© July 16, 1996
Headine: VMI GROWS UP
Carol Simpson, mother of a VMI cadet, attacked the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to allow women to attend VMI (letter, July 17).
Speaking from experience, VMI is in for significant changes. As a 1987 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and a career officer for more than eight years, I can testify that women have served and will continue to serve our country with honor and distinction. The idea that a female pilot can be blown out of the sky but shouldn't be allowed to "break out" as a VMI rat is ludicrous. Most of the harassment and hazing that Mrs. Simpson thinks are so critical to the development of the VMI cadet have nothing to do with the founding traditions of VMI. Its roots can be traced back to the admission of Ivy League students who brought with them their associated fraternal "birth right," of the freshman initiation. That's where the negative "bonding" comes from that Mrs. Simpson so easily associates with character development.
Yes, VMI is going to change. Women's heads will not be shaved clean. And women will not be required to run as fast, jump as high or do as many push-ups as male cadets. So what?
What VMI will become is a taxpayer-supported school providing the best education and military indoctrination possible, a unique and very different education experience offered to all members of our society, not just young men.
David Beemer
Virginia Beach, VA
