Nazi Costumes Prompt Probe
Student panel at Virginia Military Institute investigating incident at barracks Halloween party
RICHMOND, Va. -- A student panel at the Virginia Military Institute is investigating a barracks Halloween party in which cadets dressed as Nazi soldiers, a malnourished African and a sailor with a bull's-eye taped to the seat of his pants.
Officials at the public college in Lexington were alerted to the photos after they were posted this week on an independent Internet message board.
"We're just very disappointed by the poor judgment shown by the cadets, and disappointed by the inappropriateness of the costumes they were wearing," VMI spokesman Stewart MacInnis said Friday. "We expect more of our cadets."
MacInnis said the matter is being turned over to an organization within the Corps of Cadets. "The corps will be policing itself -- under the supervision of the administration of VMI," he said.
The pictures are from an October event, a Halloween tradition in which cadets dress in costumes.
VMI supporters defended the students' right to enjoy themselves during a break from their rigorous training.
"You have no idea what we go through here at VMI, and if the cadets and rats choose to have fun on Halloween, you should not have anything to say about it," a VMI cadet wrote in postings accompanying the photos on a Web site operated by the Richmond Independent Media Center.
"Just remember, we are the future leaders of America, and we will be the ones defending your rights," the cadet said.
But another posting read: "If we're using public money to train young men to carry guns and represent America abroad, it is all of our business what their idea of 'fun' is. The Nazis were not funny. Gay-bashing is not funny. Black-face is not funny. ... What kind of education are these kids receiving that they think any of this is appropriate?"
News of the indicent comes just a few weeks after Prince Harry of Great Britain raised a storm by dressing as a Nazi at a costume party. On Friday world leaders and Holocaust survivors gathered in Poland for ceremonies to mark 60 years since the liberation of Auschwitz, the Nazis' most notorious death camp.
