Blackhorse83 said:

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Had an Army buddy from VMI. That is one big A$$ ring.

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My daughter's ring is huge. The fashion for the girls in recent years is to get the same gigantic ring the males get.

Awesome. I'd be doubtful anything like that happened on the A&M quad???? It would have back in my day '91.

Why do women want to be men so bad?

VitruvianAg said:

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Lexington is a super little town! Given the chance to go there...take it if just for the day!

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Headed to LexVegas this weekend and will be tailgating on the parade ground on Saturday.

It's a unique experience.

That video reminds me of my Corps time at A&M, we were in Duncan having chow when they announced over the PA that Operation Desert Storm had just kicked off. The place erupted like the Ags had just won the national championship.

Sweating BulletS said:

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Why do women want to be men so bad?

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I have no idea why chicks started getting the gigantic rings but since VMI didn't start letting women in until 1997, I guess its a FU to all the guys who gave them crap during their cadetship for being female cadets.

Also, the sports teams attract a significant number of lesbians so maybe that's what started the trend.

HollywoodBQ said:

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VitruvianAg said:

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Lexington is a super little town! Given the chance to go there...take it if just for the day!

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Headed to LexVegas this weekend and will be tailgating on the parade ground on Saturday.

It's a unique experience.

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You live in VA?

I was accepted to VMI. I always had a soft spot for them and was pretty pissed when they ditched the statue of Stonewall Jackson that was prominently located on campus. I guess you can't blame the cadets for that.

BTW, they probably had some tired cadets in morning formation a few hours later.

AggieDruggist89 said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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VitruvianAg said:

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Lexington is a super little town! Given the chance to go there...take it if just for the day!

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Headed to LexVegas this weekend and will be tailgating on the parade ground on Saturday.

It's a unique experience.

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You live in VA?

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No. Catching a flight on Friday from Houston to DC and then driving down.

When we bailed out of California in 2023, my wife and I came to Texas and our VMI grad daughter moved to Virginia.

I did a Sports Barr addition to Smiley's in Raphine a few years ago (if you know, you know), had to go to Lexington to submit my permit plans to Rockbridge County.

What a different life from FFX CO, Plan Review Staff were friendly, supportive, eager to help...had the permit in a couple weeks, would have taken 3 months around here.

Nice- they look sharp.

I'd like to see our Corps of Cadets do more en masse marching like this.

I got to march in the gubernatorial inauguration parade when I was up there as an exchange cadet in spring 98. Was kinda fun sticking out like a sore thumb in Winter A's Marching with rifle and bayonet.


ETA: They wear their overcoats with the red lining showing because as a corps they shed blood during the civil war. At least that was what I was told when I was there.

If you want a beautiful drive; take 29/211 once you get passed Haymarket on I-66 West (that might mean "the 66"? to you Californians) and then 60 West into Lexington on the Lexington Turnpike from Amherst. It's a lovely drive from Charlottesville down to Amherst then you cut through the mountains to go into Buena Vista and Lexington on the other side of the Valley.

I81 won't be fun with all the cops and VT/Clemson Game in Blksbrg, JMU is also hosting someone, so I66 and I81 will be backing up around Harrisonburg. UVA is @ Pitt so you should cruise through Charlottsville on 29/211.

Oh, and it's been super nice here for the last couple weeks, but it's supposed to turn back to normal...it'll be cold this weekend, 60 on Saturday and in the 40's at night, then cooler for Sunday.

AgBQ-00 said:

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I got to march in the gubernatorial inauguration parade when I was up there as an exchange cadet in spring 98. Was kinda fun sticking out like a sore thumb in Winter A's Marching with rifle and bayonet.


ETA: They wear their overcoats with the red lining showing because as a corps they shed blood during the civil war. At least that was what I was told when I was there.

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Based on research online, you are correct about the lining. And, VMI is the only military college/academy that is authorized to fly a battle streamer for their action in the Battle of New Market during the Civil War.

Yep. They do an overnight road march each spring to the battlefield. It is part of their rats getting to be 2nd years. Was a neat experience to ruck up there with them.

Have worked with a handful of VMI guys over the years, to include one I've known for damn near 20 years now. Good group of dudes.

HollywoodBQ said:

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I have no idea why chicks started getting the gigantic rings but since VMI didn't start letting women in until 1997, I guess its a FU to all the guys who gave them crap during their cadetship for being female cadets

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Back before A&M started admitting women, guys who earned their ring could order a "sweetheart ring". Looked just like A&M women's rings today.

I had a classmate who wore her mom's ring almost from the moment she arrived as a fish. People did treat her differently than you would a fish. Few people got close enough to see that the class year was "46".

If VMI had sweetheart rings, maybe it is a way to prove they earned the ring and were grads, not just sweethearts.

A little googling tells me I might be on the right track, here's a set from 1937

VitruvianAg said:

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If you want a beautiful drive; take 29/211 once you get passed Haymarket on I-66 West (that might mean "the 66"? to you Californians) and then 60 West into Lexington on the Lexington Turnpike from Amherst. It's a lovely drive from Charlottesville down to Amherst then you cut through the mountains to go into Buena Vista and Lexington on the other side of the Valley.

I81 won't be fun with all the cops and VT/Clemson Game in Blksbrg, JMU is also hosting someone, so I66 and I81 will be backing up around Harrisonburg. UVA is @ Pitt so you should cruise through Charlottsville on 29/211.

Oh, and it's been super nice here for the last couple weeks, but it's supposed to turn back to normal...it'll be cold this weekend, 60 on Saturday and in the 40's at night, then cooler for Sunday.

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Just say do the Nelson 151.

https://www.nelson151.com/map/

I belong to Poplar Grove in Amherst.

I love this area and we are at the tail end of the foliage colors.

Interesting. I'll have to check it out.

AgBQ-00 said:

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I got to march in the gubernatorial inauguration parade when I was up there as an exchange cadet in spring 98. Was kinda fun sticking out like a sore thumb in Winter A's Marching with rifle and bayonet.


ETA: They wear their overcoats with the red lining showing because as a corps they shed blood during the civil war. At least that was what I was told when I was there.

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My daughter also got to march in the Gubernatorial Inauguration in 2018. Tragically, VMI alum Ralph Northam turned out to be a massive <insert blocked word on TexAgs>

VitruvianAg said:

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If you want a beautiful drive; take 29/211 once you get passed Haymarket on I-66 West (that might mean "the 66"? to you Californians) and then 60 West into Lexington on the Lexington Turnpike from Amherst. It's a lovely drive from Charlottesville down to Amherst then you cut through the mountains to go into Buena Vista and Lexington on the other side of the Valley.

I81 won't be fun with all the cops and VT/Clemson Game in Blksbrg, JMU is also hosting someone, so I66 and I81 will be backing up around Harrisonburg. UVA is @ Pitt so you should cruise through Charlottsville on 29/211.

Oh, and it's been super nice here for the last couple weeks, but it's supposed to turn back to normal...it'll be cold this weekend, 60 on Saturday and in the 40's at night, then cooler for Sunday.

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Appreciate that. We've taken a few different routes over the years.

I wound up stopping in downtown Charlottesville for dinner only a few months before that whole downtown rally where that gal got run over by a car. It was wild to watch video of because I had just been there.

Yeah, I never heard of JMU before my daughter started attending VMI but apparently it's pretty popular and right on 81 (I only use "The" when I'm talking about SoCal highways).

Thanks for the tip on VT. I'm sure 66 to 81 will be busy.

AgBQ-00 said:

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Yep. They do an overnight road march each spring to the battlefield. It is part of their rats getting to be 2nd years. Was a neat experience to ruck up there with them.

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And up until St. Floyd got killed and WaPo writer Ian Shapira went all out on his anti-VMI, racism is everywhere campaign, the cadets used to all do a charge at New Market. After Shapira's crappy articles, they made it optional for Black cadets. And by now, I don't even know if they do it anymore. There were a number of permanent changes that happened in the wake of Covid.

CanyonAg77 said:

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HollywoodBQ said:

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I have no idea why chicks started getting the gigantic rings but since VMI didn't start letting women in until 1997, I guess its a FU to all the guys who gave them crap during their cadetship for being female cadets

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Back before A&M started admitting women, guys who earned their ring could order a "sweetheart ring". Looked just like A&M women's rings today.

I had a classmate who wore her mom's ring almost from the moment she arrived as a fish. People did treat her differently than you would a fish. Few people got close enough to see that the class year was "46".

If VMI had sweetheart rings, maybe it is a way to prove they earned the ring and were grads, not just sweethearts.

A little googling tells me I might be on the right track, here's a set from 1937

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Yeah, could be.
My VMI Class of '93 Army buddy who went through the Armor School with me had a VMI sweetheart ring for his girlfriend / wife.

Thats too bad. Didn't know that happened.

The Citadel doesn't get a battle streamer for shelling Fort Sumter? Is that because they didn't fight as a unit?

Buck Turgidson said:

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The Citadel doesn't get a battle streamer for shelling Fort Sumter? Is that because they didn't fight as a unit?

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According to Wikipedia, they are one of 5 colleges who earned battle streamers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Citadel

Also, there's something that Citadel gets to do on their uniforms similar to VMI. Might have been affix bayonets. I can't remember. I'll ask my daughter this weekend.

My friend's daughter just started at VMI this fall. Her dad was a graduate and it was her lifelong dream to attend. She's always been a rabid Trump fan, even when she lived in the liberal areas her dad got stationed at while in the army. Never shied away from her love of America, God, & Trump.

v1rotate92 said:

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Awesome. I'd be doubtful anything like that happened on the A&M quad???? It would have back in my day '91.

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When I was in the corps, there was some sort of feminist protest on a Sunday morning. They came marching on the quad squealing some nonsense, when somebody opened their window and yelled "Get back in the kitchen *****!" to many whoops.

I wonder if that would happen today?

Little Rock Ag said:

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AgBQ-00 said:

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I got to march in the gubernatorial inauguration parade when I was up there as an exchange cadet in spring 98. Was kinda fun sticking out like a sore thumb in Winter A's Marching with rifle and bayonet.


ETA: They wear their overcoats with the red lining showing because as a corps they shed blood during the civil war. At least that was what I was told when I was there.

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Based on research online, you are correct about the lining. And, VMI is the only military college/academy that is authorized to fly a battle streamer for their action in the Battle of New Market during the Civil War.

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My GGF was a New Market cadet and his cousin was one of the cadets killed in the battle. I was invited by the archivist to the 150th anniversary and got several of my cousins to attend. The New Market ceremony is Aggie Muster on steroids.