Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

Page 33 text:

1 THE COMMANDANT ' S STAFF The Office of the Commandant of Cadets exists to aid the Commandant in his administrative duties. It has as its responsibility the issuance of orders di- rected to cadets, the maintenance of military files and records, as well as the outlining of procedures for the efficient functioning of life within the Corps itself. The personnel who render this assistance to the Commandant are the Deputy Commandant, the Assistant Commandants of Training, of General Duties, and one who serves as the Adjutant, the Ser- geant Major, and the Commandant ' s Clerk. The duties of these positions encompass every facet of cadet life at VMI. The Deputy Commandant has charge of delin- quency reports, guard teams, formations, reductions, faculty liaison, and recreation. The Assistant Commandant of Training super- vises the Spring Field Exercises, the First Class Trip, and Military Duty. The Assistant Commandant of General Duties supervises permits, the Commandant ' s and Garnett Andrews Cups, the Hop Committee, the VMI Com- manders, and the assignment of rooms in barracks. In addition, the sale, wear, inspection, confiscation of uniforms, and the maintenance and order of the trunk rooms all come under his jurisdiction. The Assistant Commandant, acting in the capacity of Adjutant, oversees the work of the Sergeant Major and the Commandant ' s Clerk. Some of his responsi- bilities include the compiling of the Blue Book, the New Cadet Cadre, confinement, weekends, Corps Trips, SMI, and publication of instructions for the Officer-in-Charge and the Officer-of-the-Day. The Sergeant Major has charge of the files, the message center, the bulletin boards, and serves as assistant to the Adjutant. The Commandant ' s Clerk has the responsibility of preparing morning reports, delinquency sheets, demerit cards, filing, preparation of orders, and other secretarial functions. Left to right: Captain Stacy Harris, Major William Vaughan, Colonel Herbert Simpson, Mrs. Daniel D

Page 32 text:

THE COMMANDANT The position of Commandant at the VMI is held either by the Professor of Military Science or the Pro- fessor of Air Science. The Commandant is responsible to the Superintendent for the appearance, discipline, and military training of the Corps of Cadets. His office guides the cadet officers in their duties as leaders of the Corps. He directs the tactical staff whose function is the enforcement of regulations. The present Commandant is Colonel George H. Simpson, a native of Norfolk, Virginia. He was gradu- ated from Maury High School in 1936 and was enrolled in the Virginia Military Institute in the same year. Colonel Simpson, while at VMI, was a member of the Hop Committee; he received monograms in varsity baseball and basketball. He was captain of the 1941 basketball team. He was graduated in 1941 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering. Upon his graduation, Colonel Simpson was com- missioned a second lieutenant, Cavalry Reserve. He was assigned to VMI as the Professor of Military Science and Commandant of Cadets on 15 August 1963. In October 1964, he was promoted to the rank of full colonel. Colonel Simpson is married to the former Miss Adelaide Anderson, a graduate of Winthrop College. They have two children, Ann and George H., III.

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THE TACTICAL STAFF The Tactical Staff, under the command of the Com- mandant, Colonel George H. Simpson, is comprised of officers from the ROTC detachments of the Military and Air Science Departments as well as the Virginia Militia. Their mission is threefold: to implement the policies of the Superintendent, to instruct and train the Corps of Cadets in fundamental military activities, and to insure that the rules and regulations of the Institute are obeyed. The Tactical Staff is subdivided into three groups: the Deputy and Assistant Com- mandants, the Unit Military Advisors, and the Tactical Officers. The Deputy and Assistant Commandants execute the normal staff duties of administration, planning, coordination and supervision. The Unit Military Ad- visors are those officers with whom the cadets have a more frequent and direct relationship. Each of these officers, in his respective unit, represents the Com- mandant in matters of discipline, uniforms, appearance and military training. Within the Tactical Staff exists a smaller group referred to as the OC Staff. From this staff is chosen the Officer-in-Charge who serves a twenty-four hour tour of duty within the barracks and supervises the cadet guard teams. Such tours of duty are assigned by the Commandant on a rotational basis. In addition to their other duties, one tactical officer is assigned to each company or battalion staff as an advisor and supervisor. Thus the Tactical Staff guides the Corps of Cadets in developing that strength of character and military training that is so strongly emphasized at VMI.