Funding for the Virginia Military Institute is threatened by legislative action

The last time the Virginia Military Institute was nearly destroyed was when Union soldiers burned it down during the Civil War. But today, a new threat to this storied college comes from within the Old Dominion itself, in the form of resurgent Democrat politicians.

Actions before the Virginia Legislature, in response to allegations of institutional discrimination at the institution, could not only strip the nation’s oldest military college of its independence, but also cut off much-needed funding.

Last week, the Department of the Army, under Secretary Pete Hegseth, took to social media to support VMI, writing that, “the stability of this proven leadership pipeline is a matter of direct national security interest” and that the department “reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI.”

After spending time this week in Lexington, Va., the mountainous home of VMI, it’s clear that the college is not only a national treasure, but a local one as well.

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“VMI is the beating heart of Lexington,” Melinda, a teacher who has lived in the city for decades, told me. “I can’t imagine the place without it.”

I met John, who graduated from VMI in the early 2000s and who said about sexism and racism, “people who hate VMI hate VMI because they think it represents the Confederacy.” He emphasized that the accusations are exaggerated because all cadets live by the same code of conduct.

Even the group of anti-President Donald Trump protesters I met on a cold Friday afternoon had small but glowing things to say about VMI.

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“We are disappointed with the dismissal of the superintendent,” said Annette, referring to Maj. Gen. Cedric Wins, the school’s first black principal, was fired last year. “But we all love VMI.”

Republican lawmakers blamed Democratic Gov. Abigail Spanberger and renewed DEI efforts in what they described as a psychological push that could jeopardize the oldest state-supported military college. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images / Photo by Greg Nelson /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)

So, if basically everyone in Lexington thinks VMI is great, and if it gave America great military leadership, from Gen. George S. Patton to Gen. George C. Marshall, why on the block?

Because of the insatiable desire to destroy wokism.

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VMI is inextricably linked to the history of the Confederacy. Its most famous trainer was Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, whose preserved horse can be visited in the college’s museum. But during the 20th century, the school came to terms with this, often bending over backwards to do so.

Take for example the historical marker for Benjamin West Clinedinst’s famous painting “The Billing of Cadets in the New Market.” It reads as follows:

“Although the “Charge of New Market Companies” was completed at a time in American history when ‘lost cause,’ ideas were prevalent in Virginia, today the painting serves the VMI community not as a monument to a Confederate victory, or a tribute to the Confederacy…”

This is what political correctness used to look like, apologizing for disrespecting your culture when no one asked for it. But waking up is different. Awakening cannot tolerate the presence of association with past evil.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the IRS news points to ‘what we are doing to rebuild our military.’ (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Even my hotel, which has been around for almost a century as Robert E. Lee, has a new name. The only remaining reference to Lee is a plaque indicating that the elevator is an original Otis car that was installed in 1926.

History erasure is lurking around every corner, and now it’s coming to VMI.

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The commander of the Union army who fired and destroyed a large part of VMI in 1864, over his own objections, was a Delaware man named Henry A. Du Pont, who in 1914, as a member of the United States parliament, passed a law to restore the school for the damage he had done.

These are the kinds of stories that echo through the halls of the Institute, tales of imperfect men in an imperfect nation, working toward greater perfection. If you’re quiet on campus, on a cold, cold winter’s day, you can’t hear them.

Last week, the VMI Class of 2001 wrote an open letter to Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, which was published in the Lexington Gazette. Two things are notable about this class: It was the first class to include women, and it was successful in battle.

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“We included women in the army at a time when the nation doubted that it could be done,” the letter reads. “We’ve produced citizen soldiers of all races and backgrounds who train, serve, and bond together. We didn’t prove this by example. We proved it in Fallujah, Kandahar, Korengal, and military funerals throughout the Commonwealth.”

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With Democrats clearly in control of political power in Virginia, the threat to VMI’s funding and future is real, which is why it is so important that Hegseth and the Department of Defense make it clear that they are the backbone of keeping this special place running.

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A nation and its people are its history and few institutions hold as much as VMI. The town and community are its centers, old and storied places, and in Lexington, which is VMI.

Long may the Virginia Military Institute and its traditions endure.

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