0500?!?! You all should have done it at 0300 like they do durning "Drum Outs." You got "little John" firing, good. The M16s and M4s...check. I especially liked the Patton recording, nice touch. But where were the Cadre or the RDC? (maybe it was took dark a video to see them?) You all could have amped it up a bit by throwing in some grenade sims and have a M240 (or two) going at it. That would have created some sweet wake up music. :)
Pre-0500 wakeups are reserved for one thing and one thing only, something we hold dear to our hearts -the Honor Code. We don't want anything to be near that time because nothing comes close to its importance, and the Rats must by law be given a certain amount of sleep. A lot of people complain that VMI isn't what it used to be and that is true for the better and for the worse. The only thing I think is completely true is that the Ratline will still be a challenging process.
@2011VMICadet Since you put it that way, the 0300 thing may have been sacreligious in a way. The rest were just me going "hey, that was cool but it would have been better if..." Ain't no arguement here about "the older we get the tougher it was" arguement. You see "downgrading" in just your 4 years there, I challenge anyone to say otherwise. Is it still challenging today? Absolutely. Will I go through it again even with today's standards? Absolutely not. Once is enough, thank you.
I never said it's gotten less difficult, in fact I remember a discussion I had with our Commandant in which he said he believes the Ratline nowadays is harder than it was when he went through in the 70s. I don't think it's gotten less difficult, I just think it's changed both for the better and worse. All in all it's still a beast, not to be taken lightly. Keep in mind we have the last adversarial system in the country. Check your messages.
Just think about this, whether you graduate from The Citadel, VMI, or do ROTC at you local college what difference is it going to make in the military. When you get commissioned no matter where you go you will be a 2nd Lt. or an Ensign. Saying "ohh I went to VMI is not going to make you a 1st Lt. or saying to your commanding officer "I went to The Citadel" is not going to make him automatically think your the shit. Its all about preference to where you want to go. Dont be brain washed.
We are not on the same track. It's not about promotions, ribbons, awards, or what your CO thinks of you. It's about your enlisted guys. You don't have to say you're from VMI and frankly they won't care anyway, it will show. The enlisted joes will see that their PL is not an ordinary butterbar piece of crap, he spent 4 years through the ringer and knows the true meaning of fighting for every scrap you have.
@2011VMICadet This is true, but I still think arguing which is better is kind of pointless. I would be proud to go to either VMI or The Citadel and that is why I will be applying to both of them. Assuming I gain admission what would probably determine where I go would be my visit to the campus.
An officer is an officer is an officer. Commissioning source doesn't matter jack squat. There are fantastic officers from ROTC and there are terrible officers from West Point. In the end, it's a matter of the man, not the commisioning source.
I honestly do not believe that one bit. A soldier is a soldier is a soldier, right? No matter what country he was trained in, right? I believe personal traits are a huge part of the equation but the place of "molding" and foundation-setting is also important.
"The ones who come out on top are the ones who have been trained in the hardest school." — Thucydides
And there is a difference where you went to school, anybody arguing the contrary either doesn't understand the military, don't understand college, or just doesn't know yet. It's the place that builds you who you are, I would argue that someone that went through VMI or the Citadel is far better prepared for military culture, living in a barracks, and dealing with men than an officer that came from an estranged community college with only ten ROTC cadets. It matters for sure.
@theartofsnipe You're 100% wrong. Do you think that CO's and other officers did not go to VMI, Citadel, etc? The military is filled with academy officers; filled with them. They look out for each other all the time and have their own little cabals here and there. It makes all the difference in the world whether an officer went to an academy with respect to their individual careers.
A lot of enlisted guys hate academy officers by default unless given a reason not to. I have yet to find the senior NCO or junior NCO that has told me he loves West Point officers. I've heard a lot of great stuff about VMI and Citadel officers, but I think that's because we have spent four years living with other cadets of a different branch. My main criticism of the Service Academies is that they teach Cadets how to interact with officers of their own branch.
Gotta love Pattons speech playing in the background lol my class /mass break out was much much later. Those breakout sweat parties in late spring in full blouse were killers. Fighting to the 4th stoop thru the raw sewage, saved food scraps, dead animals and everything else was so much fun.
The Citadel just teaches you to put up with stuff a man should never have to put up with. We have a Citadel alum teaching at VMI, he was a Summerall Guard, and he's ashamed at what his school has become. "Real" is relative, but if you want to learn how to become a great officer and get trained instead of get hazed;, then VMI is the place to go. The Citadel is a pretend military school, but it certainly is funny to watch.
It has been moved forward over the years, but I doubt Breakout will ever go any earlier than late January. Back in the Old Corps it was more flexible but with all of the planning and calender event-moving involved it is usually planned ahead and would take a catastrophic event to change it.
0500?!?! You all should have done it at 0300 like they do durning "Drum Outs." You got "little John" firing, good. The M16s and M4s...check. I especially liked the Patton recording, nice touch. But where were the Cadre or the RDC? (maybe it was took dark a video to see them?) You all could have amped it up a bit by throwing in some grenade sims and have a M240 (or two) going at it. That would have created some sweet wake up music. :)
vmi02raven 1 year ago
@vmi02raven
Pre-0500 wakeups are reserved for one thing and one thing only, something we hold dear to our hearts -the Honor Code. We don't want anything to be near that time because nothing comes close to its importance, and the Rats must by law be given a certain amount of sleep. A lot of people complain that VMI isn't what it used to be and that is true for the better and for the worse. The only thing I think is completely true is that the Ratline will still be a challenging process.
2011VMICadet 1 year ago
@2011VMICadet Since you put it that way, the 0300 thing may have been sacreligious in a way. The rest were just me going "hey, that was cool but it would have been better if..." Ain't no arguement here about "the older we get the tougher it was" arguement. You see "downgrading" in just your 4 years there, I challenge anyone to say otherwise. Is it still challenging today? Absolutely. Will I go through it again even with today's standards? Absolutely not. Once is enough, thank you.
vmi02raven 1 year ago
@2011VMICadet How's it gotten less hard? I'm an incoming rat.
ThePresidentFreeman 6 months ago
@ThePresidentFreeman
I never said it's gotten less difficult, in fact I remember a discussion I had with our Commandant in which he said he believes the Ratline nowadays is harder than it was when he went through in the 70s. I don't think it's gotten less difficult, I just think it's changed both for the better and worse. All in all it's still a beast, not to be taken lightly. Keep in mind we have the last adversarial system in the country. Check your messages.
2011VMICadet 6 months ago
The morning wake-up failed. LOLS
namespatrick 1 year ago
Just think about this, whether you graduate from The Citadel, VMI, or do ROTC at you local college what difference is it going to make in the military. When you get commissioned no matter where you go you will be a 2nd Lt. or an Ensign. Saying "ohh I went to VMI is not going to make you a 1st Lt. or saying to your commanding officer "I went to The Citadel" is not going to make him automatically think your the shit. Its all about preference to where you want to go. Dont be brain washed.
theartofsnipe 1 year ago
@theartofsnipe
We are not on the same track. It's not about promotions, ribbons, awards, or what your CO thinks of you. It's about your enlisted guys. You don't have to say you're from VMI and frankly they won't care anyway, it will show. The enlisted joes will see that their PL is not an ordinary butterbar piece of crap, he spent 4 years through the ringer and knows the true meaning of fighting for every scrap you have.
2011VMICadet 1 year ago 3
@2011VMICadet This is true, but I still think arguing which is better is kind of pointless. I would be proud to go to either VMI or The Citadel and that is why I will be applying to both of them. Assuming I gain admission what would probably determine where I go would be my visit to the campus.
theartofsnipe 1 year ago
@2011VMICadet
An officer is an officer is an officer. Commissioning source doesn't matter jack squat. There are fantastic officers from ROTC and there are terrible officers from West Point. In the end, it's a matter of the man, not the commisioning source.
SuperSoyAbortion 1 year ago
@SuperSoyAbortion
I honestly do not believe that one bit. A soldier is a soldier is a soldier, right? No matter what country he was trained in, right? I believe personal traits are a huge part of the equation but the place of "molding" and foundation-setting is also important.
"The ones who come out on top are the ones who have been trained in the hardest school." — Thucydides
2011VMICadet 1 year ago
@theartofsnipe
And there is a difference where you went to school, anybody arguing the contrary either doesn't understand the military, don't understand college, or just doesn't know yet. It's the place that builds you who you are, I would argue that someone that went through VMI or the Citadel is far better prepared for military culture, living in a barracks, and dealing with men than an officer that came from an estranged community college with only ten ROTC cadets. It matters for sure.
2011VMICadet 1 year ago
@theartofsnipe You're 100% wrong. Do you think that CO's and other officers did not go to VMI, Citadel, etc? The military is filled with academy officers; filled with them. They look out for each other all the time and have their own little cabals here and there. It makes all the difference in the world whether an officer went to an academy with respect to their individual careers.
Blndrfist 1 year ago
@Blndrfist
A lot of enlisted guys hate academy officers by default unless given a reason not to. I have yet to find the senior NCO or junior NCO that has told me he loves West Point officers. I've heard a lot of great stuff about VMI and Citadel officers, but I think that's because we have spent four years living with other cadets of a different branch. My main criticism of the Service Academies is that they teach Cadets how to interact with officers of their own branch.
2011VMICadet 1 year ago
yea citadels ratline is the whole year because theres isnt nearly as bad as ours..dipshit
italia1463 1 year ago
i dont get why your first year ends so early when its that easy.
bulldogsH13 1 year ago
Gotta love Pattons speech playing in the background lol my class /mass break out was much much later. Those breakout sweat parties in late spring in full blouse were killers. Fighting to the 4th stoop thru the raw sewage, saved food scraps, dead animals and everything else was so much fun.
amethyst48 1 year ago
that was my dykes on the rifles.
Blizzard breakout of '10. God it was cold
theonering27 1 year ago
or you could go to a real school like the citadel and put up with harder shit for 9 months, it's whatever though
DiPpindAn35 1 year ago
@DiPpindAn35
The Citadel just teaches you to put up with stuff a man should never have to put up with. We have a Citadel alum teaching at VMI, he was a Summerall Guard, and he's ashamed at what his school has become. "Real" is relative, but if you want to learn how to become a great officer and get trained instead of get hazed;, then VMI is the place to go. The Citadel is a pretend military school, but it certainly is funny to watch.
2011VMICadet 1 year ago 7
DAMNN FINALLY WE FINISHEDD
kimchiboy714 1 year ago
My brother go's to VMI and he no longer has a voise form yelling at all of the "rats".....well cadets now!
justride33 2 years ago
Comment removed
justride33 2 years ago
I just cant believe breakout was so early...wtf?
VMIGUY02 2 years ago
It has been moved forward over the years, but I doubt Breakout will ever go any earlier than late January. Back in the Old Corps it was more flexible but with all of the planning and calender event-moving involved it is usually planned ahead and would take a catastrophic event to change it.
2011VMICadet 2 years ago
Thanks for posting-My son has made it this far. Good luck to the entire 2010+3 class. Well done.
georger4712 2 years ago
Thanks for the video...VMI cadets are extraordinary and the best of the best. Send my congrats to the Class of 2013...no longer Rats!
sconti13 2 years ago