Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 7, 1993 TAG: 9304070211
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C5 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: Madelyn Roseberg
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
CADETS GET GOVERNOR'S PARDON
Virginia Military Institute cadets - dressed in formal grey - whooped, hollered and hugged Tuesday after Gov. Douglas Wilder cleared them of all of their restrictions, confinement and penalty tours.While demerits will remain on their records, "they all get a blank check," said Col. Leroy Hammond, assistant to the provost.
Cadets receive penalty tours for a variety of infractions: going to town after taps, being late to class or formation. Amnesty can be granted by the superintendent, the governor or the president.
All 1,300 cadets - about 600 of them facing some sort of restriction - stood outside of barracks Tuesday, waiting for the governor to utter those words they had longed to hear.
"The VMI Corps of Cadets is one of the commonwealth's real treasures," Wilder said. "For the continued tradition of serving in the commonwealth and the nation, I hearby grant amnesty to the corps for all confinement and penalty tours."
Wilder also asked that the cadets who were not on restriction be rewarded, a trend started by former Gov. Charles Robb.
The reward?
"In this case, they'll have permission to stay in bed late for two days," Hammond said.
Before walking across the parade grounds to his waiting helicopter, Wilder told the cadets: "Good luck and God bless. Now go and sin no more."
Hammond said Wilder's final words likely wouldn't stick. "There will be more back on confinement by tomorrow morning," he said.
One cadet, late to formation, scurried through a barracks window to take his position to wait for the governor.
Hammond tapped his breast pocket. "I wrote down his name," he said.
The governor last granted amnesty to the corps in October 1991.