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DAVID MARCUS: Only Hegseth can save storied Virginia Military Institute from woke state lawmakers

20 118
08.02.2026

Virginia Military Institute cadets Devin Auzenne and Mike Ferrara discuss Democrats threatening to pull funding from their school on ‘America’s Newsroom.’

The last time that Virginia Military Institute was nearly destroyed was when Union troops set it ablaze during the Civil War. Today, a new threat to this storied college is coming from within the Old Dominion itself in the form of woke Democrat politicians.

Measures before the Virginia Legislature, in response to allegations of systemic racism at the institution, could not only strip the oldest state-run military college in the nation of its independence, but also cut off funding it needs to exist.

Last week, the Department of War, under Secretary Pete Hegseth, took to social media to back up VMI, writing that "the stability of this proven leadership pipeline is a matter of direct national security interest" and that the department "reserves the right to take extraordinary measures to protect the integrity of VMI."

VMI cadets are pushing back against Virginia Democrats’ proposed investigations, warning that the legislation could strip funding and threaten the survival of the historic military college. (Courtesy of VMI)

Having spent some time this week in Lexington, Virginia, the mountainous home of VMI, it is clear that not only is the college a national treasure, it is very much a local one as well.

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"VMI is the beating heart of Lexington," Melinda, an educator who has lived in the town for........

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