Alumni and Friends of VMI:
Cyber Corps Numbers: Approximately 395
Rat Numbers: The last I heard, I think 26 men had left the rat line and 2 women. That leaves 407 men and 28 women in the rat class. This dropout rate for the first week of 5.4% is slightly higher than the 4.7% experienced during the past 11 years.
Observations From Those On Post: I've received a couple e-mails from participants who are on post. Indications are that "things are going great." Women are receiving same treatment as men. Also, indications are that the upper class exchange cadets from Texas A&M and Norwich is working well. Now I do understand that each rat carries a water bottle this year (known by some as PHDs...personal hydration devices). Also, one e-mail contained this info: "Nicknames are humorous as always. Best one is the poor rat who stenciled his shirt in the dark. The stencil was backwards and upside down. Hard to pronounce, so they call him the "Russian". One of the woman's name is the same as a potato chip company, so they call her the Potato Chip. She is responsible for describing the "Chip of the Day" each morning."
Speaking of Names: From the August 24 edition of the Richmond Times-Dispatch we read, Cadet leaders say the women have brought their own brand of wit. When the rats in F Company were ordered to name their rifles, one picked "Sergio", and another named her weapon "Cookie Monster." A senior cadet said the M-14s traditionally have been named for women. "We've never had a Sergio before," he said.
Uh....Cookie Monster???
Rats At New Market: One of our participants was at New Market last Sunday when the rats arrived. They indicate it appeared to be a very positive experience for all involved. Cadre has been very impressive in terms of how they have been dealing with all rats. After a speech by former Secretary of the Army Marsh, Gen Bunting swore the "rat mass" into the Corps of Cadets. I understand that this is something fairly new which was added last year in response to previous Honor Court problems. The oath is one which Gen Smith had the cadets take in the 1800's. After the swearing in the cadets were marched from the Bushong house to the Field of Lost Shoes. The rats then charged across the field. At the conclusion they were formed into companies and their cadre pinned the VMI crest on their uniforms. All in all, sounded like a pretty impressive day.
In the Job Market: Bill Reagan '88 is looking for a sales or marketing management position in or near Richmond. His background is in the international paper and packaging field, but his function was largely administrative, so he could fit in in a variety of positions. Bill's e-mail address is: BReagan88@aol.com.
Richmond Chapter Breakfast Meetings: I hear that the Richmond, VA chapter puts together an alumni breakfast the first Friday of each month. The point person from the Richmond chapter is Frank Trice '86. I don't have any numbers or e-mail addresses for Frank, but the chapter president is Bob Louthan. Bob can be reached at his work number: 804-648-4802 or via e-mail at rlouthan@vacapital.com. Apparently the Richmond folks do a good job of locating centrally located restaurants for these breakfasts and it's a great forum for alumni to network.
Contacting Mike: In the last update I mentioned that Mike Guthrie '77 was involved in trying to create a private men-only military Christian college. Several of our participants have asked how they can contact Mike. I looked up his e-mail address in the alumni e-mail listing that's posted in the alumni web site. E-mail address for Mike listed there appears to be: Mike_Guthrie@pobox.tbe.com. I can't vouch for the accuracy of this address, but it may be a place to start.
Renovated Barracks Photos: If you'd like to
get a look at some photos of the renovated barracks, try the
following web site:
http://www.idsonline.com/kozart/vmi.html.
They are kinda small, but at least it may give you an idea of
what they look like.
What Ever Happened To....??: So, what did
happen to VMI's great running back Thomas Haskins '97?
Accordingly to a recent posting on the alumni electronic
turnouts, he is playing for the Montreal Alouettes of the
Canadian Football League. He's currently on injured reserve. If
you'd like to get more info, you may want to check out the team's
web site at:
http://www.cfl.ca/CFLMontreal/home.html
(this is the address that was posted as part of the turnout).
That's it for this week. Keep those cards and letters coming!!
Yours in the Spirit,
RB Lane '75
Last Updated: October 11, 2009
Site Created by: Richard L. Neff II, '90 - Network Technologies Group