Blue Ridge Battalion News

Follow the latest news and exploits of cadets, faculty, and staff in Army ROTC at VMI.


 

Cadet Carter Hugate '24 holds VMI flag at Army Airborne School

Cadet Successfully Completes Army Airborne School

September 27, 2022

Carter Hugate ’24, a civil engineering major from Chesterfield, Virginia, is the second cadet to qualify for and successfully complete the Army Airborne School in Fort Benning, Georgia.

Maj. Shannon Quevedo, assistant professor in the chemistry department at Virginia Military Institute, examines hydrogels in researching ways to detect contaminates in water. -VMI Photo by Marianne Hause.

VMI Hopes to Develop Water Test Kits

September 14, 2022

Maj. Shannon Quevedo, assistant professor in the chemistry department at Virginia Military Institute and whose specialty is analytical chemistry and detection of small molecules using organic phases, is working on research with two cadets to create handheld methods for testing water.

Tommy Lees '24 at Special Forces Underwater Operations School

Lees graduates from Army Combat Diver Course

September 2, 2022

CDQC is a 6-week course, known by many as one of the most challenging and selective qualifications in the United States military. On top of being physically and academically demanding, combat divers are required to work extremely well as members of a team and under high pressure situations.

Cadet receives her shoulder boards during ceremony for Navy in Memorial Hall May 15 2022

New Officers Encouraged to Put Service Over Self

May 19, 2022

Nearly 200 young men and women, most of them VMI cadets, commissioned into the armed services in Cameron Hall on Sunday, May 15 in the annual ROTC Joint Commissioning Ceremony. The ceremony was also livestreamed for family and friends who could not attend the event in person.

ROTC Commissions Nearly 200

May 18, 2022

Nearly 200 young men and women, most of them VMI cadets, commissioned into the armed services in Cameron Hall on Sunday, May 15 in the annual ROTC Joint Commissioning Ceremony. The ceremony was also livestreamed for family and friends who could not attend the event in person.

Air Force ROTC cadets during 2022 spring field training exercises 70 feet in the air in the Corps Physical Training Facility

Cadets Conquer Challenges During 2022 Spring Field Training Exercises

May 17, 2022

Cadets conquered many challenges on and off post during 2022 spring field training exercises (FTX).

VMI and Citadel Army ROTC cadets group photo

Cadets Partner with Citadel for Military Skills Competition

April 21, 2022

Eight cadets from VMI, two from each class, traveled to Charleston and competed against the Citadel’s team. A series of challenging events and exercises, the competition was designed to foster camaraderie and showcase the best of each institution.

Portrait of Gabriel Fanjul ’23 in Memorial Hall

VMI's Support Resources Offer Path to Success

February 22, 2022

Though Gabriel Fanjul '23 initially had no desire to attend VMI, his perspective changed after attending an open house and staying with his older brother. Once on post, VMI's support services and system of camaraderie helped make his cadetship successful.

Julian Kim ’24

Support System at VMI Key to Cadet Success

January 14, 2022

As he looks ahead to completing his time at VMI, Kim hopes future cadets remember to focus on what is important and “find that balance between academics, physical fitness, and free time.”

Claire Lee '22

Parade Offers Insight and Encouragement to Attend

November 21, 2021

Her senior year of high school, Claire Lee '22 attended an open house to see what post was like, and as she put it, “The parade really got me. I fell in love with the whole system of VMI: the brotherhood, the discipline people are required to learn, the structure."