Virginia Military Institute - Bomb Yearbook (Lexington, VA)

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BOOK TWO

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lU t94i First Class History For the Class of 1947, our life at V. M. I. started on June 9, 1943; for those twelve of us who are left, with the exception of the five cadets who had to drop back a year, it will end on March 6, 1946, when we will receive those priceless dips. Our class will in all probability have the dubious distinction of being the only class to enter and leave V. M. I. on the wartime accelerated program: those who graduate in March will have had two years and nine months of life at the Institute, in place of the normal four years. This has meant a steady grind straight through, with approximately one month off each summer, and ten days of grace during the Christmas holidays — how we looked forward to those furloughs! Of course, under this accelerated program we missed many of the traditions and customs of the real V. M. I. When we entered, there were about seventy old cadets and 207 of us, in addition to some 500 Army cadets; everyone who knows the Institute can understand how changed things were, and will know why the Class of ' 47 never knew the glory of a full V. M. I. corps. When we started in June of ' 43, we knew that our cadetship would be radically different from those of previous years; we knew that many of the class would leave to enter the service. But we were determined, even as rats, to try to keep the V. M. I. as it had been, and as it should be. Because of the presence of the Army Cadets, it was thought that the rat system would be partially abolished: when we entered, there was no rat-line, but after four days we, the rats, voted to keep the rat-line, and experience the Scime disci- pline as had every other class before us. We experienced relief from this treasured custom but twice — once upon the return of the Corps from a bivouac at Goshen Pass, and once when our football team, composed almost entirely of Brother Rats, beat Davidson. Finally, at Thanksgiving, came the day we will all remember forever: the day we were let out of the rat-line, the day we officially became the Class of ' 47. At the start of our Third Class year in February, 1944, only about 120 of the brothers were back . . . most of the others were in the service. However, we took the newly cadets under our protecting care until June, when with only 50 Brother Rats left we outnum- bered all the other old cadets together, and when several of us were given positions of responsibility in the Corps. This year we really began to know each other — not just a few, but the entire class; of course, the highlight of this session was our Ring Figure Hop, for which 47 of the class were present. By the time we became Second Classmen, we had much to do with barracks life; as there were only five members of the First Class, we had to help in many ways. Nearly everyone had stripes, ranging from the grade of corporal to the rank of lieutenant; we were active on the Honor Court, the General Committee, and, of course, the Second Class Finance Committee. The corps trips, the Second Class Hayride in April, the Final Ball in June — these and many other events made it possible for us to continue through the ever-increasing grind of our academic studies. When we started the year in October, there were 27 of us; when we finished in June there were 14. At last, in July of ' 45, we were First Classmen. Of course, we took advantage of all our privileges . . . but we found that with those privileges went the responsibility of the First Class. We have done our best; we have tried to uphold the customs and traditions of the Corps, and above all the Honor Code. We are publishing a Bomb, the first since our rat year. There have been many golden moments, such as the First Class picnic, V-J Night, the Thanksgiving week-end, when we whitewashed V. P. I. 7-0, and the Ring Figure Hop of the Classes of 1948. And now the grandest day of all is in sight: March 6, 1946, when those who are left of ' 47 will receive their dips and doff tKe gray, hoping that we have done our best both by the Institute and the Corps. [28] Ou iHia Tftdctaxcf K tctute