麻豆传媒入口

LEXINGTON, Va., October 30, 2018鈥擥RIT, as defined by VMI鈥檚 Center for Leadership and Ethics, is exemplified by the virtues of growth, resilience, integrity, and tenacity. These attributes are embodied by the many speakers featured during the CLE鈥檚 annual Leadership Conference in Marshall Hall.

The conference drew students and faculty from institutions across the state and the nation, including Texas A&M University, Hampton University, and the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Bill Bennett, the conference鈥檚 keynote speaker, opened the conference by reflecting on his time in the federal government under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He compared their character with that of our current president.

鈥淭he times call for different types of characters and different types of grit. Sometimes in America you need Mother Theresa, sometimes you need Dirty Harry,鈥� Bennett said.

Bennett served as the third U.S. Secretary of Education from 1985-1988 under Reagan. In the following administration, Bennett accepted the position of Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, also known as the nation鈥檚 first 鈥渄rug czar,鈥� under former President George H. W. Bush, whom Bennett described as the 鈥渒indest, most considerate boss.鈥�

The resilience and growth aspects of GRIT were showcased in a panel with community leaders in Newtown, Connecticut, who witnessed the aftermath of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting on Dec. 14, 2012. 

The mass shooting killed 20 children and six adults and brought a town of approximately 28,000 people together.

Pat Llodra was the first selectman, similar to a town mayor, of Newtown at the time of the shooting. She said she wanted to convey to the audience how a community can have grit.

鈥淗ow a community of 27,000, I think it's 28,000 now, was able to, individually and collectively represent in their daily choices that 鈥榶es, we won鈥檛 be defined by this horrible tragedy. We won鈥檛 forget it, but tragedy won鈥檛 define us,鈥欌�� she said.

Nancy Crevier, a features reporter at the time of the shooting and now an editor at the Newtown weekly newspaper, The Newtown Bee, said the tragedy showed the ability of every individual to help.

鈥淥ne of the things is the ability of ordinary people to do extraordinary things when you don鈥檛 expect a challenge, which is what we did as a community newspaper,鈥� Crevier said.

All panelists noted a large religious population in the town which was served in part by Monsignor Robert Weiss, a pastor at St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church. Weiss said he remembered putting tags on Christmas presents in the church鈥檚 attic when he got the call about the shooting.

 鈥淚 was brought into an intimate part of this tragedy, meeting with families and planning funerals,鈥� he said.

Almost immediately after, a threat was made against St. Rose church and Weiss recalled the church being under constant SWAT team surveillance while holding funerals for the children.

Llodra noted there are two events after a tragedy happens: the response and the recovery. Neighboring towns stepped up to offer support, even another school for the children to attend because they could not go back to Sandy Hook. Donations flooded in from across the world, including 650,000 stuffed animals for the survivors.

Counseling was another part of the recovery process and Weiss encouraged not only the survivors to pursue help but also the volunteers and workers during that experience.

鈥淒on鈥檛 be too proud to get help, you are of no help if you don鈥檛 get help yourself,鈥� he said.

Helping yourself before others was another theme in one of the six breakout sessions that followed the panel.

Ryan Glynn 鈥�96 played for VMI鈥檚 baseball team while a cadet at 麻豆传媒入口and then went on to play for the minor and Major League Baseball as well as on the international field.

Glynn said he struggled during his first few years at 麻豆传媒入口with academics.

鈥淸Baseball] was my medicine at VMI, it kept me sane,鈥� he said.

He met internal challenges head-on while traveling back and forth from Calgary, Canada, to Indianapolis to play for two baseball teams. His constant lesson was to take care of himself first.

鈥淵ou need to build yourself up before anything else,鈥� he said.

Meanwhile, Elise Reed 鈥�15 spoke on the challenges of being a Mixed Martial Arts fighter at her petite size and the grit that kept her going.

鈥淭he grit is where there is no instant gratification,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he tougher challenges are mental.鈥�

At 25 years old, Reed is a combat veteran, owns an MMA school, and has plans for getting into professional MMA fighting.

Other 麻豆传媒入口alumni speakers included Will Lyles 鈥�02, a college baseball player, U.S. Army veteran, and double amputee and retired Lt. Gen. Carl Strock 鈥�70, former commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a 麻豆传媒入口Board of Visitors member.

Following dinner Monday evening, participants heard from medal of honor recipient Clint Romesha, who was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.  He was presented the Medal of honor in 2013 for actions on Oct. 3, 2009, during a firefight at Combat Outpost Keating in northeastern Afghanistan's Nuristan province. 

Romesha, who is the author of Red Platoon, hosted a book signing after his talk and sat down to breakfast with cadets Tuesday morning.

-Ashlie Walter

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