LEXINGTON, Va. Aug. 16, 2023 — It’s day two of Cadre Week at Virginia Military Institute.  

Bryson Minear ’24 is the S3 captain. He’s in charge of the operations for the Corps of Cadets at VMI.  

“Cadre are the essence of what VMI produces and to continue the tradition of VMI, one must live and breathe the values,” Minear said.

Cadre Week is a five-day training event that all cadre and support staff take part in. The week is packed with simulations, training, and planning in preparation for the incoming rats on Matriculation Day, Minear said. His role as the S3 captain is to oversee the Corps, especially during Cadre Week and Matriculation Week, making sure cadre and rats are in the right place, at the right time, and in the right uniform. S3 is in charge of operations and is responsible for planning and executing plans to accomplish assigned missions.

Who are cadre?  

Cadre are hand-picked, experienced upper-class cadets who are responsible for teaching the incoming rat class.  

“Becoming cadre is a highly competitive process,” Minear said. “It involves physical fitness assessments, interviews, and an application process.” 

Becoming cadre also starts with a cadet’s academics, Joshua Kent ’24, future operations lieutenant of the S3 staff, said. Cadre must exemplify they have full control over their studies before anything else. Physical fitness also plays a big role, along with the ability to collaborate with others.  

Cadre’s goal is to teach discipline, precision, humility, obeying orders, and self-control. They’re needed for the rats to earn the status of 4th Class cadet and make it through the Rat Line.  

“Being cadre means that you must hold yourself to the highest standard and perform all your duties above and beyond your peers,” Minear said. “Being Cadre is a privilege and is extremely rewarding to influence young men and women.”  

The week before matriculation is Cadre Week, which provides cadre with the opportunity to train and hone their teaching skills before the rats arrive. 

“This week is the chance to plan and get as prepared as possible for the rats to arrive,” Minear said.  

Minear said that everyone comes to VMI on an even playing field — it doesn’t matter what you did in high school, every new cadet is treated equally.  

“The saying ‘Iron sharpens iron’ is never more accurate than at VMI,” he said. “A new cadet leans on his or her brother rats to be successful throughout the Rat Line at VMI. The cadre teach the standard, and your brother rats hold you to the standard after the cadre’s role is complete.” 

Being a cadre member means that you are a leader, Kent said.  

“You have others looking up to you and you are to exemplify what the right thing to do is, always. We are the role models,” he said.

He said it’s about practice, repetition, and patience.  

“Rome was not built in one day, but with a lot of hard work and dedication, things were able to be formed just like how we transform these high school graduates into VMI Cadets,” he said.  

Cadre Week is spent making sure standards are being met, Kent said. His role is to serve as battalion liaison for planned activities and to also oversee accountability for his staff.  

Some major events during Cadre Week include:   

• Cadre Drill Block, where cadre sergeants prepare a set script of how to teach drills and ceremonies to the new cadets.  
• Crucible rehearsals, which is running through the culminating event of Matriculation Week  
• Nightly commanders meeting where all the cadet captains and regimental executive officers get together and get ready for the next day of training. 
• Rat room set up, where cadre help prep the rooms for the incoming Rat Mass.  

Inspections, march-ups, and more 

Uniform inspections are conducted once to twice a week and on random occurrences, Minear said. Each company commander will call their respective companies to open ranks march where each platoon provides more space between its ranks allowing room for the inspectors. Inspectors are company sergeants and officers of the S staff, usually accompanied or observed by the company tactical officer, which is a member of the commandant’s staff that advises the company. Each inspector is inspected by a commanding officer prior to them inspecting others.  

“The inspectors go person-by-person checking head-to-toe making sure all brass and shoes are shined, the uniform is clean and serviceable, and one has a clean shave and professional haircut,” Minear said. 

“We look for anything from the tip of the shoe being shined all the way up to the cleanliness of the cover,” Kent added 

Cadre also practices march-ups and march-ins, which are very intense.

“We strive for perfection, and it takes a lot of time and preparation to achieve the effect we desire to receive,” Kent said. “We want to open with our best welcome for the incoming freshmen.”  

March-up is a long-standing tradition at VMI, and it’s also the first time rats meet their cadre. 

“On Matriculation Day when the march up occurs, it is supposed to feel intense, nerve-racking, and stressful for the matriculants,” Laini Morgan ’25, S3 operations sergeant, said. “Because of that, and because it is the last chance to get any discrepancies fixed, march-up practices are taken seriously so once Matriculation Day comes it can be executed flawlessly. Everyone included in the march-up is expected to have a perfect bearing, no laughing or looking around, and know how to march correctly and professionally.”   

Morgan said the amount of influence cadre have on incoming rats is a huge responsibility, and something that is taken seriously.  

“Being cadre means that you directly work with the incoming freshmen, training and evaluating their progress, while they work toward becoming a cadet,” she said. “You are held to a high standard within the Corps and are expected to hold others to that same standard that has been set.”  

Lawrence Porter ’24, 3rd Battalion S3 lieutenant, said being cadre means you are the role model for hundreds of rising college students who want to become model citizens.  

“It carries a lot of responsibility but when done right, it has a positive impact on the futures of the incoming rats,” he said. 

Cadre Week has a lot of moving parts when it comes to planning, time, and the effort needed to be put in for the upcoming year.  

“Cadre Week is arguably the most vital week for the VMI,” Kent said.  

Laura Peters Shapiro
Photos by Lexie West
Communications & Marketing
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE