VMI Confers December Degrees

17 Commission Into Military

Editor’s note: The following story was written by Marianne Hause, media relations specialist with VMI Communications & Marketing.

The December commencement ceremony at Virginia Military Institute was held Thursday, Dec. 18. Proud families and friends gathered in Memorial Hall to honor 29 cadets as they were awarded their bachelor’s degrees.

At his first graduation ceremony as superintendent, Lt. Gen. David Furness ’87 welcomed the assembly, and thanked the parents for their role in raising their children and instilling in them the values, ideals, drive, and determination necessary to succeed at VMI.

Furness told the graduates that the Institute is meant to be a hard and demanding school in order to prepare them for the unique situations that are difficult to predict, but assured to come.

“Each of you has completed that training and are ready for the next chapter of your journey,” he said.

He congratulated them and reminded them that they are part of the VMI family, “a network of support that will last a lifetime.” Furness then introduced the keynote speaker whom he referred to as his personal friend and battle buddy, Lt. Gen. William J. Bowers ’90, deputy commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs.

Bowers, who was a VMI rat the year Furness was regimental commander, cited one of VMI’s founders, Col. J.T.L. Preston, and his belief that the true value of a college was best determined by the character of its students and the performance of its graduates.

He continued by challenging the graduates to live by Preston’s words inscribed on the parapet in Memorial Garden: “The healthful and pleasant abode of a crowd of honorable youths pressing up the hill of science with noble 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.”

He clarified Preston’s message for the cadets.

“‘The healthful and pleasant abode of a crowd of honorable youths.’ You all have made fitness a part of your lifestyle. It is part of who you are. Pleasant is not normally the first word that comes to mind when you think of the VMI experience,” he said, evoking laughter from the audience, “but now we see what Preston meant. Pleasant means you have a cheerful disposition. You have resilience. The world is going to knock you down, but as a VMI graduate, you have what it takes to get back up and overcome adversity with a cheerful, pleasant disposition. You’re going to be trusted implicitly wherever you go, because you’ve lived under the most stringent and rigorous honor system anywhere in the country.

“‘Pressing up the hill of science with noble emulation.’ You’re going to be expected to press constantly uphill,” Bowers continued. “You’re going to do hard jobs in hard places. You’re going to press the boundaries of science and technology. You’re not only going to meet the standards of those who have come before, but you’re going to surpass them and do it in a way that inspires.

“‘A gratifying spectacle.’ Your fellow citizens are indeed grateful that young men and women of character like you take up the challenge willingly to become part of this VMI experience, to live a harder life, and to become honorable leaders in our country and our state. Our country has always counted on VMI to produce leaders of character.

‘“Objects of honest pride to their instructors and fair specimens of citizen-soldiers.’ You’re all expected to have those positive attributes of citizen-soldiers, the selfless person whose ideal is to serve others in a democracy,” Bowers continued.

“‘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.’ Now it’s probably a stretch to call the current times a time of deepest peril, but make no mistake, we are being challenged every day by those who seek to undermine and disrupt. There are significant storm clouds gathering. The people of our country and the Commonwealth of Virginia are counting on you. We are eager to see you get out there and make a difference. Congratulations.” -The presentation of candidates for degrees was delivered by Brig. Gen. Robert W. Moreschi, dean of the faculty and deputy superintendent for academics. Following the conferring of degrees by Furness, the audience gave the graduates a standing ovation as they tossed their gloves in the air, and sang “The Spirit” and “The VMI Doxology.” A reception was held afterward in the VMI Museum.

The commencement ceremony was livestreamed and may be viewed through VMI’s YouTube channel.

Commissioned

The evening before commencement, the ROTC joint commissioning ceremony was held in Memorial Hall, where 17 commissioned into the Army as second lieutenants, two commissioned into the Navy as ensigns, and one commissioned into the Marine Corps as a second lieutenant.

Offering remarks and administering the oath of office was Col. Timothy Price ’04, who graduated from VMI with a degree in international studies, and commissioned as an Army infantry officer. The individual pinning ceremonies and first salutes followed the ceremony.

Price commended the cadets on the hard, necessary path they have chosen. He encouraged them with a quote from VMI’s most famous graduate, Gen. George C. Marshall, VMI Class of 1901. “‘The soldier’s heart, the soldier’s spirit, the soldier’s soul are everything.’ If you are a soldier, a Marine, or a sailor, that sentiment remains the same,” he said.

He shared with them that VMI changed his life, and has prepared them well for their career ahead. They are physically fit, well educated, and have lived by the Honor Code. “And the friendships you have made here will outlive deployments and all the chaos of a military career.”

He thanked the families for their continual support for those commissioning, congratulated the new officers, and concluded with, “Rah Virginia Mil!”