Ten young men along with Mr. Dement travelled to the Shenandoah Valley last week for a study in courage, character and leadership.  Side trips included a day in snowy Washington, D.C., where the group attended a play at Ford’s Theater, an examination of the battlefields at Gettysburg and Bull Run, and a tour of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. 

The course itself was held at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington.  Colonel Keith Gibson of VMI began the discussions with an overview of the history of the Institute and a behind the scenes tour of their vast collection of priceless 26,000 artifacts including the gun carried by Meriwether Lewis on the Lewis and Clark expedition.  Mr. Dement continued the weeks’ discussions with a detailed study of the 1864 Battle of New Market where 250 teenage cadets from VMI fought in a pitched battle during the War Between the States … and won.  Specific attention was given to individual acts of courage and valor during that battle.  The discussions concluded with a study of what it means to be a leader of courage and character along with personal applications, self-examination, and group feedback.  The week concluded with a cadet-guided tour of the Institute and viewing of the formal dress parade with all 1,800 cadets on review.