In the News

June 5, 2023 - Campus leaders said DEI programming will continue despite the departure.

Feb 7, 2023 - VMI Alumni And Former President Of The VMI Honor Court Carmen Villani Discusses The Latest From VMI, Including A $15m Lawsuit By Col. Pegg.

Feb 3, 2023 - During a hastily scheduled in-person BOV meeting on October 24, 2022, BOV members addressed admissions, marketing, and discussed Diversity Equity and Inclusion (Inclusive Excellence) training.

Jan 31, 2023 - VMI Alumni And Former President Of The Honor Court Carmen Villani Discusses The Decline In Students Enrolling To VMI.

Jan 25, 2023 - The single cafeteria VMI cadets dine from regularly runs out of food, depriving them of basic needs in an extremely demanding setting. Cadets privately question the integrity of the VMI leadership…

Jan 21, 2023 - Members of VMI’s Class of 1974 released a letter to its Brother Rats last Monday (http://thecadetfoundation.org/vmi74/), challenging its 50th Reunion Committee’s efforts to raise nearly $20M in…

Dec. 23, 2022 - By Joseph D. Elie ’88
“He is best who is trained in the severest school.” —Thucydides In the afternoon of 15 May 1864, about 210 cadets of the Virginia Military Institute, under withering artillery and rifle fire, found scant cover behind a split rail fence north of the Bushong farmhouse in

Dec 10, 2022 - Group pledges to join alumni and especially VMI cadets, in order to return maximum self-governance to the Corps of Cadets by restoring and strengthening their voice by aggressively defending their right to free speech.

Nov. 23, 2022 - New rule at The Washington Post: it’s OK to insinuate that conservatives are racist for disagreeing with an authority figure who happens to be Black. No evidence of bias required.

Nov. 21, 2022 - VMI Alumni and Former President Of The Honor Court Carmen Villani Reacts To The Washington Post’s Article Regarding Their Fight Against CRT At VMI and VMI's support for the article labeling the school's critics as White racist alumni.

Nov 21, 2022 - Radio host John Reid from WRVA (The John Reid Show) response to the Nov 21, 2022 Washington Post article, supported by the VMI Superintendent, Board of Visitors President, and their supporters, alleging critics of Maj. Gen. Wins are White racist VMI alumni.

Nov. 21, 2022 - With VMI participation, cooperation and quotes from VMI Board of Visitors President Thomas Watjen, VMI Superintendent Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, and their supporters, the article labels critics of the VMI asministration, donors who withdrew their financial support, and a Younkin BOV appointee as White racist alumni.

Vision 2039 was unveiled in 2003, soon after General J.H. Binford Peay was named Superintendent of VMI. General Peay had used this plan to drive his tenure as VMI Superintendent before he left to defend the Institute against external criticisms. Cadets from all walks of life are immensely grateful, but a massive number of Cadets are disillusioned with VMI leadership and feel that the administration has left them out to dry.

Nov 11, 2022 - In an Open Letter to the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors (BOV), Alumni Association, Parent’s Council, Corps of Cadets and his fellow alumni/ae on November 11, 2022, Mr. Douglas R. Conte M.D. ’75 announced his action to cancel a $1 Million bequest to VMI while calling for Insitute to re…

Nov 11, 2022 - VMI Alumni From The Class Of 1975 Doug Conte Discusses Why He Is Withdrawing A $1 Million Donation To VMI and is working with The Cadet Foundation (www.cadetfoundation.org) in response the the divisiveness by the current VMI administration and lack of action by the VMI Borad of Visitors.

Nov 11, 2022 - An open letter to the Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors, Virginia Military Institute Alumni Association, VMI Corps of Cadets, VMI Alumni/ae, Parents Council, and The Cadet Newspaper. No…

Nov. 11, 2022 - AN OPEN LETTER TO: Virginia Military Institute Board of Visitors Virginia Military Institute Alumni Association VMI Corps of Cadets VMI Alumni/ae The Cad

Nov. 10, 2022 - VMI Alumni And Former President Of The Honor Court Carmen Villani Provides The Latest From VMI Regarding Founder’s Day, Gov. Youngkin And Maj. Gen. Wins.

by James A. Bacon Virginia Military Institute Superintendent Cedric T. Wins was awarded a $100,000 bonus after his FY-2022 performance review, and the Spirit of VMI PAC (SOVP) wants to know what cr…

Nov. 5, 2022 - According to a Freedom of Information Act response from VMI officials to an alumnus, the Institute’s Board of Visitors approved a $100,000 bonus for Superintendent Cedric Wins, as a result of his FY…

4 Nov 2022 - VMI Alumni And Former Honor Court President Carmen Villani Provides An Update From VMI And Discusses The Bonus The Maj. Gen, Wins Received From The Board Of Visitors.

1 Nov 2022 - One of America’s most venerable military institutions is now leading the charge of wokeness and demanding that students consider their “gender role,” reimagine their “masculinity” and promote hatred of “whiteness.” Despite this, there are people who are somehow surprised that enrollment at the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) is down by 25% and continuing to fall.

Oct. 28, 2022 -VMI Alumni And Former President Of The VMI Honor Court Carmen Villani Shares His Thoughts Over The Guest Speaker The VMI Brought In.

Oct 27, 2022 - The institution that gave us Patton, Marshall and Byrd now asks about your “gender role”, urges you to reimagine “masculinity” and spews hate toward anyone who happens to be white. Virginia Military Institute's woke leaders are doing their best to turn the proud institution into just another woke college campus. And the fall in enrollment shows that it's working.

Oct. 27, 2022 - John Reid (WRVA) continues his commentary on Maj. Gen. Wins at VMI and his full support for Kimberly Dark speaking at VMI. He also specifically addresses VMI ALUMNI in the issue.

Oct 27, 2022 - John Reid provides detailed commentary on Kimberly Dark's presentation at VMI and raises questions regarding the VMI Superintendent's high praise and full support for her and her work.

October 25, 2022 - VMI Alumnus from the Class of 1982 Jose Suarez discusses his letter to the VMI Board of Visitors and discusses the allegations of racism at VMI

October 24, 2022 - “How have you benefited from adherence to your gender role?”

October 24, 2022 - Founder And Writer For Baconsrebellion.com Jim Bacon Provides The Latest From VMI on the administration's agenda that is destroying the VMI experience.

October 23, 2022 - Virginia Military Institute alumni share much of their correspondence with me. I can’t come close to publishing it all on this blog. But sometimes a letter illuminates aspects of the ongoing …

Oct 23 2022 - The rhetorical battle at the Virginia Military Institute rages like the Bloody Angle in the Battle of Spotsylvania Courthouse. In this ongoing war of words, VMI Superintendent Cedric Wins is like t…

October 20, 2022 - Roanoke Star - According to an October 20 press release from a group of concerned VMI alumni and other stakeholders, whose website is protecthonor.com, the VMI Board of Visito

October 19, 2022- Chairman Of The Spirit Of VMI PAC Matt Daniels Discusses The Guest Speaker At VMI And The DEI Implementation At VMI.

October 18, 2022 - Jim Bacon continues his just-the-facts-ma’am account of the controversy over the appearance of gay- and fat-rights performance artist Kimberly Dark at the Virginia Military Institute.

October 18, 2022 - by James A. Bacon Last night the Virginia Military Institute hosted Kimberly Dark, a gay- and fat-rights activist, at its Gender Inclusion Dinner. The VMI website has published no information about…

Reported infighting between VMI administration and staff at The Cadet student newspaper has led to disputes regarding the paper’s status and distribution.

VMI Graduate And Former President Of Honor Court Carmen Villani Discusses Lower Enrollment Numbers And Continued DEI Implementation At VMI.

he Virginia Military Institute’s hands were tied, it seems. It tried for months to justify leaving an inscription of Stonewall Jackson’s name on an arch at the Old Barracks on VMI’s Main Post. But the school’s leadership couldn’t find a way, so it chose… to take a sandblaster to the National Historic Landmark.

VMI Alumni Bob Morris Discusses Their Letter Sent To The Board Of Visitors Over The First Amendment Issue.

by James A. Bacon The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) has asked the Virginia Military Institute to refrain from pressuring an independent student newspaper, The Cadet, to cha…

VMI has existed as an institution for over 180 years, producing citizen soldiers in a time-honored and tested fashion, using proven methods that provide measura

President of Global Liberty Alliance Jason Poblete discusses the latest involving the possible implementation of DEI at VMI with serious 1st Amendment violations GLA has been defending VMI Cadets against the administration.

Chairman Of The Spirit Of VMI PAC Matt Daniels Discusses The Lawsuit Regarding Critical Race Theory At VMI.

VMI Graduate And Former President Of Honor Code Carmen Villani Provides The Latest On Their Fight Against Critical Race Theory At The Institute and the dramatic fall in enrollment after implementation of divisive DEI training by Superintendent MG Cedric Wins and the Board of Visitors.

August 24, 2022 - When the Virginia Military Institute re-opened for its fall semester Monday with its usual parade-ground pageantry, it counted only 375 cadets in the 1st-year class. That’s …

August 24, 2022 Virginia Military Institute’s Superintendent Major General Cedric Wins announced that a total of 372 matriculants (or “Rats” by tradition) had signed in, offic…

August 22, 2023 - This was originally posted in The Cadet, the independent voice of the VMI Corps and Alumni since 1871 and is shared here by permission. Welcome Back to the Old

VMI Class Of 1961 Alumni Larry Respess Discusses The Roanoke Star Article And The Lawsuit Regarding The Implementation For Critical Race Theory And The Institute as well as the case for the VMI Superintendent to resign.

August 22, 2022 - by The Cadet Editorial Staff. A powerful editorial by the editorial staff of The Cadet newspaper at VMI, one of the oldest independent college newspapers in Virginia on the transition from a focus on "I" to "we" through the traditional VMI experience.

April 19, 2022 - WSET ABC Chanel 13 in Lynchburg provides an update on the lawsuit against VMI for illegal procurment activities regarding DEI training. Parents weigh in on their opposition to the divisive Ideology and VMI defends the classes as nothing more than "critical thinking".

August 18, 2022 - A Rockbridge County (Virginia) Court has rejected an attempt by the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) to dismiss a lawsuit alleging serious violations of the Virginia Public Procurement Act

August 16, 2022 - Virginia Military Institute cadets will return to class in a week or so. At some point during the semester, they will undergo a round of “Inclusive Excellence” trainin…

August 9, 2022 - VMI Graduate And Former President Of Honor Code Carmen Villani Shares His Response To AG Jason Miyares’ Interview On VMI.

August 5, 2022 - Attorney General Of Virginia Jason Miyares Discusses The Robocall Task Force, The New Opioid Settlements and the Virginia Military Institute

August 3, 2022 - Before his election as governor, Glenn Youngkin was asked by The Spirit of VMI PAC’s Matt Daniel if he intended to address the racial and other charges being made against the Virginia Military Institute. Youngkin said he planned as governor to assemble a special group “to reestablish the great reputation of VMI.

VMI Graduate of 1976 and Former President of Honor Code Carmen Villani provides the latest from VMI on the implementation of Critical Race Theory into the school.

July 5, 2022 - Washington Post reporter Ian Shapira was up to his old tricks in an article published over the weekend about Governor Glenn Youngkin’s appointments to the Virginia Military …

July 1, 2022 - Governor Glenn Youngkin’s board-of-visitors appointments to the University of Virginia and the Virginia Community College System are bound to shake up the status quo, as Bac…

June 8, 2022 - By Larry Repress and Sal Vitale Virginia Military Institute Class of 1961 NOTE: This OPEN Letter was originally Sent to Mr. Thom Brashears, VMI Alumni Association COO with a request it be provided …

June 2, 2022 - VMI Alumni from the Class of 1961 Sal Vitale discusses the latest from VMI when it comes to transparency from the Alumni Association and DEI implementation.

May 1, 2022 - A year and a half after he was forced into resigning amidst allegations of “relentless racism” at the institution he ran for 17 years, J.H. Binford Peay III, has been…

April 12, 2022 - VMI Alum Bob Morris discusses what happened at the VMI Alumni General Membership meeting and what it means for VMI.

April 12, 2022 - A Saturday meeting of the VMI Alumni Association, convened to elect a new board of directors, broke up in acrimony and confusion. In a series of votes, dissident alumni voted to r…

April 7, 2022 - A Virginia business is claiming the Virginia Military Institute is violating the governor’s orders and is suing the school as well as a business competitor. Center for Applied Innovation, LLC (CAI) filed this lawsuit against VMI, VMI’s Board of Directors and another Virginia business, NewPoint Strat…

April 6, 2022 - Mother Of A 1st Class Cadet At VMI Jackie Hart Discusses The Lawsuit Against VMI On DEI Implementation.

April 7, 2022 - A lawsuit has been filed against the Virginia Military Institute and the VMI Board of Visitors, claiming that the military college has violated Governor Glenn Youngkin’s policies that prohibit divisive training.

April 6, 2022 - A petition and a letter asking state officials to investigate claims of critical race theory at Virginia Military Institute are the latest salvos in an ongoing conflict between leadership and alumni.

March 26, 2022 - Letter from VMI Senior African American Alumni to the VMI Board of Visitors. The numerous articles about the Virginia Military Institute, both from alumni and non-alumni, have been troubling to us …

March 25, 2022 - by Carmen Villani, VMI Class of 1976 Governor Glenn Youngkin was elected in large part to remove “inherently divisive concepts” such as Critical Race Theory (CRT). While his Executive O…

March 11, 2022 - As other Virginia universities rushed to build Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) programs over the past decade, the Virginia Military Institute was long a holdout. This also covers the lawsuit filed against VMI for violation of state procurement laws involving the DEI contract.

March 10, 2022 - A correspondent has forwarded to me a communication to all Virginia Military Institute employees from the VMI chief of staff: The Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion would like to offer a …

March 8, 2022 - Aside from the occasional Washington Post hit job, the Virginia Military Institute has faded from the daily headlines. But the controversy over race has not diminished in the slig…

February 11, 2022 - There have been a number of questions raised on the mandatory Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) training for cadets after it was briefed at the recent Board of Visitor’s meeting. Read the story and download the Workbook for the training at VMI.

December 16, 2022 - In his recent speech to the Virginia Military Institute, Governor Ralph Northam had a lot to say about traditions and practices at the military academy when he attended in the 1970s. He recalled nu…

December 15, 2022 - Following Governor Ralph Northam’s remarks at VMI, as well as the official release of a copy of the speech by his office, members of The Cadet staff turned to a number of sources, including VMI Archives to fact check.

December 8, 2021 - In the waning days of the Northam administration, the Virginia Military Institute has issued a Request for Proposal for “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Consultation …

November 23, 2021 - Colleges and universities have long been prone to clashes between strong-willed presidents and prominent alumni. Over the years there have been numerous well-publicized episodes o…

November 21, 2021 - Ladies and gentlemen of The Corps, greetings. My name is Carter Melton, a history major from Salem who graduated in 1967. For 30 years I was the president and CEO of one of the lar…

November 16, 2021 - A year after denouncing the “clear and appalling culture of ongoing structural racism” at his alma mater the Virginia Military Institute, Governor Ralph Northam extend…

November 12, 2021 - “Northam heads to hostile terrain — VMI — to speak to 1,700 cadets.” That’s the headline on the Washington Post’s latest update on the hardball…

October 17, 2021 - This past summer, Washington and Lee University decided to keep Robert E. Lee’s name as part of the college’s name. Sentiment to keep Lee’s name was strong in and …

Aug. 9, 2021 - Daniel Greenfield, a Shillman Journalism Fellow at the Freedom Center, is an investigative journalist and writer focusing on the radical Left and Islamic fundamentalism. He raises the issu of what he sees starting at the Virginia Military Institute as clear warnings of the attack to coem on the VMI experience and core values.

Nov 20, 2021 - Finding Americans to do Beijing’s Dirty Work. Covers the lecture by VMI professor Kiracofe when he was teaching at VMI. He devoted a large part of his lecture to what he believes was a fascist conspiracy– which he defines in standard Marxist terms as tied to “finance capitalism”– to overthrow President Franklin Roosevelt under the banner of the American Liberty League. He then claims there was a continuation of this fascist plot after World War II which runs to the present.