. VMI handed the Wildcats another early-season stunner: a 111-103 loss. Guard Travis Holmes, who led the Keydets with 30 points, summed up the lesson he learned from the video: “Out-hustle them.”

And what did the Keydets plan to watch heading home?

Ready with an answer, Travis Holmes said, “SportsCenter.”

Happy Birthday, Keydets!

By Lt Col P

A big fat happy birthday to the whole VMI family!

For it was on this day in 1839 that the last of the old arsenal guard was relieved-- properly relieved, that is-- by Cadet John B. Strange of Fluvanna County, Virginia. (I wonder if he was strictly enjoined to maintain quiet during study hours?)

The rest is history, and we're still being heard from today.

Ah, Mother I, how we love thee.

QUICK UPDATE: New(est) Barracks, or "Third Barracks," as I think it'll be called, is being officially dedicated today! See nifty imagery here.

'04 Roanoker Blogs From Iraq

By Lt Col P

Talk about a diamond in a goat's ass-- I found CPT Rich Connaroe's Iraq blog in the otherwise execrable Roanoke Times.

Rich Connaroe graduated from Northside High School in 2000 and VMI in 2004. Now a Captain in the U.S. Army, Connaroe begins a one-year deployment to Iraq in August. During that time, he plans to make regular blog posts that he hopes will connect readers of the The Roanoke Times to U.S. soldiers who are deployed in Iraq.

Go get 'em Captain!

NMCB 7 Takes Over in Iraq

By Bull Nav

Last week, NMCB 7 relieved NMCB 3 in Iraq:

AR RAMADI, Iraq (NNS) -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 7 relieved NMCB 3 at a brief ceremony held Oct. 16.
The transfer of authority (TOA) ceremony marked the end of NMCB 3's six-month deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan and the start of NMCB 7's deployment.

They have some hard work ahead of them, but I know they will do well. Seabees are a tough bunch whose motto is, "We build, we fight."

Not to mention, NMCB 7 is commanded by our (me and LT COL P, that is) BR, CDR John Adametz.

NMCB 7's Commanding Officer, Cmdr. John Adametz, spoke about the challenges ahead for NMCB 7 while also thanking NMCB 3 for all their hard work. "Thank you so much for all the hard work you have done to ensure this transition went as smoothly as possible," said Adametz. "To the Seabees of NMCB 7, it's time to go to work. We've trained hard [in] homeport to prepare us for the challenges ahead. Our main goal is to stay safe and succeed magnificently."

Good luck John. We will keep you and your sailors in our thoughts and prayers.

Caution: Do Not Disturb the Cadets

By John

Especially during academic convocations or any other breed of mandatory lecture....

VMI men will get this and laugh. All others -- best explanation I can muster is this: imagine yourself working eight or nine straight 19 hour days, then being "invited" to hear someone like Sandra Day O'Conner drone on about how you all were archiac, misogonyst dinosaurs before the Supreme Court set you straight. There couldn't be a more uniform reaction if VMI was issuing 'em.

Hotel Tango: Bench Memos

Anti-'89 Operative Unveiled!

By Lt Col P

We interrupt our regularly scheduled posting to bring you news from VMI. This is a joint, blue-green, BullNav-LtCol P post.

The '89 Section of Op-For has uncovered the latest indignity inflicted on our class's legacy by a hideous cabal that has operated for nearly 20 years.We recently learned that the Alumni brick-- yours for only $2500!-- bearing the name of Our Second 1st Captain, one Cadet D.G. Miller (OH), was pried loose and overturned, thereby obscuring his good name and rendering him all but unknown to current and future cadets. However, a sharp-eyed B&G crew noticed the discrepancy and corrected it. Blame has been laid on nameless 'drunks.'

This incident marks the return of the incognito evil-doer, whose previous actions included repeatedly chiseling the name of Our Second 1st Captain from the plaque inside Jackson Arch. In one case, it was reported that the name of one Cadet Matthew G. StClair (MD) was then affixed to the spot, he being Our First 1st Captain, who through his independent turn of mind was found to be an unsuitable Regimental Commander. (Rumors that no shako could be found to fit his admittedly odd head shape are unfounded, but unfortunately persist.)

However, we now believe that we can unveil the prime suspect in these actions, now that the missing piece of evidence-- i.e. 'drunks'-- has been supplied. Who is this miscreant, this known '89-hater, this fork-tongued devil and arch-fiend? WE BELIEVE IT IS NONE OTHER THAN THIS MAN:

Read More »

I love the language....

By John

Military schools, like VMI, are unique in that they develop their own dialect over the years. All military units do it to some extent, but the consistency of military academies and institutions -and their resilience resistance (oops!) to change- makes for some remarkable language.

Was rooting through some old memorabilia and trinkets this morning, and found an old note from my freshman (rat) year at VMI. Here's a quick background: at VMI, first year students are called Rats. The Corps elects the meanest, nastiest juniors and seniors each year to form the Rat Disciplinary Committee (RDC) to help keep the Rat Mass in check.

There are few things worse than receiving a dreaded "RDC send-up" -- at least to a young, stupid 18 year old.

But the language, in hindsight some 9 years later, was hilarious. Here's what the note read:

"Rat Noonan, you have been summoned to the RDC for purification of the mind, body, and soul. Report to the sentinel box at 2300 hours. There, the cleansing will begin...."

The angel of death poked his sickle out from behind an ace of spades on the reverse.

We took it all so seriously...

Ugh....

By John

Such theatrics are an affront to VMI's warrior ethos....

LEXINGTON, Va., Sept. 26, 2008 – While terrorism and global warming are serious issues facing the United States, Yale Law School professor and author Stephen Carter is more concerned about the deterioration of civility. He raised the issue with the Corps of Cadets at the Virginia Military Institute during its academic convocation on Sept. 22 in Cameron Hall.

“Civility is not synonymous with manners, but it is the sum of all of the sacrifices we make to live a common life together,” said Carter. “I fear we are becoming a nation where the knee-jerk reaction is the norm. When we are society of knee-jerk reactions, we are a society that slowly becomes undemocratic. We are becoming less civil, less willing to take seriously those we disagree with.”

Though I do politely clap at his "knee jerk reaction" point. There was a time when having/holding beliefs and ideologies meant that you had to sacrifice a little -- in that you were likely to be judged for those beliefs. Today, we're living in the "me" culture. Everyone is the center of their own universe, everyone is special... ick.

Still, VMI should be bringing in MoH recipients and career soldiers/sailors/airmen/marines to talk to the corps -- not Mr. Manners.

PS - It is worth nothing that VMI used to intensively train proper Southern etiquette alongside military customs & courtesies, but that mostly went the way of the dinosaur after the assimilation of females. I do wonder if cadets still tip their covers for ladies...

Good Times in Lexington

By Townie 76

Lexington in the Age of the Neanderthals

There was a time, when Lexington was not quite so quaint and the influx of “damn Yankee retirees” had not commenced. Lexington in 1972, my rat year, was a sleepy college town.

Read More »

VMI Athletics

By John

We may not win -- but we're terrific losers!

CHARLOTTE, N.C, Sept. 16, 2008 – The Virginia Military Institute has been named the winner of the Big South Conference’s annual Institutional Sportsmanship Award for the 2007-08 athletic season, it was announced by the League office Tuesday afternoon. VMI receives the honor for the third consecutive year and has claimed the honor all three years of the award’s history.

Actually that's not fair. VMI excells in what I consider the Spartan sports -- track & field, wrestling, shooting, boxing, etc. Real bare bones shit, outside the auspices of the powerhouse franchise programs like NCAA football and basketball. Take away the glamour, the millions of dollars in merchandising, the high paid coaches, trainers, and sports docs, and put our cadets into a simple Greek Games type of arena. There, our performance is remarkable -- considering our student body is a mere 1400.

Small size, big hearts, and an amazing warrior ethos. And hey, we're good sports about it all to boot.

Natty Boh and Estelle's

By Bull Nav

So I was driving out here to what will most likely be my last drill weekend at NOSC Chicago located on the beautiful NAVSTA Great Lakes and I hear this commercial on the radio. I was not paying a whole lot of attention at first, but then I heard them say "Natty Lite."

I thought to myself, "Could it be?"

That is, could it be the fine, yet inexpensive (OK mostly inexpensive) brew that generations of VMI cadets enjoyed?

Of course would be none other than National Bohemian.

This was a beer I was first introduced to in the fine establishment of Estelle's. It was a...well...a dive. But it was our dive. Wood floors, two worn pool tables, lots of faded and dusty VMI paraphenelia on the walls, and Lynryd Skynyrd on the juke box. This was where newly minted Fourth Classmen (yeah, Rats really, but you didn't have to strain anymore) could go and drink. They made some interesting chili up there and of course burgers.

I think even when we were Thirds (and what do Thirds eat?) we would go up there. Not that Lexington had a whole lot of drinking establishments in the mid-80s, something like three.

Estelle's is gone now, but not forgotten. Good place, good times.

Anyway, that commercial was for Natural Lite, so my Natty Boh exposure remains the same: I had not heard of it before and I have not heard of it since.

Nice memories (well, those that I can remember anyway).

I will just sit back with the Guiness...

UPDATE: Well it looks like I will be enjoying OCT and NOV in Great Lakes after all. Won't get to make that wonderful flight to beautiful Hartford enroute NOSC New London until December...

Yeeeeee-Haaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!

By Bull Nav

Well, it looks like the Keydets kicked a little ass today...

'Course, who the hell is St. Francis University? Nothing against them, but back in the '80s we did play UVA and UNC.

Seems we can't even get the Citadel on the schedule this year...

WTF?

Welcome Rats! A New Mass Enters the "I"

By Charlie

New cadets are formed into companies as they prepare to "march off" to the Barracks and the beginning of Matriculation Week. – VMI Photo by Kevin Remington.

Bob Holland from VMI writes:

LEXINGTON, Va., Aug. 23, 2008 – It helped that the weather for Matriculation Day, Aug. 23, was less hot and humid than the August norm. But the Institute’s 446 matriculants also found many helping hands along the way, from their morning sign-ups to the culminating afternoon March Off to begin nine days of intensive training by the Cadre.

For the record, they used to call it a "march in" and it went something like this:

Good luck Rats!

Marine Corps Col & LtCol Command Slates

By Lt Col P

Behold, Marines, thy future leaders:

FY09 Colonel Command Slate

FY09 Lieutenant Colonel Command Slate

VMI has, as usual, been heard from. My own quick glance-- please tell me if I missed anyone-- shows that Col Chip Bierman '87 was named to command 3d Marines, and LtCols Mike Manning and Chris Dixon, both '90, were named to 1st and 3d Battalions, 2d Marines, respectively.

I haven't seen too much of Mike Manning recently, but he is a first-class Marine, and will take over a battalion I have a great affinity for. I spent several months in Camp Fallujah with both Chip Bierman and Chris Dixon. Both were invaluable assets to me in my particular duties, and true professionals.

Congratulations, and good luck to all! Many challenges await you, and many eyes are upon you.

Pressing Up The Hills of Culpeper, With Noble Emulation

By Lt Col P

A gratifying spectacle: two '89 Marines applying boot to ass then recording names at the Culpeper Sprint Triathlon today. I, on my second race in five years, was joined by a seasoned professional, Brother Rat Jones (LtCol, USMC), who has completed a full Ironman as well as some other challenging events.

We did well. BR Jones, being by far the better trained of us, finished in 01:35:22, overall 102d among the men. I came in at 01:50:16, 233d place, pretty much where I wanted to be.

Anyone else out there do it?

Died on the Field of Honor

By John

I hate doing this...

Another fallen comrade.

LEXINGTON, Va., July 11, 2008 – Army Specialist William L. McMillan III, 22, died July 8 of wounds suffered when his patrol was struck by an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense announced.

McMillan matriculated with the Class of 2008, but left the Institute near the end of his 4th Class year. He was on the Lacrosse team during his time at VMI.

He enlisted in the Army and was assigned as a medic to the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division. His unit deployed to Iraq from its base at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, last December.

McMillan is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; his parents, William and Margorie McMillan Jr.; his sister, Lauren; and his brother, Brad. The family lives in Lexington, Ky.

Valhalla awaits, brother.

New Blood!

By John

Welcome to our new full-timer, Townie 76 (it's a VMI thing) --aka Col Hank. His bio, now linked at the About Us page.

Townie 76 aka COL Hank was born in Lexington, Virginia and graduated VMI in 1976. He entered the Army in November 1976 as an Armor Officer. He left the Army in 1984 and joined the Virginia Army National Guard where he remained until 1998 when he returned to Active Duty as a Title 10 Active Guard and Reserve Officer. He retired from the Army on 31 July 2006 and was recalled to active duty the next day where he is now beginning his third year as a recalled retiree. COL Hank has served in various Command and Staff assignments in his thirty two years of service, to include assignment in Korea, Germany, Kosovo, Iraq, and Kuwait. He currently is the Command Historian and Chief of the Red Team for United States Army Central (USARCENT aka as Third Army).

Army just won't let the guy retire. Anyway, needed to get a full bird Colonel on board to keep our twin O-5s in check... and to bring balance to the force (Marines were running the show for the past year). We'll have an OPFOR email address up for him shortly (hopefully) and maybe finally get archive pages linked for our newbie AND poor Bullnav... who has been more than patient with my slacking.

Welcome Colonel!

Combat Hunter

By Lt Col P

Good article in USAToday about the Combat Hunter program, bringing Marines together with big game hunters and urban cops to teach them how to recognize signs in the environment that show where the bad guys have trod.

Faced with an alarming increase in sniper attacks in Iraq, Marine commanders in late 2006 began looking for ways to turn the tables on an elusive enemy. Among the experts they consulted: a renowned African big game hunter and a former big city cop.

The result is the combat hunter program, an experiment in training Marines to fight insurgents by making the Marines as wily as the enemy they face. The training combines outdoor skills culled from hunting and tracking with the street smarts developed by police and Marines who grew up in cities.

"The motto we … try to instill in these guys is Marines are always the hunter, never the hunted," says Ivan Carter, the safari guide and hunter — born Rhodesia, now known as Zimbabwe — who helped the Marines develop the program.

A couple of interesting names pop up in there. Ivan Carter, seen on Tracks Across Africa with Craig Boddington (Col, USMCR ret.); and Patrick Lang, former head of DOD HumInt. Lang, unless I'm very much mistaken, is a member of the VMI Class of '62. But I digress. The program has had some success:

Lt. Patrick Zuber, whose platoon was the first unit to get combat hunter training in a pilot program last year, said the training made Marines better able to sniff out trouble before it happened.

The combat hunter Marines were able to spot patterns on streets that had formerly only appeared noisy, chaotic and strange. In one instance, Zuber's Marines were manning a series of checkpoints outside Fallujah, a city west of Baghdad. They received reports of a man illegally charging residents to enter the city, so the Marines carefully watched the throngs of cars and pedestrians that appeared every day. They noticed a man who moved among the crowds and regularly talked to people trying to enter the city.

After the man was detained, Marines discovered he was carrying a list of people who he had been charging and the amounts they owed. Marines determined he was working for the Iraqi police.

Let me toss this out. I see shades of the much feared and hated-- but very effective-- former South West Africa Police Counter-Insurgency Unit, Koevoet, in the sense of trying to deveolp a capability to identify an enemy force by its passing, then ruthlessly follow it up by foot, vehicle and aircraft. Anyone else see that, or am I way off base?

VMI Potomac River Chapter Event Next Week

By Charlie

In the DC metro area? A VMI Grad?

Event: 2nd June PRC happy hour/networking social (outside the beltway)
When: Thursday 26 June starting at 5:30PM
Where: Grevey's in Merrifield 8130 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22042 (Northeast corner of the Rt. 50 and Gallows Rd. interchange)

Click here to visit the Potomac River web site.

The VMI Alumni Association supports our graduates and VMI Alumni nationally and provides service and benefits to more than 15,000 living alumni across the globe.

Heard From Today

By Slab

From Herschel Smith at The Captain's Journal comes an update on our Marines in Helmand Province. After the heavy fighting in Garmsir, the Marines of Battalion Landing Team 1/6 (sort of a misnomer since the battalion did not deploy aboard ship) are logging damage complaints from the villagers and paying to repair the damage.

Just two days after the main Taliban force was routed, Lt. Bechtel put aside his weapons and opened what amounts to a wartime complaints desk in a mud-brick hut. The lieutenant and his men spend their time cataloging the destruction and issuing vouchers to compensate villagers for their losses, whether caused by U.S. missiles or Taliban grenades.

24 MEU moved into Garmsir in late April. The British has previously been unable to control the district, but the MEU provided fresh manpower and awful lot of firepower to get the job done. Interestingly, I have heard (but not yet confirmed) that the MEU was allowed to retain all of its organic assets, including the AV-8B Harriers from the Air Combat Element (ACE). Typically, when a MEU shows up to reinforce a joint or coalition command, one of the first things that the joint command tries to do is pull the MEU's aviation assets under the joint air component and use them to provide additional sorties to the rest of the forces in theater. While I can understand their reasoning, there is a remarkable synergy that comes from the close relationship between the ACE and BLT on a MEU, and that is lost when the ACE is used to support CFACC missions elsewhere.

Back to Garmsir:

The fighting sent civilians fleeing into the surrounding desert. After the violence ebbed, the villagers returned, in many cases to homes cracked open by artillery, bombs, missiles and rocket-propelled grenades. Soon they were lined up at Lt. Bechtel’s door, testing the Marines’ ability to shift gears on the fly, from combat to the struggle for popular allegiance. Winning over the locals has always been a goal; now, it’s happening in double-quick time.

Fortunately, Lt Bechtel was educated at one of the finest institutions in the land:

At the second meeting, the Marines tally up the cost, using data on an Excel spreadsheet that the lieutenant, who majored in mechanical-engineering at Virginia Military Institute, compiled using prices gathered from the local market.

Heard from again.

DoD Boosts VMI Arabic Program

By John

Awesome

LEXINGTON, Va., May 19, 2008 – Selected cadets at Virginia Military Institute will benefit from a more robust Arabic language program, and the college will become a model for how other schools can teach the language, thanks to a grant award announced last week.

The Virginia Military Institute has received a three-year, $665,000 grant from Department of Defense (DoD) to enhance its Arabic studies program and provide opportunities for cadets to study the language and culture abroad. It is one of eight schools to receive funding through the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) Language and Culture Project.

The project is designed to provide ROTC students with the opportunity to study languages and cultures of world regions critical to U.S. national security. It is sponsored by the DOD’s National Security Education Program, a federal initiative designed to build a broader and more qualified pool of U.S. citizens with foreign language and international skills.

Over half a mil, wow. Some of our best cadets minored in Arabic (not me, I washed out. Hola, Espanol). Our man Charlie was one of em.

There are plenty of schools who offer Arabic as a language. Very few, however, merged the language with security/international/political studies. VMI has spent the better part of a decade fusing the two together. So, it seems like a no-brainer for the DoD to send its money to the Institute's waiting and capable hands.

Update: I was talking w/Charlie the other day, and he mentioned that every cadet in his graduating class who minored in Arabic went on to receive a commission in one of the four branches. Sounds like a wise way for the DoD to spend their money, which I'm pretty sure is a first.

Traditions Handed Down, And Up

By Lt Col P

H/T to Our Man John for alerting me to this outstanding story out of VMI's graduation and commencement.

Some traditions get handed up, as well as down.

Good work, Lieutenant, and welcome aboard.

Secretary Gates at VMI

By John

Commencement, 2008

Despite the sacrifices, the hard work, the calumnies to which a person can be exposed, what drew George C. Marshall, and countless others from this institution and from every corner of this country, is a willingness to serve a cause higher than their own comfort, their own convenience, and their own self-interest. If you scratch deeply enough, you will find that most of those who serve, no matter how outwardly tough or jaded or egotistical, are, in their heart of hearts, romantics and idealists. And optimists. We actually believe we can make the lives of others better, that we can make a contribution to the life of the greatest country in the history of the world.

We see this idealism in northeastern Afghanistan, near the mountains of the Hindu Kush. There, Colonel Jonathan Ives commands about a thousand NATO troops. Their name? Task Force Cincinnatus – what else would a 1980 graduate of VMI call a task force?

The Afghans find this name pretty odd. They ask about it. And this gives this army reservist a chance to reach out. He says: “I relate to them that I’m a citizen-soldier and I come forward to serve and then go back . . . to being a civilian among all the people of the United States.” And he said it strikes a chord – especially with the mujahideen [who defeated] the Russians and then again . . . stood up as part of the Northern Alliance. These men take up arms when they must but put them down when they can.

Gates nailed it. Kind of. I thought the speech overall was a bit weak... the Secretary --a brilliant and highly regarded man-- drew too heavily on quotes throughout the address. Which is okay if you're addressing the VFW or Rotary Club. The Class of 2008, however, gets only one commencement address in their lifetime. They brought in Secretary Gates to hear what he had to say, not a chorus of his favorite quips from the history books.

"I hate quotations. Tell me what you know." Ralph Waldo Emerson

Anyway, I shouldn't be a negative nancy as we celebrate what is a happy event: the welcoming of a new class of VMI men into our brotherhood. Congratulations Class of 08!

By the way, 120 Cadets took the Oath on Friday. A nice write up on those who answered the call below the fold.

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144 Years Ago

By Bull Nav

The Battle of New Market, 15 MAY 1864.

(John) From LtCol P's hometown rag, Readers Touch on Significant Points of Military History --

Recent columns have included information about the Marine Corps during the Civil War, and W.E. Crocken of Roanoke wrote that his "ancestors have a long record with the U.S. Marine Corps, and I thought it appropriate to share some family history with you. In brief, my great-grandfather, James Henry Crocken, served in the Corps for 20 years (1834 54). Following his discharge from his fourth re-enlistment, he was employed by the Virginia Military Institute as a musician (fifer), Ordnance and Quartermaster Sergeant and Manager of the Sutlers Store. He was the fifer at the Battle of New Market" on May 15, 1864.

New Market was the introduction to combat of the 258-man Cadet Corps of Virginia Military Institute. The young gentlemen of the corps acquitted themselves with distinction. They filled part of the line of attack and came under murderous fire from Union artillery. The cadets refused to stop their attack, in spite of suffering about 20 percent casualties: 10 cadets were killed and 47 wounded. The Confederate forces ended a threat to the Shenandoah Valley and Gen. Robert E. Lee's source of food for his Army.

Crocken's account continues: "When VMI reopened after the war, he [great-grandfather James Henry Crocken] established and managed the Sutlers Store at the Institute until July of 1882. He left VMI in July of 1882 to return 17 Dec., 1884, again as Ordnance and QM Sgt. He replaced a Mr. Hook. His salary ... was set at $35 per month. He terminated his affiliation with VMI on 1 August, 1886, when his bid for the Sutler's concession was not accepted."

The story of a life well-spent ends, "Finally, James Henry Crocken raised his family of 10 children in Lexington, Virginia. His son, William Jacob Crocken (my grandfather), graduated from VMI in 1887 -- his diploma hangs on a wall in my office."

VMI In Command: LtCol Scott Leonard, USMC, VMI '89

By Lt Col P

First of all, apologies for my absence of late. My wife and I welcomed Honorable Number 2 Son exactly one month ago, and he's been keeping us busy. All hands are doing well too, I'm pleased to relate.

Here's another entry in our irregular series on VMI men in command throughout the military:

In the summer of 92, when I was a Lieutenant on active duty (FDO in A Battery, 1st Bn, 10th Marines), my roommate and BR, who was Motor-T Officer in 3d Bn, 2d Marines, came home one night and said, "Guess who I saw today at 3/2." I gave it the obligatory three tries and was wrong each time; "I give up-- who?"

"Brother Rat Scott Leonard."

"Scott Leonard?? What was he doing at 3/2??"

"Checking in, as an Infantry Officer!"

Sure enough, there he was, having heard the trumpet's blast in 1991, a good two years after we graduated. He sure as hell has made up for lost time, too; check out his bio:

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Death In The VMI Family: 1stSgt Luke Mercardante, USMC

By Lt Col P

This week I received a forwarded email from VMI:

The Superintendent regrets to inform the VMI community of the death ofMarine First Sergeant Luke J. Mercardante, who was killed in action April 15 by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. He was serving as acting sergeant major of Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at the time of his death. First Sergeant Mercardante served as an Assistant Marine Officer Instructor in VMI's Naval ROTC from March 2003 to July 2005. He was an Honorary Brother Rat of the Class of 2007. Information concerning arrangements will be provided when it becomes available.

To become an honorary BR demonstrates just how much influence one man can have on a class, with its varied service options, backgrounds and career intentions. By all accounts he was the consummate Marine. He will be missed, but his legacy lives in his cadets and others who served with him, who are now taking the field across the globe.

Semper Fidelis, First Sergeant, and Godspeed.

Update John - There's a Facebook memorial site dedicated to Sergeant Mercardante, and already several hundred members of the VMI family have signed on to show their support. His daughter Cailin also logged on to write this note, which just broke my heart.

wow.. i cant believe this. this whole thing wasent supposed to happen to us. he was my daddy, my best friend, and my role model. just because hes not really in life here.. dosent mean that hes not HERE. I love this man so much. we shared so many memories together. i was his date to Ring Figure.. it was such an honor to be his date and to be the one lucky enough to put his class of 2007 ring on his finger. i remember this event like it was yesterday. and we were laughing and having a good time.. and now.. just this morning i was at an airport to meet his body there. it was heart breaking. and i remember when i first heard the news.. i was FLABBERGASTED! this man ment and still means so much to me and all of my family. i love you daddy.. and i know that your going to be watching out for me.

♥ Cailin Christine Mercardante ♥

Like Col P said, to be elected an honorary Brother Rat by a VMI class is a tremendous achievement. Each year VMI's second class (juniors) bring two members of the VMI faculty or staff in their ranks. Two people who have had a lasting and powerful impact on the development of each class' cadets. It means that that person is forever a member of the VMI family, bonds which --as Sgt. Mercardante has proven-- can not be shattered even in death.

Sgt. Mercardante loved VMI and VMI loved Sgt. Mercardante. As long as the Virginia Military Institute stands, his name will be etched in the halls of our heroes. Godspeed.

Vail 2008!

By John

Met up with the old VMI crowd for our annual pilgrimage to the skiing mecca that is Vail, Colorado. Charlie --free from the bonds of his deployment-- was also able to join us.... which rocked.

So from our home base of a beautiful (rented) ski cabin, we drank, we skied, we marinated in the cabin hot tub, we drank some more, and I'm not sure I mentioned the drinking.

Charlie cracks me up. For some reason, he was quoting Gladiator all weekend..... lines that stuck with me as --during a super fast trip on the Lodgepole run-- I found myself separated from the earth in a most unexpected soaring catapult off one of the catwalk rollers. Adrenaline has a strange way of affecting the space time continuum, as I distinctly remember the moment lasting long enough for me to closely examine the passing ground below and think to myself:

If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead!

Of course I didn't land it. Well, not properly at least. Upon recovery of my skis, poles, and a glove... I was told that the skidding lasted for a solid 20 meters *applause*

God it felt good though.

Aside: Skiing is where I'm a ninja!

Quantico Rugby

By Lt Col P

By way of Our Man Inside VMI, Op-For proudly brings you this tribute in today's Washington Post, about Quantico's never-say-die rugby team.

The article's about how the team and its devoted members have to "start from scratch twice a year" due to reassigmments and rotations.

The Quantico rugby club has been around for 35 years, and even at its best, it is not among the region's elite. The Hooligans play in Division III, the lowest in the Potomac Rugby Union, and their 40-year-old coach, Lt. Col. Jon Jacobs, said they will not move up in the foreseeable future. Division II clubs need to have an A and B team, which requires more depth than the Hooligans can hope to attain.

During one stretch in the middle of the decade, when Jacobs said "the planets aligned" and a handful of good players were able to stay on the base for multiple seasons, the Hooligans were at the top of their division. But at Quantico Marine Base, known as the "Crossroads of the Marine Corps," such things are not meant to last.

Some members finish school or training and head to another base in the United States. Some are sent on tours of duty to England or Egypt or Okinawa. Others head to Iraq or Afghanistan. Last fall, the team lost five players in midseason because of deployments to Iraq. "And four of them were key guys," said Jacobs, who also plays.

Make that LtCol Jon "Shiner" Jacobs... VMI '89. And you can count on him not to quit.

At the beginning of each season, when newcomers to the game don't know what they're doing in practice, when passes are missed and there's no fluidity to the attack, Jacobs's affinity for the Hooligans keeps him going.

He loves the camaraderie of socials after every Thursday practice, when the team heads to Sam's, a bar in the town of Quantico.

Check out the gallery with the text-- BR Jacobs is in images 8 and 12.

If you're in the greater Quantico area and know the game, I'm sure he would welcome the help... Good work BR, and good luck!

Hmmmm

By John

Around the State -

That wet smack you heard was 10,000 or so friends and alumni of Virginia Military Institute fainting dead away upon seeing the cover story of a recent New York Times Magazine: "Should Boys and Girls Be Taught Separately?" The piece features charming pictures of pupils in Brooklyn, Harlem, and Foley, Ala. — wearing uniforms, no less.

"Public education," the magazine reports, "is embracing the idea that boys and girls should be taught separately — and differently." If so, then it is simply catching on to what defenders of VMI's single-sex admissions policy argued for many years. Gender separation, the article reports, "is now gaining traction in American public schools, in response to both the desire of parents to have more choice ... and the separate education crises girls and boys have been widely reported to experience."

VMI, of course, was hounded all the way to the Supreme Court for recognizing that some boys and some girls can benefit from different pedagogical approaches at different stages of development.

Apparently the supposed bastion of knuckle-dragging sexism was simply ahead of its time.

— The Richmond Times-Dispatch

VMI Lends A Hand

By Lt Col P

We at Op-For generally lean towards the head-cracking aspect of military ops, but the "no better friend" part makes for some good press too.

USS John S. McCain Rescues ROK Fishing Vessel Crew Members

From Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet Public Affairs

USS JOHN S. MCCAIN, At Sea (NNS) -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) assisted in the rescue of 11 crew members of a Republic of Korea (ROK) fishing vessel off the Korean Peninsula, March 10.

The skipper of that ship would be one Cdr John Banigan, VMI 89.

And also in same the neighborhood...

POHANG, Republic of Korea (Feb. 29, 2008) Capt. F. Winton Smith, commanding officer of the guided-missile destroyer USS Higgins (DDG 76), gives a ball cap to Yi Hui-Dong, director of the House of Love Orphanage, during a community relations project. Higgins is deployed with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group participating in the bi-lateral exercise Key Resolve/Foal Eagle 2008. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gretchen M. Roth (Released)

That would be F. Winton Smith, VMI 89, proudly mentioned here before.

OK, warm-and-fuzzy time's over. Get back to boarding, seizing, taking and burning!

89! 89! 89! Or How Brother Rat Jones Conquered Death Valley

By Lt Col P

On 3 March 1986, the Class of 89 was born.

So it is perhaps fitting that this weekend, LtCol Wayne Jones '89, USMC, entered the Valley of Death, fearing nought, and emerged victorious. He rode his first Death Valley Double Century, an extraordinary feat.

He fought darkness, distance, vicious headwinds, tough climbs, cold, dehydration and mind-numbing fatigue, but he did it. He wrote earlier today that the race director told him those were, "the worst conditions they had experienced in the 6 years of running this event, and that over half the field had dropped out."

I want to say, "unbelievable," but it's all too believable if you know our Brother Rat Jones. Well done!

Newspaper Shenanigans

By John

Charlie and I were the editors of VMI's newspaper back in the day, and I still regard the times we spent laboring over that rag as some of the best I've ever had. This is an unusual thing to say about your VMI cadetship, but it's true. Mainly because Charlie and I were heavily invested in the mentality that our newspaper offices should be a "regulations-free" zone.

I think that this picture, of our good friends Chuck and Nate, effectively illustrates our overall seriousness and commitment to professional journalism:

The studious one, Nate, is on his way to Fort Campbell Kentucky. Small world that we live in, Nate was in the same platoon as my cousin in Army Ranger school. Chuck is teaching at an inner-city school, presumably relying on all of his ninja skills to survive.

Note the TV and stereo. Happy men were we, up there in those offices.

****Update: Serious commentary by Charlie below the fold.*******

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Now That's an Extra-Curricular Activity

By John

Just to piggy back off of Col P's VMI video, I had a cadet send me this 4 minute spot on VMI's Special Action Detachment. Not bad.

VMI really needs to start harnessing the power of these of cadet-made shorts for marketing purposes.

BTW, is Metallica the mandatory soundtrack for these vids or what?

VMI Video Of The Day

By Lt Col P

Two minutes of fun, Institute-style, courtesy of He-Who-Must-Remain-Unnamed. Looks like some good NVG sweat party footage there in the last few seconds...

RAH. VIRGINIA. MIL.

The Citadel Extends the Olive Branch

By John

A most unusual occurrence in the storied VMI-Citadel rivalry, Citadel graduates gathered this past Saturday for their monthly Northern Virginia alumni meeting.... and they invited VMI men?

Proving, I suppose, that Citadel boys can take a joke. Their alumni chapter invited Mike Judge (VMI '01), to give a short speech on his new book The Jeep (main plot: true story of VMI men and a legendary prank, at the Citadel's expense).

Mike wrote that there were roughly 100 people there, and that The Citadel guys donated 50 bucks from the breakfast to the Ryan Doltz '03 Scholarship. That's freakin' awesome. Here's the small VMI contingent that braved enemy territory (thanks to Mike -blue shirt, front center- for the pic).

Buy The Jeep here. All proceeds go to the Ryan's memorial scholarship fund.

Aside, here's Mike's thoughts:

The alumni breakfast was a huge success. Thanks again to the Citadel Alumni Association of Northern Virginia for inviting me to speak. There were about 100 VMI/Citadel alum at the event (including friends and family). It was great meeting new people and seeing some familiar faces.

One VMI alumnus approached me before the event started and told me he couldn't stay for the speech but he asked if I had a copy of the book I could sell him. I happened to have a couple extras and he asked how much it was. I told him $15 if he wanted to make a check out to the Ryan Doltz Scholarship Fund. While I was signing his book he was writing the check and I didn't look at it until after he left. Turns out he wrote a check for $115. The Citadel alumni association also donated $50 cash.

I'm always dumbfounded by the generosity of VMI and Citadel alumni. I had heard or read somewhere that VMI alumni give more money per capita than any other college alumni. I don't know whether or not that's true but I believe it and I'm proud to be a part of the brotherhood.

Ryan Doltz's mom (Cheryl) and sister (Anne) were also in attendance. It was great to finally meet them and I was honored that they attended.

VMI and The Ratline

By John

This is the most intense alumni group in the United States, by far.

Yeah, you said it Si.

Not a bad synopsis, I think you can purchase the full version in VMI's bookstore. I was in the Rat class the year after this was filmed, can't believe it's almost been a decade.

Gun-Day Monday: The M1014

By Lt Col P

A commenter asked a question on the weapon brandished by the Marine in the video clip I posted below. I replied to him by email, but I thought it would be a good thing to educate the masses. Hold all questions til the end.

Meet the M1014, the Joint Services Combat Shotgun.

It's a Benelli 12-ga autoloader, with a telescoping buttstock-- huh huh, heh heh, I said "butt"-- a 1913 rail and good sturdy ghost ring sight. It replaced the Mossbergs and Remingtons previously in service. I saw several in service in Iraq back in 2004, and although like all shotguns a niche weapon, it is a useful piece of gear and a good thing to have around. The one drawback I heard about was that since it's an autoloader, it's not as omnivorous as a pump gun.

Write in and let us know what you think if you've carried one, or carry one now.

One more Monday gun fact below the fold...

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Early Breakout and Why I Would Have Missed It

By Bull Nav

I think I was back by now.

It’s been a while, but looking at a January 1989 calendar, I believe I got back to barracks after the Christmas Break 19 years ago today.

You see, had Breakout occurred for our Rats the last weekend in January 1989, I would have missed it, thanks to the US Navy and my desire for a commission.

I don’t have very good eyesight, so I was medically ineligible for an ROTC scholarship. Finally, long about the end of our second class year,the Navy folks decided they would try to get me a waiver. This was the same time they put me in for the Nuclear Power interview at Crystal City.

I come back for our first class year and I was in the “College Program” where you don’t get a scholarship, but you get a stipend and it leads to a commission. Went to the interview at NR right around Founder’s Day 1988, and then I had to do a Midshipman cruise.

I had not done one before, so they set me up for a Christmas cruise. I was to fly out of my home in Naples, FL, and go to Hawaii. The mighty USS HONOLULU (SSN718) was the boat, for a short transit to Yokosuka, thence to Chinhae, ROK. Something like 11 days I would be gone, just enough time to make it back for the last semester.

Alas, ‘twas not to be.

Yes, I flew out to Pearl Harbor on Christmas Day 1988 and met the HONOLULU. Great ship, great CO (CDR Enright, became an admiral later). Left the next day thinking that all would be well on an uneventful transit across the Western Pacific.

About two days in, things changed.

If I remember things correctly, we pulled into Yokosuka on 30 January. I flew back home the next day and then drove back to Lexington.

I will never forget arriving back in front of barracks after BRC (but not much after). There was a little fog, but the sun was starting to clear everything off. It was in the 30s, like it should be.

I was back at the “I”, the Rats were in the ratline, and life was good. Only 5 months to go…

My Breakout

By Charlie

John said: "Then we marched 3 more miles out to the mud hill and clawed up that awful cow-shit filled pasture. It was a full effing weekend. I still remember tipping my jungle boots upside down and watching a slow trickle of blood flow out, courtesy of all the open blisters on my feet. Anyway, if you're going to half-ass it, why even bother?:"

I've got my own story to tell, as does every VMI man. Back when I thought I could write a novel on my VMI experience, I transcribed my breakout experience, which I have posted below the fold. The pictures posted here are actually from my Rat's breakout, the VMI class of 2004+3. Our rats had the last mud hill climb, before the "new corps" came into fruition (which I claim total responsibility for holding off, the administration couldn't scrap the Ratline while I was there due to my tireless and effectively argued op-eds in the CADET newspaper.)

So there's the image. The event, in my scraped-together novel attempt (which I wrote right after I graduated) , is below the fold:

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Breakout...kind of

By John

So VMI's Rat Mass broke out this weekend. Watershed event in the life of a cadet. Means you still take shit from the classes above you, but it's a decidedly less-intense form of shit. And you don't have to do pushups anymore, which is nice.

Here's the article, though I'll be honest...I found it a bit depressing:

NEW MARKET — Step by step, the Virginia Military Institute’s “rats” marched from Lacey Spring to the New Market Battlefield — a part of the same path 257 VMI cadets hiked 143 years ago to help the Confederate Army prevail in the Battle of New Market.

The 10-mile march was a symbolic representation of the much-longer trek their predecessors made in 1864 from Lexington to the battlefield, where they helped turn the tide in favor of the Confederates.

Saturday’s march by the class of 2011 was the first time in VMI history that freshmen, known as “rats,” made the trek as part of the traditional “breakout” ceremony at the battlefield.

“It’s a symbolic event when they break out from being a rat to a full-fledged cadet,” said Lt. Col. Stewart MacInnis, the institute’s associate director of media relations. “It’s a very intense and demanding period. The breakout is the end. It’s a relief for them.”

Breakout in January? No mud hill? 10 miles? And the sun was up!!!! when they mustered for the march. Ours was 19 miles, Harrisonburg to New Market, and we were up at 0300 for the damn thing. Then we marched 3 more miles out to the mud hill and clawed up that awful cow-shit filled pasture. It was a full effing weekend. I still remember tipping my jungle boots upside down and watching a slow trickle of blood flow out, courtesy of all the open blisters on my feet.

Anyway, if you're going to half-ass it, why even bother?

Sorry, I know I'm acting like the prototypical, bitter, "back in the old corps" type here.... but I just hate to see such a strong, proud system like the Ratline fall into the pits of mediocrity. Talk to VMI men who spent years as POWs in Hanoi, they'll point back to that one year as a Rat as the best preparation possible for that time spent on that square acre of hell. I kinda-sorta blame this shit on the safety fetish that's been sweeping the military (such is the reason that Annapolis' legendary Herndon monument climb is going the way of the dinosaur), but who knows what the admin is thinking. All I know is that I disagree with the wussification of what should be a hard-nosed, rough-and-tumble type of environment.

I open this to discussion. Should we not be instilling a daring, "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead," risk-taking mentality in our cadets, as opposed to a "safety first, safety always" mindset? I understand the desire to guard against lawsuits, and to provide a safe training environment for young trainees.... but we are preparing these kids to go to war. More you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle and all that...

Weigh in.

Two More '89 CO's

By Bull Nav

I was passed along information on our BR, CDR John Banigan, CO of the USS JOHN S MCCAIN (DDG56) some time ago, but never got around to posting on it in myself and LT COLP's effort to get the word out.

I also just came across my friend CDR Mark Joynt, who is CO of HM14. He and I worked together on several design projects during our First Class year and had more than a couple of cold ones.

Congratulations to both!

And for John, please note that of these two, one majored in Physics and the other in Mechanical Engineering.

VMI at the Rose Parade

By Bull Nav

Got this from a BR this morning.

Sorry to say I missed the parade. We were in the process of digging out from a somewhat large amount of snow we received early New Year's Day.

I must also say it has been awhile since I saw the regimental band perform: I don't remember bagpipes...

VMI-Citadel Connection

By Bull Nav

Once I graduated from VMI, I found that as I came across the occasional Citadel grad, we had a certain kinship. I mean, who else pays for the abuse we endure?

I ended up with a neighbor when I lived in Chesapeake, VA, who graduated from the Citadel. At some point in the mid-90's we set up a standing bet on The Military Classic of the South. When we won that year (gawd, I don't remember which one it was) the doorbell rang the next day and waiting for me was a case of Sam Adams. My neighbor was nowhere to be seen.

Well, this year, we had a little un-official wager with some of The Citadel bloggers out there (Skippy & Steeljaw Scribe) on the game. Obviously we came out with the short end of the stick, so I am going to hold up my end of the deal and post about a Citadel graduate of some notoriety.

Or at least some notoriety inside of VMI, specifically VMI athletics.

Mike Bozeman, BG (ret) USAR, The Citadel '67, was hired as VMI's track coach the month before I matriculated, July 1985.

I remember him because I tried out for track when I was a rat. I didn't make it because I could not hang with long distance running. Coach Bozeman was very laid back, very understanding and very encouraging. I could have remained on as an equipment manager, but decided that the ratline was for me.

Since that, VMI won 12 conference championships under his tutelage. He also spent two years as the Commandant of Cadets.

To go back a little in his history, he spent a year in Viet Nam as a LRRP platoon leader and was awarded the Silver Star.

He made an impression on me early in my cadetship, and has been a mentor and coach to many VMI cadets since.

The VMI Keydet website has his complete bio.

VMI Rules!

By Charlie

I took this during the Military Classic of the South at VMI this weekend. It was the first time I had been back to the “I” since I graduated. While I did get to try out my new Sony Cybershot digital camera, the main purpose of the visit was to catch up with my friends and classmates.

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Slab Speaks!

By John

From Anbar. Said via email that he couldn't log onto our dumb server for whatever reason, so I'm publishing his post for him.

Hello again. I thought now might be a good time for an update on the situation here in Al Anbar, from a firsthand perspective. First things first, however: happy birthday to all of my fellow Marines, and happy Veterans Day to all of the veterans out there, particularly those who went before my generation. I firmly believe that one of the reasons behind the performance of the current generation of service members is our sincere desire to honor the legacy of past generations. Those who went before set a standard of excellence that we have had to strive to emulate. I hope we’ve been successful.

I’m currently living at a small outpost north of Fallujah. My team supports a cavalry troop, Apache Troop of the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry. Before I arrived here, this was a pretty dangerous area. Apache Troop had some hard fights in here around late July. However, in August a local civilian watch began assisting with the security situation, which truly turned the corner on security in the Area of Operations.

The civilian watch is really an armed posse, unaffiliated with the Government of Iraq. Some of them are likely former insurgents. In a way, working with these groups is sort of “dealing with the devil”, as not all of them are particularly upstanding members of the community, and when U.S. forces are not present they might give in to the temptation to take advantage of being the “guy with the gun”. However, we’ve seen that, while the local Iraqis are wary of the civilian watch, they’re grateful for the increased security compared to just three or four months ago. In addition, the civilian watch has given Coalition Forces enough security to focus our operations on improving the quality of life in the local area. So if the civilian watch engages in “shady” activity from time to time, ultimately Coalition Forces end up being the good guys, which improves our relationship with the local populace. And eventually the civilian watch will be replaced with or incorporated into an official government security force. In some places that has already happened.

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Founders Day, Veterans Day

By Lt Col P

I hope you all recognized Veterans Day with the solemnity and import it is due. I did. (Read below.)

We must also recognize today as VMI Founders Day, as on 11 Nov 1839 the first cadet sentinel relieved the old arsenal guard. This act is well recorded in the annals of the Institute, and the name of that cadet-- John B. Strange, shown below as CO, 19th Virginia Infantry, in which post he was killed in action during the Civil War-- is memorized by all.

(I wonder when the first fight occurred between the cadets and the students of W&L, then Washington College? That date is lost to history, although we can safely guess the outcome.)

I celebrated the day in the most appropriate manner I could think of, that is, the joyous discharge of firearms at the local indoor range. I put another hundred rounds through the Smith & Wesson M&P15T, and about fifty through the old Springfield Armory .45. Altogether a satisfying day.

Let us not forget those alumni who are downrange today, among them Our Man Slab, Our Man '91 in Kabul, and two of my own BRs. "Ready in every time of deepest peril..."

A Couple of Reports from Afghanistan

By Lt Col P

Our Man in the 'Stan, Agent 91, has rogered up lately with some good reports, in response to a discussion we've been having that was prompted by something I read in The Torch. Not sure we'll post on the original question per se, but it produced some excellent material.

Bottom line: Afghanistan has a long way to go, but there is real progress being made. (Like Ted Nugent would say, Where have we seen this before?) Nine steps backward, ten steps forward. In case you missed these articles...

Afghanistan 'a success story,' World Bank says ALAN FREEMAN

October 16, 2007

OTTAWA -- Economic and social conditions in Afghanistan have improved dramatically since the fall of the Taliban, despite continuing problems with security, corruption and the drug trade, according to the World Bank's top official responsible for the country.

"This is a success story," Alastair McKechnie, country director for Afghanistan at the World Bank, said in an interview yesterday. "Afghanistan has defied predictions and has achieved a lot in a short period of time."

Mr. McKechnie, in Canada for meetings with officials in Ottawa and a speech in Toronto, pointed to a series of positive indicators, including double-digit economic growth, an expanding road network, a surge in school attendance - particularly by girls - and a drop in infant mortality from 165 per 1,000 live births to 135 in 4½ years.

He said it is easy to get a negative view of Afghanistan if one focuses on the south and east of the country, where the insurgency is strongest. In two-thirds of the country, there is no insurgency and conditions are improving more quickly.

Some of the credit goes to the World Bank, which has committed $1.5-billion (U.S.) of its own money to the country and set up the Afghanistan Reconstruction Fund, which has so far gathered $2.4-billion in pledges from two dozen countries.

This year's single top donor to the fund is Canada, with $211-million. Britain is second, with $145-million.

The Canadian money goes to a variety of projects and uses and is a major source of funding for the daily operations of the Afghan government, which still does not generate enough tax revenues to fund these activities on its own.

"Otherwise, teachers and health workers don't get paid," Mr. McKechnie said.

He conceded that much remains to be done in reducing corruption in the police and improving the functioning of the justice system.

Another challenge is to reduce the influence of the poppy trade. Afghanistan is estimated to furnish 93 per cent of the world's illegal opium supply, used in the manufacture of heroin, and opium production accounts for one-third of economic activity.

Even there, Mr. McKechnie said, the picture is not as bad as it seems, with only 4 per cent of the country's total arable land being cultivated with poppies and more provinces becoming poppy free.

To battle the opium trade, the most effective methods include the interdiction of traffickers, encouraging alternative cash crops such as grapes and appealing to the religious values of Afghans, he said.

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Oslo Syndrome

By John

Weekly Standard-

Visit the Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, and cadets will show you the statue of General George C. Marshall '01 on the edge of the parade ground, and add proudly that Marshall was (and remains) the only soldier ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize (1953). They do this partly because Marshall is VMI's most illustrious graduate, but largely because the prize, when Marshall won it, carried with it a significance and prestige that no longer obtains.

This was painfully obvious last week, when Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr.--as the Nobel committee punctiliously identifies him--was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize, in conjunction with the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

In fairness, when I was a cadet I was far more likely to "proudly" show you the secret compartment under my sink where I stashed my alcohol, not Marshall's statue. Such was my cadetship.

I don't really have much to offer on this bit, I'm just linking because the column mentioned VMI.

I will throw in this. Folks are all a-twitter over Al Gore winning the Peace Prize... why? The award has been a paperweight ever since Yasser Arafat won it back in '94. What the green movement has to do with world peace, I dunno. But I do know that it's a step up from giving it to that bug-eyed man-goblin Arafat, even if An Inconvenient Truth's sole purpose seemed to be to scare the bejeebus out of everyone.

Which, as any committed socialist will tell you, scaring the shit out of folks is okay as long as you have a higher purpose in mind... whether it be the dangers of second hand smoke, the Patriot Act, or Global Warming. So, with Gore's victory fresh in my mind, I hereby nominate Jason Voorhees for next year's Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his visionary "have premarital sex and I'll stab you in the face with a machete" teenage abstinence program. I hear that Mr. Voorhees' efforts have been just murder on teen pregnancy rates.

har har har. God this blog sucks.

Grenada (Heard From Today!)

By Lt Col P

23 Oct 1983, the same day as the Beirut bombing, a scratch joint task force assaults and takes the island of Grenada, overthrowing its tinpot Marxist government and ejecting Cuban soldiers and workers.

The Navy history website has a nifty little account of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Fox and Echo companies [of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines] merged north of St. George's and secured a flat, stadium-like area called the Queen's Racecourse, which the Marines dubbed "LZ Racetrack" (LZ standing for landing zone). The battalion landing team commander set up headquarters there.

"We did a lot of humping today," said Marine Captain Mike Dick, Fox Company commander, after the first day of the operation. He looked over his men and added in a low tone, "It's quite a bit different from Camp Lejeune. We're doing this for real and for keeps."

Make that Capt Mike Dick, VMI '77, now Colonel, USMC, retired.

They Will Teach....

By John

AND YOU WILL LEARN!!!!

This is how Slab, Charlie, and I "met cadre" during our first week at VMI. Will have to ask Col P and Bullnav if they went through a similar ritual or if it was different back in '85.

The ceremony hasn't changed much, after all these years. I believe this particular video was shot this past August, with the only noticeable difference being that cadre "posted" at the end of each squad, instead of barreling directly into the rats upon the "MEET YOUR CADRE" command.

Oh and that slow march? Takes some serious drill precision and a line of drummers who know their business to pull off. Very, very tricky.

Thought my heart was going to beat through my chest, back when I suffered this rite in the fall of '99.

A VMI Man Makes a Cameo

By John

Ever since my VMI days, I've been a huge fan of Robert Kaplan. Back when I was a second classman, one of my professors had us read The Coming Anarchy. From then on out, I was hooked. I couldn't put Imperial Grunts down, and Balkan Ghosts is pretty much required reading for any military leadership deployed to Kosovo.

Right now I'm in the middle of Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts.... Kaplan's latest. So imagine my delight when, on page 146, I found a good friend and Brother Rat highlighted in a chapter that covered Kaplan's embeds on the USS Benfold and USS Houston.

Prior to departure, lunch was served in the officers' wardroom- a replica of the Benfold's, though so much smaller that the Formica-covered walls seemed almost to breathe. Instead of a picture of Eddie Benfold, there was, there was the Houston's insignia, featuring the American and Texan flags, along with the Latin words for "Always Vigilant." The officers sat jammed together, making light fun of a Virginia Military Institute graduate at the end of the table, Ensign David Bartles of Falling Waters, West Virginia, who, they told me, could never stop talking about how superior VMI was to the Naval Academy and every other institution of higher learning.

Try to picture the size of my sh*t-eating grin after reading that. My buddy Bartles (we never called him Dave), one of the most junior officers on the ship, sitting around the wardroom telling higher ranking officers that their schools sucked.... well, compared to VMI at least.

Bartles, by the way, was one of the sharpest guys in our class. He graduated number 2 in our class, and (I believe) top graduate in a Mechanical Engineering program that started with 60+ cadets our Rat year and was down to 10 by the time of graduation. He breezed through the rigorous Navy Nuke School in Charleston, as well as navy Dive School.

Those are the type of brains that it takes to get into the submarine service, or so I hear. Why do you think we let Bullnav post here???

Best Sunday Ship Post EVA

By John

Eagle1 of Eaglespeak combines two things near and dear to every VMI man's heart: The Goshen Pass and Matthew Fontaine Maury.

Although I barely recognized Eagle's pictures of Goshen. Place just doesn't look the same without half a company's worth of piss drunk VMI cadets exploring innovative new ways to break limbs on Goshen's rock-strewn waters.

I still have scars, folks.

Anyway, go over to Eagle's and learn something. I'm pretty sure that OPFOR only makes people dumber.

The Jeep

By John

It's VMI lore. One of the greatest pranks in the history of the storied rivalry between The Citadel and The Virginia Military Institute.

Now, thanks to Slab's Brother Rat Mike Judge, it's a book.

This autobiographical account chronicles the adventures of a group of cadets at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) on a mission to play an elaborate prank on rival college The Citadel. The story is engrossing and fluidly written in honest, accessible, and thoughtful prose. The reader is slowly introduced to the history, culture, and language of VMI through the building Jeep story, during the telling of which, Judge reflects lucidly on his relationship with the institution and its impact on his life.

To uncover the intricacies of the prank (and the prank itself), I'm going to make you guys buy the thing instead of me summarizing. Mainly because proceeds are going to the Ryan Doltz Memorial Scholarship Fund (my friend Ryan was felled by an IED in 2005, a terrible loss).

Mike Judge was my company master sergeant when I was a rat. We loved him, and that's unusual in the rat-cadre relationship. He didn't yell, he inspired. One hell of a leader, even at such a young age. I remember during Hell Week, he held an intense literary discussion with my roommate, who remained at stiff attention throughout. Sounds weird, but guys like that could motivate you to do... well, just about anything.

And those are the stories that make The Jeep. It's not just about one prank, it's about VMI as an experience... an experience, as anyone who has saluted Jackson's Statute will tell you, which is downright Shakespearean.

Mandatory reading for my brother Alumni, highly recommended reading for those who want an inside, uncut view of this remarkable Institution.

Purchase The Jeep.

I'll See your O6...

By Bull Nav

...and raise you a LGEN:

Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock
Commander and Chief of Engineers
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lieutenant General Carl A. Strock, was born in Georgia and grew up in an Army Family. He enlisted in the Army and received his commission as an infantry second lieutenant following graduation from Officer Candidate School in 1972. After completing Ranger and Special Forces training, he served primarily with infantry units before transferring to the Engineer Branch in 1983. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering from the Virginia Military Institute and a master's degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer

.

John, back to you...

Oh Yeah?

By John

Bullnav wrote:

Congratulations to both of our BRs, who both received engineering degrees from VMI (take note John).

Hey, I'll take your two engineers and raise you one history major:

WASHINGTON -- Army Colonel James B. Hickey's mission was to find Saddam Hussein, and those close to the determined, brainy military officer say he was born to accomplish it.

"He was the second of six children born to Irish immigrant parents, and he was the only one who came out of the womb wearing combat gear," said Maureen Moran of Naperville, Ill., Hickey's sister.

....

"Hickey is not an average soldier," said Thomas Keaney, executive director of the Foreign Policy Institute at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, where Hickey received a master's degree in the early 1990s. "He's a guy with tremendous military qualities and the Army is clearly grooming him for bigger things."

Hickey, 42, grew up in the Chicago suburb of Hickory Hills, where as a youth he filled his room with toy army tanks, GI Joe action figures, and suspended model aircraft from the ceiling. "My father took him to see the movie `Patton,' " Moran recalled. "That really cemented him in the foundation that he wanted to pursue a military career." Hickey and his three brothers, Patrick, Kenneth, and Shawn, attended St. Laurence High School, a private boy's school in Burbank, Ill., where Hickey played varsity soccer and was an honor student who also ran for the student council. There, his love for history and military matters was nurtured by his history teacher, Tom Rezek. "He was a very good student, very respectful and a conscientious kid. He loved the military," said Rezek.

After high school, Hickey went to Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Va., where he was commissioned an Army second lieutenant by 1982.

"The one thing that sticks out in my mind is after he went to VMI -- he'd come back and was so proud of being a northern boy who could cut it at VMI," Rezek recalled.

Your move, Bullnav!

Now an SSN and an HSL Squadron

By Bull Nav

LTCOL P set me up a couple of weeks ago, and I have been a little busy so I am severely delinquent in making this post two more of our Brother Rats.

First off, CDR Ed Herrington took command of the USS HAWAII (SSN776) in August. There are several articles and links at the Navy League's USS HAWAII website here. Ed and I are the only guys from 89 who made it through Nuclear Power School and went on to submarines. He is very sharp and will do well in command.

Secondly, CDR Rick Skiff is the CO of HSL-42, the Proud Warriors, in Jacksonville, FL. Note that HSL-42 flies the SH-60B Seahawk which was recently featured here at OP-FOR.

Congratulations to both of our BRs, who both received engineering degrees from VMI (take note John).

The Military and the Constitution

By John

Hey, so Small Wars Journal doesn't have a monopoly on deep-minded strategic thinkers/bloggers. We just have to import ours, har. This bit comes from Colonel Hank Foresman, a VMI alumn (of course), currently serving as Chief of Transformation Third Army Operational Maneuver Future Plans.

The Military and the Constitution

Colonel Hank Foresman

Many of us in the United States military have not given much thought to what our Oath of Office means. We begin that oath by swearing or affirming that we “will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that [we] will bear true faith and allegiance to the same,” we then swear that we “will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over. . .so help [us] God.” Unlike many militaries our allegiances is not to the Head of Government, but rather to the fundamental law of our nation, The Constitution of the United States.

So what does that Constitution say about the military. It says very little, but by reading what it does say, it is clear, that it was the founders intent, nee their desire that whilst declaring the President the Commander-in-Chief, they clearly intended that the Congress would be the dominate branch in administration of the Armed Forces. Congress was given first and foremost the power to declare war. Whilst formal declaration of wars have ceased to be fashionable, clearly the intent of the founders was that prior to the commitment of the Armed Forces of the United States that the Congress of the United States would give their assent. So why is this power given to the Congress and not the President. For a very simple reason the founders of our nation were well aware of the misadventures, which had occurred under the prerogatives of a nations sovereign. They understood the lessons of a common shared history, a history that had seen Royal government ignore the desires and weal of the Parliament, to fight wars without the assent of Parliament and to demand later that Parliament pay for his adventures. The founders sought to ensure that they alone, as the representatives of the citizens of the United States would commit the United States Armed Forces.

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Sure, We May Not Win Football Games....

By John

....but you can't beat our tailgates (stolen shamelessly from the VMI alumni message boards).

There was one exciting moment at the W&M game. I arrived late with a BR and as we were about to troop from around Commandant's house across parade ground (a deck is in the back of my house) to the stadium, two Naval Service helicopters landed behind Stonewalls Statue (show and tell after the game) and the downdraft promptly blew away the first row of tents to include food, chairs, etc. set up in tailgate area of parade ground. The Parents Council area was devastated. After determining nobody got hurt, it was worth a laugh and a fine prelude to the game which followed. I think the pilots were from the damp side of the Naval Service – undoubtedly USMC pilots would have taken out more tents.

Bert Graham `74

Attention VMI helicopter pilots! I've found an LZ for The Military Classic of the South. Land here:

View Larger Map

Picture of the Day: Iron Derek Brown

By John

Proud I am of my Brother Rat Derek, who is winning over Anbar one Sheik at a time...

You can read Derek's highly motivating email on winning Anbar here.

VMI Marines Clean Up The Command Slate

By Lt Col P

VMI Marines from my era have been heard from today (and last month), doing very well on the command slates.

From MarAdmin 468/07, re active duty commands...

- Col Bruce Nickle '86 picked up Combat Logistics Regiment 1 (via MarAdmin 465/07)
- LtCol Chris Goff '88 picked up 3rd Bn 3rd Marines
- LtCol Scott Leonard '89 picked up 1st Light Armored Reconnaissance Bn (89! 89! 89!)
- LtCol Craig Streeter '91 picked up Marine Light Attack Helicopter Sqdn 467

And on the reserve side, via MarAdmin 524/07, I am especially pleased to pass on that my good friend and fellow Marine from more than one unit, LtCol Chuck Ellis '90, picked up 5th Bn 14th Marines.

Congratulations, all!

PS... BullNav has some good '89 Navy news to pass on later...

Where do I sign up?

By John

Best use of YouTube in college recruiting to date. I love the emphasis on roughness.... lots of hitting, obstacle negotiation, and PT going on.

Although I can't say I ever heard the theme music from Conan the Barbarian during my days in barracks.

Air-Borne!!!

By Lt Col P

I just graduated from the US Army Basic Airborne Course at Ft Benning, following not only in the footsteps of our man Slab, but of countless thousands who have gone through that same course, in that same place, since August 1940.

I was not the only VMI man in Bravo Company, 1-507th PIR. Cadets Daniel Brode '09 and Andrew Washbish '09 were there with me, and acquitted themselves honorably. Cadet Brode was in my stick, and on two jumps was the first man out the door!

For those of you who haven't gone, and might thinking of going, this youtube clip (minus the soundtrack) is a good depiction of a C-130 combat equipment jump.

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Taps

By John

Sad, sad day for the VMI family.

Navy identifies 3 aviators killed in crash off carrier.

The three aviators aboard a radar plane that crashed off the coast of North Carolina were declared dead Friday after the Navy called off its search for survivors.

Atlantic Fleet Naval Air Force spokesman Mike Maus identified the men as Lt. Cameron N. Hall, 30, of Natchitoches, La., Lt. Ryan K. Betton, 31, of Collinsville and Lt. j.g. Jerry R. Smith, 26, of Greenville, Maine.

Betton and Hall were instructors with Norfolk-based Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 120; Smith was a student.

The weather and seas were calm Wednesday night as the E-2 Hawkeye practiced carrier takeoffs and landings from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman. The plane crashed around 11 p.m., shortly after its catapult launch off the carrier deck.

Maus said searchers covered 2,100 square miles of sea and found some debris from the twin-engine turboprop plane.

“Most of it was pretty small pieces,” Maus said. “The majority of it apparently sunk.”

The water there is about 3,000 feet deep, he said. An investigating board will determine whether it’s necessary to recover the wreckage to determine the cause of the crash, Maus said.

Lt. Ryan K. Betton, left, Lt. JG Jerry R. Smith, middle and Lt. Cameron N. Hall

Betton – whose nickname was “Tater” – graduated in 1998 from the Virginia Military Institute, according to a statement from his family. He had been an instructor pilot with the Norfolk squadron since 2005, after a tour aboard the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk with Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 115.

VMI is such a tightly knit family that any and all losses, no matter how distant (I never knew Ryan), feel close and personal.

Thoughts and prayers are with the family, as Tater slips the surly bonds of this earth, to touch the face of God.

LtCol P adds... Very sad news. The Roanoke Times has some more detail about Tater and his family.

Agent 91 Reports from Kabul

By Lt Col P

Our man Niner-One just sent me his first missive from Kipling country.

Greetings from ISAF HQ,

After a month here at ISAF, I have settled into my job. Life at ISAF HQ is pretty good. I work in the CJ9 section here at (Civil-Military affairs, CIVMIL for short). I am in the PRT section, working with RC-East (82nd AIRBORNE). My job is to keep the PRTs up to speed on what is going on at HQ and to go out and visit them periodically in order to get a boots on the ground look at how things are going there.

The Peace Jirga is going on now, so a lot of attention from ISAF is focused on that. The sooner the Afghans and Pakistanis decide that they want peace to break out, the sooner it will. But, there are a whole lot of people here who seem to be ready to kill each other for the foreseeable future.

Having a ship driver on a multi-national (37 countries in ISAF) staff hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean is certainly a new experience. I have zero CIVMIL background, but learned a lot fast. It is actually very interesting work, especially the interface with the non-military organizations like the UN, EC, and the NGOs. People talk about a clash of cultures between the branches of the armed forces. I challenge them to sit in meeting with the UN, European commission and OXFAM for an hour and a half.

I will try to send more frequent updates. For now, that’s it.

Agent 91 out.

Re the NGOs, I was in Somalia twice, 93 and 94, so I feel your pain. Keep us posted on the goings-on, and keep your head on a swivel outside the wire!

22 MEU Sails For Points East, VMI In The Lead

By Lt Col P

22nd Marine Expeditionary Force sailed yesterday from its base at Camp Lejeune, NC. Its destination has not been made public, but one might hazard a guess.

With the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan taking up the lion's share of the Marine Corps's resources, the MEUs have not gotten the attention they previously enjoyed. Nevertheless, they have still deployed from both coasts and Okinawa, sometimes going straight to Iraq or Afghanistan, other times providing the same forward presence as before and engaging in a round of foreign exercises for ever-important theater security cooperation. A MEU is an extraordinarily flexible and powerful organization, and a potent threat to our enemies.

When the current campaigns wind down, the MEU SOC deployments will re-emerge. The requirement for them never diminishes.

AND I AM PLEASED TO RELATE THIS-- 22 MEU's ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 3/8, is commanded by my Brother Rat and good friend, LtCol Matt StClair. A 300-PFT'ing, joint-schooled, no-nonsense fighting man with an exceptional resume. Note that he too is a History Major!

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VMI Grad Takes Command at Camp Lejeune

By Lt Col P

Tonight, the second in our ongoing series highlighting the sons of the Institute now commanding our forces. Previously we brought you Cdr F. Winton Smith '89. Now, BullNav and I bring you LtCol John R. Giltz '89, USMC, commanding officer, Combat Logistics Battalion 26.

From the program at his change of command:

Lieutenant Colonel Giltz was born in Morehead City, North Carolina and graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in May 1989 with a Bachelor of Arts in History...

(Yes, the history major theme is strong with us.)

Go get 'em Brother Rat. Congratulations and good luck.

VMI in the News

By John

VMI and its women persevere on journey:

LEXINGTON On her first day at Virginia Military Institute, Nohelia Martin walked into the barracks courtyard and was greeted by bedlam.

"Screaming and yelling," said Martin, recalling the commotion that signaled that year's renewal of VMI's storied Rat Line. "I thought, 'This is ridiculous. Why am I here? I'm going to wait a few minutes to see what happens -- and then I'll leave.'"

But she didn't go anywhere. She fell in with her company of fellow cadets, visited the barber shop for a military-style haircut and decided to stay. Three years later, Martin, who is about to enter her senior year, cannot imagine attending college anywhere else.

"It's been an awesome experience," said Martin, from Prince William County. "I wouldn't trade this for anything."

Before 1997, VMI was an experience -- awesome or otherwise -- that women could only imagine. For its first 158 years, the school was a men-only bastion that fiercely guarded its history and traditions. That ended when the U.S. Supreme Court ordered VMI to open its doors to all. The first coeducational class in VMI history showed up Aug. 18, 1997, and included 30 women.

Ten years later, the integration of women at VMI is still a work in progress -- "a journey," as VMI Superintendent J.H. Binford Peay III likes to say -- that has endured rough patches. Of the 1,300 cadets who completed the 2006-07 academic year, fewer than 100 were women. School officials hope to almost double the number of female cadets over time.

"Those will be young ladies who want this very special kind of education," said Peay, a Richmond native, 1962 VMI graduate and retired four-star Army general who became superintendent in 2003. "They'll come in here and they'll struggle, and they'll get through it."

The challenge is not only finding women -- and men -- interested in such a demanding college experience but recruiting against the federal service academies that offer free education in exchange for post-graduate military service. VMI pitches its academics and its intimate size.

When the Class of 2011 arrives in Lexington next month, it is expected to include 44 women, which would make it the second-largest number of women matriculating in a single class. The Class of 2009 started with 51. Nineteen from that first class of 30 in 1997 made it to graduation.

That was Slab's class. Two years later I entered my rat year, which was the last two semesters that VMI had an all-male class, the class of 2000.

Mixed feelings on this. On one hand, VMI has produced some phenomenal female cadets. Slab has some in his class that have truly excelled, ditto on my class.

On the other hand, I went to an all-male military high school and I understand that it's an experience that you absolutely can not replicate. Females changed the Institute, not through any actions of their own, but simply by being there. The administration took aggressive steps to prevent a Citadel-esqe Shannon Faulkner incident, and the end result was an ultimate weakening of the overall system and a bloated bureaucracy in barracks (the Commandant's staff went from 3 officers when I was a rat to 9 today).

Now for the uninitiated, one of the real strengths of VMI was that the barracks environment cultivated a unique brand of leadership. Cadets were tasked with running the corps, between the regimental system (captains, lieutenants, sergeants, corporals) to the class system (president, vice president, class historian).

But as the Commandant's staff increased, career officers moved in and assumed duties previously reserved for cadets. The oversight on the corps ran the cadet regiment more effectively, yes....but that missed the point. VMI was never about standing up a corporate corps of cadets, it was about giving cadets responsibilities and holding them accountable for the decisions they made as leaders. That system, and the unyielding honor code, is what made VMI cadets great.

The supreme court case changed mentalities. VMI became more concerned with how it was perceived by the outside world and as a result, took leadership out of the hands of cadets and put them into the hands of career military types (there are 3 bird colonels, 2 light colonels, one major, two captains, and one sergeant major currently on staff). That's to run a corps of 1300 cadets, when the cadets should be running themselves.

I'm worried that this is altering VMI's cadet output. Instead of producing bold leaders who aren't afraid to make a decision and be wrong about it, we're creating the same type of wimpy civilian ROTC cadet who won't make a head call without asking for permission first.

I do hope that this trend reverses itself.

Update: Oh, and aside from all that. There is this she-det cadet.

PSYOP Cop

By John

Continuing in our tradition of tapping the rich VMI alumni base for various fields of military expertise, here's a brand new post (hopefully one of many) from a fellow grad called "Psyop Cop." This is good stuff, as you don't hear much about psychological operations in the press. Read on.

This is my first blog, so I’ll introduce myself. I’m PSYOP Cop, an Army reservist from Virginia. I have ten years background in the Infantry and crossed over to Psychological Operations (PSYOP… not PSYOPS or psyops…. just PSYOP) where I served as a team leader for a three-man Tactical PSYOP team in East Baghdad in 2006. In civilian life, I’m a police officer. I’m a fellow VMI alumnus with Noonan, et. al. and that’s how I ended up on Op-For.

So, for my premiere blog (and I mean “premiere”, since I’ve never blogged before), I offer up this bit from SKYNews. It is a featurette of some of our opposition’s latest products.

The mission of Psychological Operations is to change minds and influence behavior. It’s essentially marketing applied to the military. We also have tactical applications and most grunts know us for our loudspeaker trucks that we ride around in. With that we become the voice of the supported unit commander (if he chooses to utilize us). We can also conduct tactical deception operations and surrender appeals, among other things.

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"Op-For, This Is Agent 91-- How Do You Read This Station, Over?"

By Lt Col P

Op-For has quietly placed a correspondent in Afghanistan, a graduate of the Class of 91. We hope that he will be able to give us the ground truth there from time to time, all within opsec bounds of course.

He sent me a couple of recent updates on his odyssey from CONUS staff job to player in the new Great Game...

From last Saturday: Just landed in Shannon Ireland on the way to Kuwait. We will be on the ground for about six hours and they have easy wireless access in the airport terminal, so I thought that I would catch up a little.

NIACT (Navy Individual Augmentee Combat Training) is designed to give sailors the most basic level of ground combat training. In two weeks, we covered basic M-16 marksmanship, land navigation, Law of War, Code of Conduct, stress shooting, reflexive shooting, heavy weapons training, MOUT, room clearing, and everyone’s favorite, road marches.

The Army drill instructors who conducted our training were very professional and made sure that everything was done safely. I am sure they had nightmares about a bunch of sailors running around with weapons [no comment!], but they taught everyone what they needed to know. I have just gone over 16 years on active duty and this was the first time I have ever received formal marksmanship instruction. I have always maintained that the Navy needs to get a whole lot more serious about firearms training and this only strengthened that opinion. I fired the M-16 for the first time on a Tuesday and qualified sharpshooter the next day. The reflexive shooting courses and stress shooting range were all conducted with live ammunition and there were zero negligent discharges.

We were issued the IBA “system” as soon as we got there and spent the next two weeks wearing it at every opportunity. I have spent more than a little time in Navy fire fighting ensembles, but wearing 65 lbs of body armor in the South Carolina sun and humidity is an entirely different experience. The best was the road in black flag conditions with weapons on loose sand and gravel. We had ten percent of my training company drop out. I have a whole new appreciation for everyone walking patrol throughout Iraq wearing that every day.

And then the next day: I am sitting in the AMC terminal at Bagram AFB. From here, I will be flying on to my final destination. I will let you know when I get there. I spent six days in Kuwait, three of them on the Udari range. That was an experience worthy of its own email...

Keep your head down, but your eyes and ears open. We look forward to more when you get the chance.

RIVRON Three

By Bull Nav

As reported in this article, Riverine Squadron Three has been stood up:

Third riverine squadron formally established at Yorktown
By LOUIS HANSEN, The Virginian-Pilot
© July 7, 2007 | Last updated 11:19 PM Jul. 6
YORKTOWN
The Navy formally established the third of three planned riverine squadrons Friday morning at Yorktown Naval Weapons Station

The CO is ready to go.

Cmdr. Gregory Sandway, commanding officer of the new squadron, told his troops to prepare for combat.
"This is a command that is ready to sacrifice," he said.

But that should come as no surprise.

Sandway, a 1990 graduate of Virginia Military Institute who lives in Chesapeake, served as an explosive ordnance disposal officer before being tapped to lead the riverine squadron. He said he took the job because he wanted to lead sailors into war.

So to Greg I say, do your best and take care of your men. Good luck!

DING-DING, DING-DING... '89 ARRIVING!

By Lt Col P

The sharp-eyed Brother Rat BullNav brought something to my attention yesterday, but neither one of us was able to get on it because of work issues. He remembered an entry in the '89 section of VMI Alumni Review about our long-ball-hitting Brother Rat CDR Winton Smith taking command of a destroyer, USS Higgins. (The ship is named after US Marine Colonel William R. Higgins, who was abducted and murdered in Lebanon in 1988.)

BR Smith's change of command took place in May, so we're a little time-late. But hey, we're talking about the Class of '89 here, so that's nothing new. (Check out his bio below the fold.)

So congrats, Brother Rat! Sail that ship overseas and give 'em what fer!

"The world is on notice: those who threaten America’s interests or dare terrorize its citizens will face Colonel Rich Higgins and the 8,300 tons of pure American steel that now surround his spirit."

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Died on the Field of Honor

By John

On 7 June, 2004, our brother Sgt. Ryan Doltz died on the field of honor.

He was a lion of a man, ferociously rehabilitating two broken heels to join his fellow soldiers in Iraq, and honoring his commitments as an enlisted man even though his VMI diploma more than qualified him to be an officer.

NJ.com reported:

A satellite phone in the combat zone 6,000 miles away brought the voice of Spc. Ryan Doltz to the tidy yellow house in Morris County for the final time on Wednesday.

The 26-year-old New Jersey Army National Guard soldier from Mine Hill was checking in, giving his parents, Cheryl and Raymond Doltz, an update from Baghdad.

"It was hot and it was dirty, but he thought things were improving," his mother said yesterday. The Iraqi children "loved candy." And while the Iraqi teenagers seemed to be behind much of the violence, the older Iraqis appreciated the stability brought by the occupation force that included her son's unit, the 3rd Battalion of the 112th Field Artillery.

On Saturday, the Doltz family learned their son was among four New Jersey National Guard troops from the Morristown unit to die in separate attacks a day apart in Baghdad.

"It's like a bad dream," said Edna Deacon, captain on the Mine Hill Volunteer First Aid Squad, which Doltz joined before leaving for Iraq.

In 1998, Ryan carved out his own little chunk of fame when he starred in a Norelco razor commercial that was shot at VMI. I remember Ryan telling me that the director picked him out of a crowd of cadets because he "looked like Tom Sizemore." Here's the commercial, Ryan is "baby-face."

I'll always remember 7 June as the day a friend directed me to this notice from VMI's Superintendent:

The Superintendent regrets to inform the VMI community of the combat death of Specialist Ryan E. Doltz, VMI Class of 2000, on June 5, 2004, in Iraq. Specialist Doltz was mobilized with the New Jersey Army National Guard's 3rd Battalion, 112th Field Artillery, which deployed to Iraq in February. The unit was retrained to perform military police duties prior to its deployment. He died Saturday when an improvised explosive device was set off.

Specialist Doltz was a native of Mine Hill, New Jersey. He matriculated with the Class of 2000, but graduated with the Class of 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in History. He was a member of the Band Company. Many friends of VMI remember him as one of the four cadets featured in the national television commercial filmed at VMI for Norelco in 1998.

While attending VMI, Specialist Doltz was a member of the Virginia Army National Guard's Battery A, 1st Battalion, 246th Field Artillery in Martinsville. He earned an Emergency Medical Technician certificate while at VMI, and later qualified for the EMT certification in New Jersey. He was a member of the Mine Hill, N.J., Volunteer Rescue Squad until his mobilization.

While at the United States Army Field Artillery Training Center in Fort Sill, OK, Specialist Doltz won the Top Gun Award for military proficiency at section tasks associated with 13B10 training.

Among survivors are his parents, Raymond and Cheryl Doltz, a sister, Anne, and brother, Gregory, all of Mine Hill, N.J. Funeral arrangements are to be announced.

Funeral Arrangements (Updated June 10)

His death shook the entire VMI community to the core. Everyone....everyone loved Ryan. His Arlington National Cemetary funeral was attended by a sea of cadets, alumni, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. At the time, I was working an hourly job at a local moving company while I waited for some medical paperwork to clear with the Air Force. When I told them that I'd need the afternoon off so I could attend Ryan's funeral, they coldly told me "no." I said "too bad, I'm going anyway. If you need me tomorrow, you can call," and walked off. Later that afternoon, as I was looking over the hundreds of active duty servicemen in attendance, I couldn't help but to wonder how many of them told hard-assed Commanders the same thing. Ryan had that effect on people.

I'll be forever grateful to Matt Burden and Kevin & Greg of Pundit Review for remembering Ryan on the anniversary of his death last year. Listen to the Someone You Should Know segment.

Our remembrance from last year.

If you'd like to do something in Ryan's honor, the Class of 2000 established a scholarship in Ryan's name not long after he fell. You can donate here.

As long as there is an OPFOR blog, Ryan will be remembered here every 7th of June.

New Market Day 2007

By John

Anyone know why VMI is the only corps of cadets in the nation afforded the high honor of fixing bayonets during parade? Here's a small video taste:

New Market, Virginia. 1864. The only time in US history that a student body has fought in combat as a military unit. We lost 10 "boys" that day, after Union forces opened a gaping hole in confederate lines:

Breckenridge knew he must quickly fill the 350-foot gap in the center of his line or abandon the field. One of his staff suggested sending in the untried cadets. "I will not do it," Breckinridge replied. "General, you have no choice," responded the desperate officer. "Send the cadets in," Breckinridge ordered, "and may God forgive me ..."

The parade, seen above, usually masses a crowd of several thousand parents, friends, relatives, VMI supporters, and civil war buffs. Looks like the corps kept it sharp this year, although the Regimental XO (I think? Reg CO would be planting the wreath, right VMI men?) "bounced" after his about face. Phenomenal command voice though, highly motivating.

The real winners, in this clip at least, was the integrated regimental band and pipe band. Pay close attention to the two drum majors, side by side, executing a very, very difficult "eyes-right." Gives new meaning to the term "military precision." The song that they're playing, Shenandoah, is a beautiful old Virginia folk song that is a VMI anthem of sorts.

Call it one of those few good things to sprout out of this politically correct atmosphere from which even a spartan school like VMI is not immune. For decades, the band played Dixie as they passed the graves of the fallen 10. PC sensitivities axed that tradition some while ago, but I've got to be honest....I prefer Shenandoah. The VMI band/pipe compilation has been known to dampen a crowd full of eyes during those gorgeous Lexington fall parades, and y'know....when you think about it...

Shenandoah is more appropriate for us VMI types anyway.

Update: Mike Roark, a graduate of the VMI of the north, suggests I do some fact-checking into the whole "fix bayonets" thing, referencing a bayonet induced scar on the back of his head from his cadet days. Well, here's one reference:

On May 15, 1864, VMI cadets fought as an independent unit at the Battle of New Market.[6] VMI is the only military college or military academy in the nation that holds this distinction and is therefore the only school authorized to "fix bayonets" during parades.

Gasp! Lied to by Wikipedia? Say it ain't so!

Obviously I'd take Mike's bayonet wound over the much-touted online encyclopedia any day of the week. But, I do remember that line being announced during VMI parades as well, on how the right to fix bayonets is only granted to military units that have seen combat. There is a difference between fixing bayonets in drill and fixing bayonets in formal parade. I can't think of any battles that West Point fought in as a corps of cadets.

Am I wrong here?

VMI Cadet to be Commissioned by the President

By John

Every year, VMI commissions a superb crop of officers.....you can always bet on a sizable chunk of the commissioning class to make Colonel and/or General....it's a statistical certainty, kind of like the graduating classes at the Academies.

But every few years or so, we graduate one particularly outstanding cadet who is destined for the highest echelons of military leadership. The last one that I can remember was Captain Matt Thompson from the class of 2002. Remember the name, he'll be running the Army in 20 years. Seems like we've found another one:

VMI Cadet Jason LaCerda from Mahopac, NY, a 2007 graduate of Virginia Military Institute, is one of 23 Army ROTC Cadets selected to participate in an historic event in Washington D.C.

Photo Courtesy of the Rockbridge Weekly

For the first time in our nation’s history, on May 17th, President George W. Bush will host a joint commissioning ceremony for 55 ROTC Cadets and Midshipmen from all the military services representing every U.S. state, U.S. territory and the District of Columbia during an unprecedented White House ceremony. This will be the first time in our nation’s history that the President will play a personal role in a joint commissioning event involving participants from the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines.

Of the 55 men and women to be commissioned as officers by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, 23 are Army ROTC Cadets, representing the more than 28,000 young people who have decided to make Army ROTC a part of their total college experience.

“My experience in the ROTC program has equipped me to take on real world endeavors as a resourceful citizen and Soldier,” said Jason. “The challenges have been constant and I have learned to react and make decisions while gauging the long-term effects of my actions.”

"As the number one U.S. Army ROTC Cadet in the nation, Jason LaCerda is a man of many skills. The 21-year-old from Mahopac, N.Y., is fluent in four languages, was a Rhodes Scholarship finalist and a Division I NCAA lacrosse defenseman. His desire to take on so much today has provided him the necessary skills to lead tomorrow," Steve Johnson told the Rockbridge Weekly on behalf of the U.S. Army Cadet Command.

"While studying abroad at the University of Oxford, Jason helped to establish a training program for American Cadets with the Oxford University Officer Training Corps, the British Army’s ROTC-equivalent. The dynamic experience of training with an Allied Army unit broadened his leadership abilities despite differences in communication style and culture," he explained. "Upon receipt of an Olmsted Scholarship for foreign study, Jason traveled to Morocco where he learned about the intricacies of Arab and Islamic culture. These experiences inspired him to take on a double major of international studies and Arabic. He received his bachelor’s degree from Virginia Military Institute in the spring of 2007."

More here and here.

Also, according to the VMI press release, it seems that Cadet Colin Chung Ming Wu (Navy option) will be joining LaCerda in the ceremony.

Hotel Tango: VMI Alumni Message Boards.

New Market Day 2007: Our Best Men

By Lt Col P

One of the best memoirs of World War II is the second volume of John Masters' autobiography titled, The Road Past Mandalay. In it, he describes his experience in command of a Chindit column operating deep behind enemy lines, far from friendly units. When the going was good, his column was lord of all it surveyed. But once they lost their mobility and started to get pinned down by the Japanese, their situation turned dire.

One of Masters' recurring themes is Send Your Best Man. He would instruct his subordinates to assign their best officers to tackle a particularly important task-- to take back a lost position, to hold a critical post-- and increasingly the best men were lost. The need to send the very best, despite the growing cost, weighed heavily on Masters and haunts his writings. It is the central tragedy not only of his book, but of war in general.

On 15 May every year, the great VMI family remembers the Corps of Cadets that marched forth to do battle in 1864 as part of the small Confederate army defending the Valley against the ever-stronger Union forces. Ten of those cadets paid the ultimate price at the Battle of New Market, and are honored each year by a special parade at which their names are called out, to be answered by cadets with, "Died on the field of honor, sir."

Masters-- who visited VMI in the 1930s-- may not have had the New Market cadets in mind when he wrote his memoirs, as he knew more than enough from his own experiences. Yet his words ring true. VMI has been sending forth its best since before the Civil War; today, our best men are found in every service and in every theater. And like their predecessors for over a century and a half, they go voluntarily, despite knowing the possible cost. The best men will always go, but not all will come back.

So this year, while we will not fail to remember the boys of 1864, let us also commit to memory the names of our best men who have fallen in this war, and honor those who still march out of the gates determined to win, whatever the cost.

Mr Gregory R. Wright, Jr, VMI Class of 1995

Capt. Lowell T. Miller II, VMI Class of 1993

Captain James C. Edge, VMI Class of 1996

Captain Luke C. Wullenwaber, VMI Class of 2002

Major Paul R. Syverson, III, VMI Class of 1993

Sergeant Ryan E. Doltz, VMI Class of 2000

Lieutenant Joshua C. Hurley, VMI Class of 2001

Captain John Robert Teal, VMI Class of 1994

Lieutenant Commander David Lucian Williams, VMI Class of 1991

Mr. Charles W. Mathers, VMI Class of 1962

Inside VMI

By John

This video has been collecting dust on my laptop for almost two years, completely forgot that I had it. Course back then, the YouTube phenomena wasn't what it is today....so I never really thought to upload the damn thing.

One of my VMI buddies, who was still a cadet at the time, compiled some footage of the "Rat Mass" meeting the Rat Disciplinary Committee back in the fall of 2005. The RDC is a collection of the nasty cadets, usually members of the powerlifting club (heh), elected by their peers for sheer intimidation factor. The RDC polices up the bad rats, and enforces the many, many regulations of the ratline.

They also teach you how to strain. Which the Institute name for the awkward looking position of attention you see in the video. The first RDC meeting of the year marks the first time a Rat learns how to strain....the norm is for the RDC to select one bad rat who has distinguished himself during Hell Week and use him as a friendly learning aid (also seen in the video).

The second part of the footage is the rats "pounding pavement" up to the fourth stoop for showertime. Kind of an unpleasant experience as well....I'll never forget straining through the lines of upperclassman, blind from camera flashes and deaf from all the screaming, only to be rewarded with a 30 second shower and an infinite number of pushups.

Anyway, here's the vid:

Where I'm At

By John

Home...in a sense....

I mortified my kid brother by showing up unannounced to his exam study group and promptly putting him in a headlock and giving him a mighty powerful noogie, right in front of his fellow cadets. This was the first time I'd seen him in his VMI uniform, haven't been here in 2+ years. He's turning into quite the "private," unshaven....unpressed pants...unshined shoes or brass. Ha, and no one would get why I think that's great. Interestingly enough, those are the dudes who run the barracks, due in part to VMI' strong class system. But that's another story for another time, methinks.

There's few outside the VMI family who really understand how important this place becomes to us after graduation. Course we hateses it, we does.... during our cadetships at least. But coming back, it's tough to describe this wave of wonderful memories that flood over you the second you step onto Post.

/sentimentality.

Anyway...

I've gotta do a milblogging conference round-up....but it might a few days while I do my grand Virginia tour. I'm hoping that Slab runs with his thoughts, he did a phenomenal job on Panel 3. His proposal on unit bloggers has real traction, I think. More later...

VMI Honors Tech

By John

Was most pleased to discover this photo:

A contingent of cadets from Virginia Military Institute marched with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets in honor of Cadet Matthew La Porte April 25. Cadet La Porte, a sophomore in Air Force ROTC Detachment 875 and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, was one of the 32 students and faculty killed during the shooting incident at the school April 16. Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force.

Although, I'm a little disappointed that all VMI decided to send was a couple of Thirds (sophmores). We've had a long-standing, friendly rivalry with Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets for decades, figured that -at least- deserved the participation of our color guard, firing detail, or the regimental staff.

Or hell, I see no reason why the Institute couldn't truck our artillery pieces down to Blacksburg for a gunpowder salute.

Nit-picking of course, I'm just glad VMI paid the proper respect to our Hokie brothers-in-arms.

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.

The Obligatory VMI Puff Piece

By John

Activate the way-back machine, all the way to yesterday.

McCain Likely to Find Friendly Audience at VMI:

LEXINGTON, Va., April 10 -- In recent years, Virginia Military Institute, with its turreted buildings and surrounding mountains, has been a scenic and suitably martial backdrop for supporters of the Bush administration to report on its foreign policy hopes and achievements.

President Bush came here in April 2002 to announce a reconstruction effort for Afghanistan modeled after the Marshall Plan for Europe. Then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gave a graduation speech last year in which he defended his oversight of the Iraq war. On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the most outspoken supporter of the war in the field of 2008 presidential candidates, will argue that success in Iraq is essential to the nation's security.

McCain will find an audience generally receptive to the message on which he is staking his presidential campaign. But the 1,200 cadets at the state-run military school are hardly unaware of the uncertainties about the U.S. mission in Iraq that threaten McCain's candidacy.

I was at the Bush speech in '02. Pre-Iraq, simpler times. Still, I remember the speech being sold as a "reaffirmation of the President's vision for the Global War on Terror." Yeah, 8 months in and the public already needed reminding.

n-e way....

Good article, but the WaPo just couldn't resisit this old song and dance:

It is a mark of how long the war has lasted that the cadets graduating this spring will have spent their entire time here under its shadow. Several said the war has helped shape, in one way or another, their thinking about the major decision facing them: whether to accept a military commission.

All cadets must be enrolled in the reserve officer training corps of one of the service branches, but after graduation only half have decided in recent years to join the armed services. (A small fraction of cadets serves in the Reserves or National Guard while enrolled.) More than 1,000 VMI graduates have served in Iraq, and eight have been killed. That is fewer than the 10 cadets who died in a single day of fighting in 1864 at the Battle of New Market in the Civil War, and far fewer than the 180 alumni lost in World War II.

Yup, body counting. Press loves it for some reason. What they didn't count was the commissioning rate, which has gone up -significantly, I hear- since 2003. Now part of that is a renewed pledge by the VMI administration to up commissioning rates from the 40% norm, wheels that were in motion prior to OIF. But then there's the cadets who just want to get in the fight. My brother is one of them, pursuing a Marine commissioning track at the Institute as we speak. That's got to be worth a mention. Not my brother, he's a dork....the commissioning part.

Pressing. I always love the standard party line on how much the place sucks:

Amenities are limited to a gym, a PX and a single TV room. Cadets cannot have cars on campus until their fourth year; they have serious restrictions on cellphone use, and they are not allowed televisions in their rooms (or microwaves or coffee makers).

They typically live four to a room, in spaces so cramped that two of the cots are folded up each day. They wear dress uniforms at almost all times -- the street clothes they arrive in can't even be kept in their closet but must be stored in a separate locker. First-year students, or "rats," endure a toughening-up period in their first six months.

Actually you've got to fold all four of your racks up, unless you have the much coveted "hay down," where the damn thing is authorized to remain in the down position. But that's a small nit to pick. Especially given how much I loved this guy referring to the ratline as a "toughening up period." Heh, that's one way of putting it.

Charlie and I beat most of these rules using the Cadet Newspaper, where we reigned as editators (not, mind you, an editocracy). Our fat regulations book, the Blue Book, had volumes on what was authorized and what was unathorized in barracks. Nothing on academic buildings though, which is where we kept our publication offices. This was a loophole that we fully exploited. TV, DVD player, xbox, couches, a ping pong table, microwaves, a pizza oven (couldn't make that up if I tried), stereos. It was heaven. And it was a great place to store those unauthorized civilian clothes. Most of our staff wore pajama bottoms and a various assortment of weird hats, if I remember correctly.

Part-time cadets, it was great. The rankers in barracks, you know....the type that takes themselves very, very seriously....gravely seriously, actually... hated our guts. Tried their best to destory our empire. We won out, the bad guys weren't too skilled at outside the box thinking...But, I suppose, that's a story for another time.

What that has to do with the article, nothing. I just like traveling down memory lane.

McCain at VMI

By John

Wish I could have been at the old alma mater today....

First thought, he delivered the address from Jackson Memorial Hall. Taking into consideration size and capacity (older facility, smaller seating capacity), it sounds like demographic breakdown of the audience was simple enough: corps, a few select faculty, press.

No faculty behind the Senator on the stage, sans General Peay.

Perhaps the Institute's PR wonks had last May's commencement speech in mind, where the cameras couldn't avoid panning over a bunch of pissed off looking English professors seated behind the keynote speaker, Secretary Rumsfeld.

Cadet vets of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars in the front row. Good. I picked out three that were my "Brother Rats," meaning they matriculated in the fall of 1999. Gives you an idea of how long they put off their educations so that they could prosecute this war. One of them, my "Rat Roommate" Patrick -who rendered me my first salute at my commissioning- served on a Marine FAST team, protected our embassy in Liberia, and finished out his service with a tour in Iraq. Was proud to see those guys front and center, where they belonged.

The speech. God, we needed this didn't we? No fluff, no BS. No long historial diatribes (many a VMI keynote speaker has been seduced by that quick and easy path). Just "America: We.Are.At.War. Congress, start acting like it."

I gathered three central themes:

1) The future of our national security rests on success (or failure) in Iraq:

Democrats argue we should redirect American resources to the ‘real’ war on terror, of which Iraq is just a sideshow. But whether or not al Qaeda terrorists were a present danger in Iraq before the war, there is no disputing they are there now, and their leaders recognize Iraq as the main battleground in the war on terror. Today, al Qaeda terrorists are the ones preparing the car bombs, firing the Katyusha rockets, planting the IEDs. They maneuver in the midst of Iraq’s sectarian conflict, sparking and fueling the horrendous violence, destroying efforts at political reconciliation, killing innocents on both sides in the hope of creating a conflagration that will cause Americans to lose heart and leave, so they can return to their primary mission — planning and executing attacks on the United States, and destabilizing America’s allies.

2) We have a moral obligation and responsibility to stand by the Iraqi people:

To enumerate the strategic interests at stake in Iraq does not address our moral obligation to a people we liberated from Saddam Hussein’s tyranny. I suspect many in this audience, and most members of Congress, look back at America’s failure to act to prevent genocide in Rwanda with shame. I know I do. And yet I fear the potential for genocide and ethnic cleansing in Iraq is even worse. The sectarian violence, the social divisions, the armaments, the weakened security apparatus of the state — all the ingredients are there. Unless we fight to prevent it, our withdrawal will be coupled with a genocide in which we are complicit.

....

In Washington, where political calculation seems to trump all other considerations, Democrats in Congress and their leading candidates for President, heedless of the terrible consequences of our failure, unanimously confirmed our new commander, and then insisted he be prevented from taking the action he believes necessary to safeguard our country’s interests. In Iraq, hope is a fragile thing, but all the more admirable for the courage and sacrifice necessary to nurture it. In Washington, cynicism appears to be the quality most prized by those who accept defeat but not the responsibility for its consequences.

3) The road to mid-east stability travels through Baghdad:

A power vacuum in Iraq would invite further interference from Iran at a time when Tehran already feels emboldened enough to develop nuclear weapons, threaten Israel and America, and kidnap British sailors. If the government collapses in Iraq, which it surely will if we leave prematurely, Iraq’s neighbors, from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Egypt, will feel pressure to intervene on the side of their favored factions. This uncertain swirl of events could cause the region to explode and foreclose the opportunity for millions of Muslims and their children to achieve freedom. We could face a terrible choice: watch the region burn, the price of oil escalate dramatically and our economy decline, watch the terrorists establish new base camps or send American troops back to Iraq, with the odds against our success much worse than they are today.

Mary Katharine Ham participated in a post-speech blogger conference call (smart move, Team McCain), linked here. She seemed a bit more interested in McCain's proposed blogger outreach program than the actual speech, but did note --correctly, methinks- that such outreach: "could be hugely beneficial to the war effort, so bravo[sic] to John for saying he'd tackle it."

Hello? What have milbloggers been saying for years? Message, message, message. It's more valuable than armor or bullets. At least in this fight it is. And for some reason, elected officials gave up on the "Why We Fight" meme after 2003. Why? Leadership, like the WSJ said, can mean swimming upstream against the current of public opinion. But sheesh, it doesn't mean public opinion can be ignored.

90% political, 10% military. That's the type of war we're fighting. I'll take a string of speeches like these over a few extra battalions any day of the week.

You want to talk leadership?

I've held this position for four years. I cannot let anything to do with my political career affect my judgment on Iraq."....."I don't know and I don't care what effect it will have on my political aspirations."

That's leadership. And that's what I'm looking for in a President.

Photos Courtesy of the Virginia Military Institute

McCain to Speak at the "I"

By John

Well, this is one way to get my vote:

U.S. Sen. John McCain will speak at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington next week as part of a buildup to officially announcing his presidential candidacy later this month.

McCain, a Republican from Arizona who lost the GOP presidential nomination to George W. Bush in 2000, will speak at VMI on Wednesday, according to a press release from his campaign office. No time or location was provided.

While at VMI, McCain is expected to address his commitment to winning the war in Iraq as part of a series of policy speeches he plans to give this month. The speeches will culminate with a campaign tour beginning April 25 in New Hampshire and concluding April 27 in Arizona, with stops in South Carolina and Iowa.

The last time Senator McCain was at VMI, he was speaking at Lightning Slab's commencement in 2001. He had this to say:

In America our rights come before our duties, as well they should. We are a free people, and among our freedoms is the liberty to care or not care for our birthright. But you know, as well I, that those who claim their liberty but not their duty to the civilization that ensures it live a half-life, having indulged their vanity and self-interest at the cost of their self-respect. The richest man or woman, the most successful and celebrated of our citizens possess nothing of any real value if their lives have no greater object than themselves. They may be masters of their fate, but what a poor destiny it is that claims no higher cause than wealth and fame.

Service guarantees citizenship!

I kid. Hey, the guy understood his audience. Duty, honor, and sacrifice will always resonate with the VMI crowd. Mainly because we spend four years there wondering why the hell we didn't go to a beer drinking college like Tech or UVA. Being reminded that VMI men fit a role, served a purpose, contributed to a cause....well, it numbed the pain. Even if the message came from a fancy-pants Academy aristocrat.

No, seriously. I kid.

At the half...

By Bull Nav

VMI is down by only 1 point, 39-40, to Winthrop. Only 20 minutes to go. The Keydets are making it a game. GO KEYDETS!!!!!

John Says: Heartbreak. It came down to one three pointer at the buzzer. And we missed.

bullnav Says : Dang.

Update (John): Even in defeat, they held their heads high:

LEXINGTON, Va., March 3, 2007 – The VMI Corps of Cadets welcomed the Institute’s basketball team home Saturday night following a narrow miss in the team’s bid for the Big South Conference title earlier in the day.

The team pressed Winthrop University’s Eagles to the final moments of the tournament at Rock Hill, S.C., in the Saturday afternoon meet. Read about the game here.

Hundreds of cadets swarmed the team bus when it pulled onto Letcher Avenue just before 9:30 p.m. Cheers and clapping greeted the players as they stepped off the bus and were escorted into the courtyard of Old Barracks. The cold and wind that met the team after the four-hour bus trip back to Lexington didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the cadets awaiting their return.

The crowd sand the Spirit and the Doxology as team members held the Runner Up trophy for all to see.

Welcome Home.

VMI BB on ESPN: Saturday!

By Bull Nav

If you can't make it down tomorrow (I know I won't) at least tune in:

VMI Fans: Are you ready? Lets go! Rah Virginia Mil, Rah, Rah, Rah,......

That's right - get ready to do lots of Old Yells as the VMI Basketball Team prepares to take on a Winthrop University team that is undefeated in Conference play this year and ready to be ranked in the top 25 in the Nation.

Winthrop (the #1 seed), like both High Point (#2 seed) and Liberty (#3 seed) has beaten VMI (#6 seed) twice this season! Our Keydets are playing with lots of confidence and are not ready for this magical season to end.

9 buses of 400 cadets plus the pep band will be on hand tomorrow (Saturday) in Rock Hill SC when the Keydets tip it off at 2 pm in their bid to win their first Conference Championship since the 1976-77 season. The game will be televised Nationally on ESPN - yes the ESPN on your TV set at 2 pm!

Tickets are available, first come first serve, by calling the VMI ticket office
(1.540.464.7266) after that tickets must be purchased at the Winthrop Coliseum.

GO BIG RED!

Almost Famous

By John

Who wants to help one of our dearly beloved fellow VMI men on an epic quest towards stardom?

Wes Tatum (formerly Mr. Tatum or 1st Corporal Tatum to me), is lead singer of a band called Against Grace. Wes is currently in a competition sponsored by Music Nation for a record deal with the mega-label Epic Records. Against Grace is in 16th out of 600+ bands right now...so close. Here's the video:

Don't let his disarming good looks fool you, that dude had me power-straining and cranking through endless push up sets when I was a hapless VMI rat. However, once I finished up with that nasty ratline business, I found him to be a rather pleasant fella.

You can vote for Wes by clicking the Vote link on the vid (short registration required) or by texting V740 to NATION (628466).

And if you're wondering what bearing this has on the military....the answer is absolutely none.

Breakout!

By John

There's three events that VMI alumni never forget. Graduation, Ring Figure (Southern-style ball where the juniors receive their class rings), and Breakout.

Breakout is a rite of passage, a physical gauntlet that's a distant cousin of the Marine Corps crucible. It marks the transformation of a VMI Freshman, a "Rat," into a VMI man or woman. Back in the the days of the OPFOR bloggers, Breakout culminated in a frenzied climb up a steep mudhill. Later the Corps added a 19 mile forced march, which Charlie and I slugged through at the end of our ratline. Not a fun time, my feet were a bloody mess by the end of the ordeal. Today the Corps runs the Rats through some sort of endurance challenge. Shame they got rid of the Hill, boy was that an experience, but this Breakout seems challenging enough.

Here are some pictures, courtesy of VMI.

Machine gun fire is a terrible way to be woken up. No doubt they had "Little John," an old civil war cannon that the Corps blast during Football games, worked into the mix as well. I was woken up in this cruel fashion during my Hell Night back in '99, miserable business, I don't mind telling you.

Read More »

Heard from Today

By John

Well college hoops fans, did you hear that our beloved alma mater is completely reinventing the way that NCAA basketball is being played?

ESPN -- VMI's early-season results from its mid-November trip to the BCA Classic in Columbus, Ohio, seemed pedestrian enough on the surface: expected losses to Ohio State and Princeton, then a 104-89 win over D-I independent South Dakota State to end things in the consolation round. But people who were there said there was something very strange going on with the team in red and gold, the one with close-cropped hair that topped out at 6-foot-7.

"We came to our current system because we lost two key players from last year to honors violations," said VMI head coach Duggar Baucom, whose team went 7-20 overall a season ago (2-14 in the Big South Conference). "Our starting post guy -- 6-9 guy -- and our point guard. So we said, let's try something different. And if we can be different, let's be way different."

That something exploded on the national hoops consciousness three days after the team's return from Columbus, in VMI's first home game. Against the NAIA's Virginia Intermont College, the Keydets ripped open the record book in a 156-95 victory. VMI's numbers were staggering -- 118 shot attempts (61 from beyond the arc), 35 steals, 78 points in each half. The box score was zipped around among basketball writers and posted on message boards as if it were a freak photo of a three-headed alien baby, but coming from the school that had given the world comedians Fred Willard and Dabney Coleman, it somehow didn't seem all that shocking.

Washington Post -- Baucom figured the Keydets could play traditionally and get beat by a lot or try to slow the game to a snail's pace and get beat by less. During a late-night phone call, he and assistant Daniel Willis hashed out how to salvage the season and finally reached a conclusion: If we're going to be different, let's be dramatically different.

"There is a method to our madness," Virginia Military Institute Coach Duggar Baucom said of the Keydets' run-and-gun, high-pressure style. "But sometimes, it looks just like madness." A number of traditional powers in college basketball feature lineups dotted with freshmen who might have otherwise gone directly to the NBA.
This season's dominant story line will likely be how power conferences respond to the success of smaller leagues in the NCAA tournament.

With practice already underway and the season opener looming, Baucom and Willis implemented a high-powered brand of play not seen in Division I since the late 1980s -- basketball in a blender, only faster and more fun to watch. The results have been dramatic. As the Keydets (5-8) prepare to play at Richmond on Wednesday, they lead the nation in scoring at 102.1 points per game, 10.5 more than second-place Georgia and 11.7 more than third-place North Carolina. They've scored 156, 144 and 135 points in wins. They've scored 111, 103 and 94 in losses.

This type of play excites me to the point of giddiness. VMI is a small school, one whose harsh military system makes recruiting players difficult. So we're not exactly used to winning, or leading the nation in scoring, for that matter. Thus, I'll be soaking in this warm spotlight for as long as it lasts. Go Keydets!

Rowan of the 21st Century

By John

Here's an excellent article on a "modern day Rowan" from the Kansas City Star. Guess where our 21st century warrior got his Bachelor's?

Shupp, a member of the Virginia Military Institute Class of 1981, commanded Regimental Combat Team-1 during the historic battle of Fallujah in November 2004. During the fight, he had operational command of four Marine battalions, one Army battalion, eight Iraqi battalions and eight independent companies and detachments. In essence, he commanded a division in battle and did so with aplomb. I served as his security detachment commander.

Fallujah was recognized worldwide as an insurgent stronghold, and for six weeks the Marines endured bloody urban combat while dislodging the insurgents from their sanctuary. By Christmas, more than 90 Marines had been killed and more than 600 wounded. Yet RCT-1 prevailed.

Even before RCT-1 began the transition from the assault phase of the operation, Shupp had formulated an imaginative plan to establish humanitarian assistance sites throughout the scarred city to provide the basic needs of tens of thousands of returning displaced residents. Even as his Marines continued to engage isolated pockets of insurgents throughout the city, Shupp’s regiment began to dispense emergency rations and supplies to the residents only blocks from the fighting.

We soon learned that this warrior’s passion to defeat the enemy was surpassed only by his compassion for the Iraqi people.

Fallujah in 2004. Means LtCol P probably knew him.

Many are the warfighters who wear the ring.

Thus Ever To Tyrants

By Slab

I finally got my Summer 2006 issue of the VMI Alumni Review this weekend. In the "Alumni News" section there is an advertisement for Maj Michael P. Solovey USA, Class of 1996. Maj Solovey has produced a print to honor VMI alumni serving in the Global War on Terrorism. It's called "Thus Ever To Tyrants".

Maj Solovey will be donating a framed print to VMI. More importantly, the proceeds from the sales will fund a bronze plaque at the Institute honoring Institute alumni killed in the War on Terror.

For those of you who are not VMI alumni, visit the rest of Maj Solovey's website. There are a variety of works on his website, and he does private commissions for units and private parties.

John Says: We've lost 10 VMI alumni on the field of honor since September 11th. Sgt. Ryan Doltz was a friend, but as Col P, Lightning, Charlie, and myself will tell you, all 10 were our brothers.

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