Fishburne Cadets Study Leadership through Marshall
Lexington, VA – Fishburne Military School Summer Cadets continued their leadership studies this week with an intensive look into the life and work of one of America’s most revered men, General George C. Marshall. The FMS JROTC Department sponsors and organizes this yearly trip to the George C. Marshall Research Library and Museum at the Virginia Military Institute in order to give Cadets a greater understanding of the obligations of leadership.
Fishburne Military School’s Senior Army Instructor, LTC Robert Hunt, USA(ret.), noted “This is always a tremendous learning opportunity and I think the Cadets took full advantage of it.”
Cadets were treated to a special tour given by Mr. Paul Barron, Director of Library and Archives for the George C. Marshall Foundation,
which included highlights such as General Marshall’s Nobel Peace Prize and insights into the planning and execution of the famous Marshall Plan. Barron noted later in a message to Hunt that Fishburne’s Cadets were “the most knowledgeable and motivated high school students that [we] have had the pleasure of working with since I have been at the foundation. Their pride was refreshing to see and their spontaneity and willingness to contribute their knowledge to the discussions of specific topics such as the role of the British Fleet in defending America, the geographic points of America’s defensive perimeter prior to World War II, and the challenges of providing logistic support in a two-ocean war was impressive. Please pass on to them our sincere appreciation for the interest they showed during the visit.”
1940 – FMS Battalion Commander William Hume & GEN Marshall review the Corps at Fishburne Military School (Waynesboro, VA).
Marshall, a 1901 graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, was a classmate and life-long friend of Fishburne Military School’s long-time instructor and superintendent, COL Morgan Hudgins. In 1940 Marshall became the first sitting Chief of Staff of the United States Army to visit Fishburne Military School. The long standing bond between FMS and VMI, which goes back to the very founding of Fishburne’s military program, helps to elevate the level of interest in and reverence for Marshall shown by cadets to this day.
“General Marshall’s life-long emphasis on duty over desire and statesmanship over politics,” Hunt goes on, “is something that anyone studying leadership should understand. The Marshall Museum is an outstanding resource for us to utilize in guiding our young men through important discussions as they are working to define their own leadership styles. The staff is amazing thorough and patient and they understand just what it is that these young men are here to learn.”
As a way of honoring Marshall’s service and his friendship with FMS, a portion of Fishburne’s entry fees this year will be used to purchase a book (Foch: Supreme Allied Commander in the Great War) that will be cataloged as a gift book from Fishburne to the library.
Fishburne Military School is the oldest and smallest of all military schools for boys in Virginia. Its college-prep curriculum is built upon the structure of an Army JROTC program. FMS is designated as a JROTC Honor Unit with Distinction and may nominate qualified candidates to the United States Service Academies. Fishburne hosts one of only four Summer JROTC programs in the nation, accredited by US Army Cadet Command.
