VMI Cyber Corps

Alumni and Friends of VMI:

Cyber Corps Numbers: 522

Big News, Bad News and Bad News

The Big News:

VMI coach fired

.c The Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) -- VMI coach Ted Cain, whose teams have won only one of 21 games during his two seasons at the school, was fired Monday.

``Plainly, the program has not made the progress we wanted and frankly expected,'' Superintendent Josiah Bunting III said in a statement.

The firing will take effect immediately. Athletic director Donny White will coach the Keydets' season-finale Saturday against The Citadel.

Under Cain, the Keydets went 0-11 last year and are 1-9 this year. Before coming to VMI, Cain spent 11 years as the offensive coordinator at North Carolina State.

Cain's lone victory at VMI was a 26-7 season-opening rout of Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. The Keydets have been embarrassed most every week since and have been outscored 432-137 through 10 games.

In the only game that was not a blowout, VMI squandered a 38-35 lead over Morehead State on Oct. 24 by allowing the Eagles to kick two field goals in the final 56 seconds. Afterward, Cain took the blame.

In the final two minutes, with the scored tied at 38, Cain pulled freshman starting quarterback Aaron Mitchell in favor of more experienced sophomore Robbie Chenault. Two plays later, Chenault was intercepted.

This year's losses include routs of 49-0 by William & Mary, 63-7 by Georgia Southern, 45-7 by Chattanooga and 51-0 by Appalachian State last Saturday.

Bad News: In football...Citadel 36 VMI 10

Bad News II: In basketball...Elon 85 VMI 84 (by the way...VMI led by 10 at the half).

How About Some Great News?: If you watched the A&E program on Chesty Puller earlier in the week you know it was great. Very impressive. I don't know if A&E will air it again, but if you missed it the first time, be sure and catch it next time around.

Thankful for the Memories: The following recently appeared on the Electronic Turnouts. These really bring back some vivid memories. Enjoy.

•Fri Nov 6 09:09:11 1998
"Can't we all just get along?" The (sometimes) contentious exchanges
earlier this week got me thinking about my own VMI experience. Here are
some things my BR TCHIII and I remember from our early cadetship. HG '72

Forming up on the bricks and marching to each class

Doing 2 Formal Guard Mounts a week

Walking Post #3 or #4 Outside Barracks during Evening CQ

Walking the Combined Post #1/Post #2 After Taps

Being on Quarter Guard, missing class and getting that steak dinner

Reporting to a Second's or Third's Room at RQ and then RACING back to
the room to beat the stick at Taps.

Being in your BR's Room when the stick hit (Either after or BEFORE it
got to your room)

Marching PTs

Looking at the Room status board just before DRC (or forgetting to)

That first time you went to an HC guy with a question

Hating to go to SRC because of all the "attention" you got at the table
when there was time for the upperclassmen to grill you

Dumping food on the table

Snorkeling on the Island when they served pudding

Catching the cereal bowl (or missing the glass) that came flying right
after the cadre Sgt banged it on the table

Opening a brand new jar of peanut butter

Making the company sheets for pep rallies

The feeling you got in the pit of your stomach for the rest of the day
when they announced in the mess hall, "Will all representatives of the
RDC report to the First Captains Table"

Those first few morning formations during cadre when it was so foggy you
could not see the next company... but you could HEAR them.

The first time a group got up enough nerve to yell out, "THIRDS EAT
SHIT"

Going to church at home during Christmas furlough in your coatee

Seeing the back of barracks at the end of Christ

•Fri Nov 6 09:22:58 1998
Here's the rest of my last Turnout. HG '72

Seeing the back of barracks at the end of Christmas furlough

Going up to the RDC

Trifling with a member of the Regimental staff

Sitting at the Regimental staff table as a "guest rat"

Getting drunk with your BRs at the Roanoke Corps trip game against VPI

Running the block

Not waking your dyke up until "big toot" and still making it to ranks by
"shake a leg"

Doing a favor for a guy whose guts you couldn't stand, just because he's
a BR

Boning yourself

Getting shot down by your high school honey

Going to mixers to get out of barracks on Saturday nights and spending
the whole time there shooting the $#!^ with your BRs

•Fri Nov 6 10:28:19 1998
To HG '72, I really, really enjoyed your post. I'd forgotten some of
those (I fondly remember my wife's reaction when I showed her how we
opened a brand new jar of peanut butter ... "that's what you learned at
VMI?")
Here are some more:
Standing on the top of House Mountain with my BRs
Making up and singing chanteys during our Company run
Looking out my window for no particular reason
My first waking moments during my first hearing of the roll of the drums
in the dark of the night
My first non-Crozet meal and beer in a Lexington restaurant
My first trip beyond limits gates after midnight
Yelling with outrage at a BR for telling me to march correctly during
class formation with a Tac Officer standing right behind me
My first 5-1-5
Doing well on an exam after staying up for 48 hours
Marching with the Corps on Friday with the sun making every sweat gland
work overtime
Marching with the Corps on Friday wishing I had thermal underwear
Hearing the banging of the steam heat coming on in barracks
The first time my Rat rolled my hay
My Rat's first soda run
Talking to my Rat about what VMI means to me
And, of course, the last formation on Graduation day
Nick Savage, 81

•Fri Nov 6 11:04:44 1998
Since I'm often accused of not having anything good to say about VMI,
and since others are apparently in the mood, here are a few of the good
things I remember about VMI - at least, I remember them as good now.
Being clueless on matriculation day.
Being threatened with grevious bodily harm if I stepped off with the
wrong foot just one more time. The fear of learning my dyke was my
company's rep to the RDC. Learning the meaning of Honor Code, and of
accepting responsibility for your actions. Drums in the night. Rain
capes and radiators. The first Rat Sentinel (ours graduated). Laying
awake at night waiting for the rumored resurection. Hearing the kicking
in of doors coming your way when the rumors proved true. Trying to do
pushups in a room with fifty other BRs trying to do the same. The pride
of our parade out of rat dyke. Driving a vehicle on post - without a
license. Breakout - getting pinned against a wire strung across the top
of the stairs on the third stoop and being freed and lifted over it by
some unknown BR.
Hanging our roommate, in his rolled up hay, from the plumbing in the
room. Throwing snowballs at Rats slithering along the ratline on the
fourth stoop. As a gunner on the Cadet Battery, firing my first (and
last) salute - out of sequence. The Battalion on Battalion snowball
fight on the parade deck and feeling sorry for that poor SOB that got
caught out in the middle and was pelted by both sides.
Australian rappel. Panty raids and jock raids. Formation runs up
Hospital Hill. The Ranger Pit. Colonel Nichols. Admiral "you can't push
on a rope" Seay. Colonel "Bucky" Buchanan.
Introducing new rats to the Ratline in the main sinks. Collecting radios
on the fourth stoop. That TEI on the Hill in the snowstorm. SNI. My blue
rack. Sending Rats and Thirds up, but seldom turning in the cards.
Laying in ambush on Rice mountain during Rat Training and being the
coldest I've ever been in my life. Always wondering whether my roommate
was going to blow up our room. Absolute trust in a BR. Returning for
Cadre.
Boning myself as OD for being "improperly dressed in the guard room"
after my BRs were kind enough to involve me in the time honored
tradition of burning straight pants. Still having these strange bald
spots on my legs as reminders of four years of straight pants ( I was
quite happy to see them burned). Again, as OD, boning the brand new
president of the Fourth Class on the night he was elected when he darted
out of his room improperly dressed and almost ran into me. The Class of
1974 forcing the Administration to back down on their plan to take away
our ability to schedule our own exams. Having the closest friends I've
ever, or will ever, have. Learning to recognize my strengths. Learning
to live with my weaknesses. Learning to stand my ground.
The ecstasy and sorrow of graduation.
Gene Rice '74

From the Potomac River Chapter:
The Potomac River Chapter held its Founder's Day Dinner on Nov. 9 at the Fairview Park Marriott, Falls Church, VA. Forty-four alumni, including several wives, had dinner to commemorate VMI's founding. The guest speaker was BG Alan Farrell, Dean of Faculty, who talked about what VMI is doing to improve the school's academic programs. He also addressed a number of other topics and provoked an excellent question and answer session. He is a fine speaker, and other chapters should plan to have him come to chapter activities.

The Chapter's next activity will be a breakfast on Dec. 19 at the Holiday Inn on Eisenhower Road in Alexandria. Speaker will be Jim Adams, the new executive director of the VMI Foundation. Breakfast starts at 8 a.m. and costs $10 per person.

And Yet Another Cyber Baby: Jon and Sophie Paul '89 are pleased to announce the birth of their first child, Margaux Isabelle. She joined the junior Cyber Corps on Oct. 20 weighing in at 8 lbs., 1 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. Everyone is doing great in the Paul household.

That's it for this week.

Yours in the Spirit,
RB Lane '75

Back to Cyber Corps Page

Back to the Main Page

Last Updated: October 11, 2009

Site Created by: Richard L. Neff II, '90 - Network Technologies Group