Nguyen ’27: Regimental Commander

Hometown: Chantilly, Virginia

Major: Computer and Information Sciences

Commissioning: U.S. Marine Corps

Involvement on Post: Cadre member 3rd and 2nd Class years, swim and dive team member 4th and 3rd Class years.

Q: What’s interesting about your family?

A: “Both my grandfathers served for the South Vietnamese fighting alongside the U.S. in the Vietnam War, and that’s kind of how my whole family got here. …We were just escaping that war, and one of my grandfathers was actually a prisoner of war in that conflict.”

Q: What was your path to VMI?

A: “I grew up swimming, and originally, I committed to another Division I school. I knew a lot of people at VMI who were swimming here, especially a 1st Class cadet named Tommy Lees ’24. He’s in my dyke’s room, and seeing how VMI kind of developed him, and just knowing him all my life, and then now seeing him as a 1st Class cadet changed my perspective on what VMI can really do to a person.”

Q: What do you remember most about matriculation?

A: “I knew that after this day, my journey at VMI was going to start, and I wasn’t going to see my parents much, but it was going to be all worth it because I knew when I saw them again, I would be a different person.”

Q: What did you learn from the Rat Line experience?

A: “The further you lean into our system, the more you get out of that. And once you realize that’s actually a thing and people aren’t just saying it, then it really becomes rewarding. It becomes a reason why you stay.”

Q: Why did you apply to become regimental commander?

A: “Originally, I applied for the Alpha Company commander, but then, after a conversation with Colonel Faust [’96] and Sergeant Major Sowers, I ultimately decided to switch my application. I credit a lot of it to the regimental executive officer, as well. He’s played a big role in encouraging me to step up in these shoes and just try my best to apply for it. And so I did, and now I’m leading the school with some of my best friends.”

Q: What was it like to hear your name called in Memorial Hall?

A: “When I got my name called up, it was pretty crazy. I remember walking up the aisle, and everyone was super excited and everything. And it … really showed me that VMI has this great support system that fosters all your BRs to really cheer on all of us.”

Q: What would you like alumni to know about the state of the Corps?

A: “The state of the Corps is great. I think we have set a really high standard for the Old Corps—that often gets overlooked. But then we’re also involving a lot of the Old Corps in operations for the Rat Line for next year. Involving the whole Corps just sets that whole standard of we are one Corps, one VMI.”

Q: What do you want the Rat Mass of 2027+3 to understand?

A: “One thing I want the rats to mainly see is it doesn’t matter where you were before VMI. Once you get to VMI, we all start at zero, and from there you can do whatever you want at this school. I want them to know that whatever happened to them, or what they did or what they’ve done before VMI, none of that matters. What matters is how you attack this challenge for the next 4 years.”

Q: Why is VMI’s Honor Code so important?

A: “The Honor Code is obviously embedded in our school, and it has and always will be. It’s a single-sanction protocol. And what we’re really trying to teach the Corps is honor isn’t just at VMI. Once you leave VMI, it’s a lifestyle, and you carry it with you everywhere. I think VMI teaches you that lifestyle of just living honorably every single day with integrity.”

Q: When you lead the Corps this academic year, what will you be thinking about?

A: “This school has done so much for me. It’s transformed me from just some high school kid into this cadet. And now I really want to give back to the school and use the resources that the school gives us. It gives us all these opportunities to be a leader … and just really give back to the next generation.”

Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted in spring 2026, at the end of Nguyen’s 2nd Class year.