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The last time Virginia Military Institute was nearly destroyed was when Union troops set it on fire during the Civil War. But today, the storied college faces a new threat from within the Old Dominion: woke Democratic politicians.
Measures taken by the Virginia LegislatureAllegations of systemic racism at the institution could not only strip the nation’s oldest state military academy of its independence but also cut off the funding it needs to survive.
Last week, the Under Secretary of the Army Peter Heggssupporting VMI on social media, wrote that “the stability of this proven leadership echelon has a direct national security interest” and that the department “reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI.”
VMI cadets are fighting a proposed investigation by Virginia Democrats, warning the legislation could strip away funding and threaten the historic military academy’s survival. (Courtesy of VMI)
Spent some time this week on Lexington, VirginiaAs the mountainous location of VMI, it’s clear that this college is not only a national treasure, but very much a local college as well.
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“VMI is the heart of Lexington,” Melinda, an educator who has lived in the town for decades, told me. “I can’t imagine a place without it.”
I met John, who graduated from VMI in the early 2000s, and he said of alleged racism and sexism, “People who hate VMI just hate VMI because they think it represents the Confederacy.” He insisted that the accusations were exaggerated because every cadet was held to the same code of conduct.
There is even a group of anti-presidents Donald Trump The protesters I met on a cold Friday afternoon had little to say about VMI but were enthusiastic.
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“We were disappointed that the principal was fired,” Annette told me, referring to Maj. Gen. Cedric Wines, the school’s first black principal, who was fired last year. “But we all love VMI.”
Republican lawmakers blame Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger and DEI for the new move, an ideological push they say could jeopardize the nation’s oldest state-sponsored military academy. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images/Photo by Greg Nelson/Getty Images via Sports Illustrated)
So if basically everyone in Lexington thinks VMI is great and it provided great military leadership for the United States, from General George S. Patton to General George C. Marshall, why is it on the chopping block?
because cannot satisfy Desire to Destroy Walkerism.
VMI is inseparable from the history of the Confederacy. Its most famous trainer was Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, whose preserved horses can be viewed in the university museum. But throughout the 20th century, schools embraced this, often going to great lengths to do so.
Take, for example, the historical marker of Benjamin West Clinedinst’s epic painting “Charge of the Cadets at New Market.” It reads:
“While The Charge of the New Market Cadets was written at a time in American history, ‘Reason for failure“
This is what political correctness looks like, shyly apologizing for your own culture without anyone asking you to. But awakening is different. Awakening cannot tolerate beings with ties to an evil past.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the IRS news showed “we are taking steps to rebuild our military.” (Alex Huang/Getty Images)
Even the hotel where I stayed, known for nearly a century as the Robert E. Lee Hotel, has a new name. The only information left about Lee is a plaque identifying the lift as an original Otis installed in 1926.
The erasure of history lurks around every corner, and now VMI is about to face erasure too.
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In 1864, despite personal objections, the Union Army artillery chief bombarded and destroyed much of VMI, Delaware As a U.S. senator in 1914, Henry A. Du Pont introduced legislation to compensate the school for losses caused by him.
These stories echo through the halls of the academy, telling stories of imperfect men in an imperfect country striving for more perfection. On a cold winter day, if you are quiet on campus, you can hear them.
Last week, VMI’s Class of 2001 wrote a open letter arrive Virginia Governor Abigail Spanbergerpublished in the Lexington Press-Gazette. Two things are noteworthy about this class: it was the first to include women, and it eventually entered the war.
“We brought women into the Corps when an entire nation doubted it could be done,” the letter read. “We created citizen-soldiers of all races and backgrounds who trained, served and bled together. We didn’t prove it through symbolism. We proved it at military funerals in Fallujah, Kandahar, Korengal, and across the Commonwealth.”
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With Democrats clearly in control political power in virginia, Threats to VMI Funding The future is very real, which is why it’s so important for Hegseth and the War Department to make it clear that they are behind keeping this special place going.
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A country and a people are its history, and few institutions have as much history as VMI. Towns and communities are its institutions, ancient and legendary places, and in Lexington, that’s VMI.
May Virginia Military Institute and its legacy live on forever.
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