Battalion Stories

Growing up right outside West Point, Dylan Poley ’27 knew he wanted to be a cadet somewhere when he went to college.

For Emily Ward ’27, VMI stood by her when injury changed her college plans — and she kept pushing forward. Now, the International Studies major, VMI soccer player and Delta Company executive officer is preparing to commission into the U.S. Army while leading her team as a 1st Class cadet.

Jai Vijayan ’26, an economics and business major at Virginia Military Institute, researched military logistics during World War II for his honors project, “Move and Maintain: American Last-Mile Logistics in the Solomon Islands Campaign, 1942-1944.”

Playing a part in the bigger picture was one of Jackson Geisendaffer’s ’28 goals when he came to Virginia Military Institute. He wanted a school that would challenge him to be the best leader and prepare him to move forward, especially when those plans are to commission into the U.S. Army.

The George C. Marshall Leadership and Awards Seminar brought together 65 of the nation’s top Army ROTC cadets for two days of leadership development, military strategy discussions, and engagement with senior leaders, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine ’90.

For the second year in a row, the Virginia Military Institute Army ROTC Ranger Challenge team won the bronze medal at Exercise Cambrian Patrol, the British Army’s premier patrolling event held Oct. 3-12 in the Brecon Beacons, a mountain range in Wales in the United Kingdom.

A sense of discipline is what drew Amari Benjamin ’27 to Virginia Military Institute. Benjamin, an economics and business major, plans on commissioning into the U.S. Army.

Jeremiah Wilks ’25, an international studies major from VMI, originally planned to attend law school but was inspired during his time at the Institute to commission into the U.S. Army as an infantry officer.

A group of 49 Virginia Military Institute cadets, along with VMI Army ROTC staff members, marched in the Army’s 250th Birthday Parade in Washington, D.C., June 14, to commemorate the founding of the U.S. Army in 1775. The Army is the oldest of the six branches of the U.S. armed forces.

Kevin Garroway ’25 wanted a challenge. All it took was one visit to Virginia Military Institute and he could see how different it was from other schools. He was sold.

What started out as a foggy, misty morning, warmed into a bright afternoon as nearly 170 Virginia Military Institute cadets commissioned into the armed services in Cameron Hall, May 15 at the annual Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) joint commissioning ceremony.

College was the last thing on Cameron Thomas’ ’27 radar in high school. Instead, he was looking to enlist in the military once he graduated. That was until he started track his junior year, specifically competing in pole vault.

2nd Lt. Janine Colantonio ’23 graduated from Ranger School January 24, 2025. Her journey was more than just a test of physical endurance—it was a crucible of leadership, self-discipline, and perseverance.

Seventy cadets from Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine ROTC programs competed in a series of challenging tasks attempting to earn a German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge (GAFPB).

Eight Virginia Military Institute Army ROTC cadets — members of Ranger Challenge, the “varsity sport” of the Army ROTC program — made history when they traveled to the Welsh mountains of the UK to participate in Exercise Cambrian Patrol, the British Army’s premier patrolling event in early October.