Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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:.v . , ,i f!ua« The goal is to produce citizen-soldiers, young men prepared to assume leadership roles in society and prepared to defend the nation in times of national emer- gency.

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A Tradition Continues he primary- purpose of the Virginia Military Institute is to provide academic study of the highest possible quality conducted in, and facilitated by, a rigorous L. system of military discipline. The goal is to produce citizen-soldiers, young men prepared to assume leadership roles in society and prepared to defend the nation in times of national emergency. The words of Colonel John Thomas Lewis Preston best sum up this mission; The healthful and pleasant abode of a crowd of honorable youths pressing up the hill of science with nobel emulation: A gratifying spectacle: An honor to our country and our state: Objects of honest pride to their instructors and fair specimens of citizen soldiers: Attached to their native state, proud of her fame, and ready in every time of deepest peril to vindicate her honor or defend her rights. The military system is based on the systems of West Point and the prestigious Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, France. In this system all cadets live in the barracks, eat together in the mess hall, and wear the historic gray cadet uniform. A difference between the Institute and West, Point is that not all graduates accept commissions in the military and fewer yet pursue careers in the military. Historically only about 1 8 percent of the graduates J ' from VMI are career military of- i ' . ;,.- V ficers. The majority of graduates • I. w ' ,; work in the civilian world and are in a reserve component of the mil- ? ;• ■■ ! itary. The life in Barracks pre- pares the graduate to be leaders in both the military and civilian worlds. A cadet ' s daily life is reg- ulated by traditions and rules of the Institute, and his conduct and I activities are measured against high standards set by his fellow cadets and the cadets that have gone before him. Above all of this, in and out of the barracks and classroom, is the cadet Honor Code, to which all cadets sub- scribe. This code states that a ca- det will not Lie, Cheat, Steal nor Tolerate those who do. The Hon- or Code belongs to the cadets and is enforced by the cadets. A cadet who does not adhere to this code is not given a second chance. The only penalty for an honor viola- 1 tion is expulsion. This code is not a set of rules for the cadets, but a way of life. Another governing ' body within the Corps of Cadets is the class system. Cadets are awarded privileges according to their class standing. These privi- leges are carefully guarded by each class and a cadet who takes a privilege belonging to another cadet is punished by the General Committee. This is one means of teaching a cadet to be a follower as well as a leader. These systems have been with the corps since the founding of the Institute. They are prized possessions not to be compromised for the purpose of personal gain. All of these factors combine to produce the young men that will lead their nations in both the civilian and the military worlds. These cadets take pride in the past accomplishments of the Institute and the outstanding graduates it has produced. The charge of the corps at the Battle of New Market, the professor that stood like a stone wall, and the General of the Army that won the Nobel Prize for Peace are just a few of the lasting memories that the corps will utilize to set the standards. A phrase stated by General Stonewall Jackson over a century ago still stands true today and forever: The corps will be heard from today.

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