Congratulations VMI Class of 2013 Breakout

[bruno]

Rats no more. Congratulations to the class of 2013 at VMI on your Breakout yesterday. Despite close to a foot of new snow you "plowed on" and are now the newest class in Barracks.
Now- a word of caution-one less positive tradition is that GPAs often slump after breakout as the new 4th class Cadets forget some of the hard won study habits that were successful as Rats. Just because you can walk normally between your rooms up there on the 4th stoop and wrestle with your company mates without the fear of sudden interruptions doesn't mean that you should start trying to study in barracks and fool around on the stoop. The instructors on Monday will still be looking for the same level of work that you put in when you were Rats on Friday. So- good job with the breakout and keep bearing down with your studies.

Rah Virginia Mil- '13, '13- '13!!

 

[larry2013]

Thanks Bruno for the confirmation - I thought it should be over - as I read your post I got the phone call - My Ex-RAT sounded content, calm, but tired.
For any of you out there considering VMI or a parent of a student considering VMI - I would recommend it whole heartedly. As a single mom I did and do really appreciate all the infomation I gathered from this site. Especially Bruno's information and tidbits and the young graduate now - female who writes so well. I saw her post last year after breakout of her RAT - helped me understand and have knowledge of what lie ahead. I was very apprehensive about VMI - seeing that the ideals of our academcies might not be everyday practices, made me all the more concerned with VMI and image vs reality.
My observations of this first 6months at VMI -my son is surviving - he is in H company - i am sure had his share of stuff - has weathered well - has made some good friends, had a roommate quit soon after parents weekend, other 2 roommates are athletes so gone much of time,but he has a uncle dyke (who has his major) who has been wonderful -
so that's my recap -as condensed as I could be - my prayers were answered, my son found VMI to live up to his expectations, and their marketing. I am grateful for many things - vmi and nrotc are wonderful and informative to parents - have appreciated not being forgotten or ignored - it is my son that they are really interested in but as a parent I am thankful that they take the time and make sure the parent is informed and included. The mechanical enginerring department and his advisor have been terrific too - I really enjoyed the breakfast social during parents weekend. We followed the advice of VMI - my son attended STP, I signed up for a parent contact, and I tried to attend everything I could - during the RAT period, my son really appreciated my efforts. I sent encouraging emails, goodies for his food box, but my son did the biggest and hardest part - he is working hard, kept the finish line in sight, and was always ready to push himself as hard as he had to. My son really didnt complain much, his one low moment was after parent weekend when his roommate quit and left. Now he will begin the next phase as a cadet - I am looking forward to seeing him next month during mid winter formal weekend.
Thanks again Bruno, sincerely, I hung on your alumi words, advice, knowledge and that young lady who used to write as a senior last year - it helped me have some expectation and knowledge, for I really didn't know much more than marketing stuff VMI sent all those years of high school and we never visited before STP.
Bruno echos my few words of caution - now that the RAT thing is over, the cadets will have to be mature enough to balance enjoying these new freedoms with their studies to keep up their terrific grades. Its all part of their growing up - these cadets chose a different path than most of their friends and I continue to be very proud of the young adult they are becoming. Life is about choices and how one lives up to their honor, commitment, and values. VMI provides a wonderful environment that reinforces and celebrates these virtures.

 

[bruno]

I understand that they were supposed to have hauled a mack truck up the hill as part of their challenge, but the snow killed that idea. Don't know what their afternoon challenges were- I know the morning was basically a long PT session - as a cadre corporal my son went thru with them yesterday am and he was pretty smoked by the afternoon, but the Rats still a bunch of challenges in the afternoon/evening. Larry2013 - Did you get any details on what they did for breakout?

 

[larry2013]

Bruno
Sorry to say I did not - remain grateful for the call from him - I asked if the snow helped add alittle fun - his response was yes alittle, but that the 12 inches were not easy to walk in. Just said he had a lot of work to do, that he hadn't had anytime yet so he had to get to it. I asked if they could walk thru any arch - he said no he didnt think so, but he did have his phone.
My son is a man of few words, remembering the posts from last year - the bonding, experiences might not to shared with we outsiders, I didnt want to pry - from his girlfriend, who is here in town as a senior at HS, I may hear a few more details over time. I do train well and therefore knew I shouldnt tread - he may share later - it was only at thanksgiving table, surrounded by his uncle and grandfather when a general question was asked about the drumout we knew of earlier in year, did he go into an account of how many there had been - I know I was surprised that there had been several during the fall semester.
I appreciate, one again, hearing tidbits from you - my parent ontact has been great and her son is a sohpmore wthinin the cadre - so perhaps from her I will get more pieces -
I remain satified to know it occured, even with the snow, that they achieved their breakout. This is a regular, heavy class load semester for my cadet now - I would imagine he will need the extra time to attend to his studies.

 

[larry2013]

Remember, these RATS had weather has additional treat from the beginning - at matriculation, Gen said that it was the first matriculation day that it had poured -that mid morning it had POURED - so that the RATS had a snow feature added to their finale - is perhaps fitting!!
My council mom had mentioned friday something about a "hill" - she was just kind by consoling me that the storm, snow, would NOT delay the breakout - she did confirm that the whole week had been intense. I had received a short email on friday from my son, he had not had a good day with regard to a class quiz - but my VMI mom had reassured me that it was going on this weekend, that all the cadets were ready for it - that many upperclass had tough final semesters - so really all cadets needed to get down to classwork.
I tried to be positive, since my son loves the snow, loves his rifle, and now knife, and his cammies. The military exercises and activities are great as far as he is oncerned, I keep saying, if he could just get his degree in being a warrior, he would.
I hope that the RATS made themselves proud and the institute!

 

[ratdad]

Talked to my new Cadet today also. While he was still exhausted, I did get a bit of info. Apparently their afternoon event consisted of having to fight their way up to the 4th stoop as the final exercise. Each floor in each stairway was blocked off with sandbags. As they removed the sandbags from each stairwell and fought the corp up the next flight of stairs, the had a sweat party on each stoop. All the while they had to take all the sandbags out to the Parade ground and stack them while stopping others in the Corp from bringing them back in. The only way you're going to accomplish this is a a team. Great job Class of 2013!

 

[jfryan]

Belgian Waffle

My newbie ex-rat said he got up Sunday morning, had a Belgian waffle for breakfast, and then went back to bed for rest of the day.

He enjoyed watching the fuss over "all" the snow....it was but a dusting given there was no snow on ground....(he grew up skiing in Maine from Nov-April).

For those potential students/parents out there not sure if this is the right place, I can now only say don't be afraid to strongly reinforce this option. For an 18-yr old who had options at far more prominent institutions and frankly would have taken one of these options had his parents let him, his attitude changed dramatically between matriculation day and Thanksgiving. Yes, there must be an underlying ability to deal with discipline, but as I'm sure you know the pressure for most kids to go conventional is unyielding. Last May 1 was not a happy day and we thought Aug 21 would never come, (he wouldn't even consider STP) but from the bits of info he has shared with us these past few months (and more important what he's not said) has convinced us more than ever that he made the right decision.

Last funny thing.......he said he was really looking forward to going to classes on Monday......it was like another "first-day" at school!

 

[sprog]

Breakout in January, eh? What is the Corps coming to? Back in the Old Corps....Just kidding Congrats to the Class of 2013.

 

[bruno]

For those interested Moms, Dads, prospective cadets etc.. . they have the slide show and pictures posted on the VMI web site at the address below. Doesn't that look like fun- carrying their sandbags thru the snow and working out with them etc...?
http://www.vmi.edu/photojournals/0910/0910gallery.html

 

[NC Mom]

Thanks, Bruno, for posting that link. My son is so hoping to be able to attend VMI next year so I cannot wait to show him these pictures. He is inching closer to seeing his dream realized--he has received a 4 year AROTC scholarship, but it is not to VMI. He will be requesting to transfer the scholarship so our fingers remain crossed.

Was that your son I saw around picture 78 or so? I saw the name Bruno and assumed....

 

[bruno]

Thanks, Bruno, for posting that link. My son is so hoping to be able to attend VMI next year so I cannot wait to show him these pictures. He is inching closer to seeing his dream realized--he has received a 4 year AROTC scholarship, but it is not to VMI. He will be requesting to transfer the scholarship so our fingers remain crossed.

Was that your son I saw around picture 78 or so? I saw the name Bruno and assumed....

No I saw that too. In this case Bruno is a first name not a last

Good luck with the ROTC transfer. I know that there is at least one other person on the forum who has been successful in the last couple of weeks doing this- I would strongly urge you to get Col Worrell and the rest of the Army team at VMI to go to bat for you on this one- I am sure they will gladly do what they can to help you out on this one.
Good luck to your son!

 

[larry2013]

Bruno - thank you for link to photos -

 

[bruno]

They have posted a video of the Class of 2013's break out on the VMI Website- so here's a little intel on what you will be looking at next year if you are a prospective cadet, or what your kids went thru this year.
http://www.vmi.edu/photojournals/0910/0910videogallery.html
"Break Out" is just one of the things that imho have gotten much more professional in the last 34 years at VMI- hard but not insane (which is how I categorize my breakout)- as you can see from the video the (now former) Rats had one heck of a good culminating event in the middle of a snowstorm. congratualtions again 2013!

 

[RahVaMil2009]

It has certainly been interesting to watch how Breakout has evolved since the demise of Breakout Hill after the Class of 2007. That circuit course the Class of 2013 did in the morning? It was essentially copied and pasted from the Class of 2008's Breakout... for '09, '10, '12 and now '13.

I just remember crying when I went back to my room and saw the "VMI Class of 2009" coffee mug on my desk, a gift from the VMI Foundation... and then waking up the morning after, trying to roll over in my hay and suddenly remembering I was officially a Fourth Classman, since muscles I didn't even know I had were screaming at me to stay in bed. But I eventually dragged myself out of bed and then walked around the fourth stoop for hours, greeting and congratulating all my Brother Rats... just because we could finally walk like human beings, and we could "legally" talk to each other.

Congratulations, Class of 2013. Your hard work has paid off. But don't get too cocky... you won't truly belong until you're Seconds. You'll find out what I mean next year. In the meantime, learn as much as you can from your dykes. The Class of 2010 is an awesome class with some truly outstanding leaders.

Jackie M. Briski '09
First Class PVT (Ret.)

 

[LongGreyLine Hopeful]

Was that your son I saw around picture 78 or so? I saw the name Bruno and assumed....

Haha that's one of my co-dykes. I still can't get that sand out of my room from Breakout Day... I can honestly say that coming here has been the best decision I have ever made. Good luck in your quest to get the scholarship changed.