UPDATE 7:06 p.m.: It was cheers from cadets, armed service members, and spectators for Vice President Mike Pence at Virginia Military Institute.
“It is great to be here to honor the Virginia Military Institute,” Pence said as he approached the podium at Cameron Hall.
The Vice President listed the accomplishments of the Trump Administration for our nation’s military, a military he says was left hollow before this administration came along.
“…the largest pay raise in nearly ten years, and President Donald Trump signed the largest increase in our national defense since the days of Ronald Reagan. We rebuilt our military,” he exclaimed.
Not all of VMI’s cadets are commissioning in the armed forces, but one cadet was inspired by the Vice President’s words.
“I thought it was pretty cool,” said Cadet Anna Armfield. “Beforehand, I was excited and looking forward to it. When we found out this past week he was coming, it was really motivating.”
Armfield is commissioning in the Navy, and said the Vice President’s finals words of advice on how to be a leader really hit home for her.
“I’ve concluded that the three most important qualities in any human endeavor are humility, orientation to authority, and self-control,” the Vice President said in his speech.
“Leadership is what we learn here, so that was perfect what he said,” Armfield said. “It matches VMI’s morals and trainings.”
As he prepared to leave, Pence said it’s places like VMI that builds a strong foundation for leadership.
Pence said “…because now more than ever, America needs leaders like VMI to lead our nation forward.”
The Vice President also touched on the September 11th attacks. He noted many of the cadets probably don’t have any memory of that day.
He noted how it was the September 11th attacks that made many answer the call to serve our nation overseas. Now, even though they have no memories of the tragedy, many of these cadets are still answering the call, keeping our nation safe for another generation.
UPDATE 2:47 P.M.: Vice President Mike Pence flew into Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport instead of landing at Virginia Military Institute. Heavy rain was reported in Washington around the time he was scheduled to depart.
ORIGINAL STORY:
LEXINGTON, Va. (WFXR) — Vice President Mike Pence will address cadets at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington Thursday afternoon.
“VMI is fortunate to be able to attract such prominent speakers to provide our Corps of Cadets an opportunity to learn from their leadership,” said Gen. J. H. Binford Peay, VMI superintendent. “Both Vice President Pence and, VMI’s own, Secretary McCarthy have many experiences upon which to draw in imparting their wisdom and contributing to our mission of forming citizen soldiers. We are grateful for their willingness to visit with us.”
Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, a VMI grad, will accompany the Vice President to Lexington.
WFXR News has a reporter on post and we will livestream the Vice President’s speech here on WFXRtv.com and on the WFXR News app when it begins shortly after 2 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 10.
