VMI to review training after cadet’s death
Published: November 9, 2009
LEXINGTON — Virginia Military Institute plans to review its training procedures following the death of a freshman who collapsed after completing a 10-mile march.
Col. Stewart MacInnis says the school will review everything that occurred to determine whether any procedures should be modified.
Nineteen-year-old John Alexander Evans of Highland, Md., collapsed in his barracks room after completing the training march with other members of his class Saturday. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after noon. The cause of death hasn’t been determined.
MacInnis says students must meet medical standards before they are admitted to the school.
Senior Matthew Graham says Evans gave no indication of trouble during the march.
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Reader Reactions
There were times when we, as VMI cadets, thought our administration was intractable and stubborn. Our perspective was limited, so we didn’t always appreciate why they took the stands they did. One thing we were grudgingly aware of was that the administration could be counted on to live out a principle they were trying to instill in us: mean what you say. I wonder, however, if the administration means what it says about “reviewing its training procedures”. Really? You either have “forced marches” as part of your training, or you do not. It’s hard to imagine military training without them. Has political correctness so permeated our culture that the administration feels it has to say this, or is eliminating these marches really on the table? I hope neither is true. Problem is, if they are just covering their PC bases…the Corps will pick up on that and an important principle of leadership will be sacrificed to the creeping cancer of political correctness.
I was saddened to hear of the death of this young man. My thoughts and prayers immediately went out to his family, his brother rats, and his cadre instructors. I’m sure the administration felt the same way. Wouldn’t it have been more in keeping with the VMI tradition to say this, mean it, and leave it at that?
A sad event however it probably was an undisclosed problem with the cadet. VMI doing the PC thing now is going to review procedures that have been used for many years without a problem. Why don’t they just wait until the medical report is issued?
How tragic and sad for the family and friends of this young man. They should be in all of our prayers.
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