Air Force ROTC cadets took to the air on Dec. 1, thanks to the 1st Helicopter Squadron out of Andrews Air Force Base.. The squadron provided quick incentive flights over VMI and Lexington for nearly 175 cadets.

Col. Nichole K.A. Scott has assumed command of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) at VMI. She is the first female commander of any ROTC military branch at VMI, and arrives during the 25th anniversary of the admittance of female cadets.

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.

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

Three VMI cadets recently attended the U.S. Air Force Academy’s 2022 National Character and Leadership Symposium in Colorado. The conference’s theme this year was “Ethics and Respect for Human Dignity,” and the event featured several keynote speakers and sessions.

Eric Munro ’21 is one of only 23 U.S. candidates selected as a Gates Cambridge Scholar 2022 to pursue graduate study at the University of Cambridge, where Munro will pursue a Ph.D. in engineering and research the development of next generation miniaturized spectrometers using novel nano materials.

During the Fall 2021 Field Training Exercise (FTX), sophomore cadets from Detachment 880 went to Stonewall Paintball in nearby Glasgow, VA to perform some in-field scenarios to test their abilities to lead and follow under stressful situations.

“Each guest speaker offered a wide range of expertise on various topics ranging from Anglo-American relations to leadership from the cockpit of a high-performance jet,” Wesley Barbara ’23 said. “I look forward to implementing everything I learned.”

“There's so much knowledge here,” Leon Thomas '22 commented. “There's all this different military experience from different branches that you really would never have seen in many other places.”

Cadet Elias Tyson '22 attended the 2021 American Veterans Center Conference this November and offers insight and perspective into the event and its illustrious speakers.