In their own words: Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnae look back

This is an excerpt from an article that first appeared in the spring 2023 edition of the Corps Review.

In celebration of 50 years of women in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, alumnae spanning the last 50 years — from L Squadron, the female-only cadet company that introduced women to the corps in 1973, to the spring semester’s regimental commander — talked about their experiences, triumphs, hardships, and reflections. These alumnae were given the same list of questions and asked to answer whichever questions they chose.

Voices include:

• Dee Dodson Morris ’76, who joined L Squadron during the first year women were permitted in the corps
  
• Patience Larkin ’87, a member of Echo Company from 1983-86 and 2nd Battalion staff from 1986-87 as a cadet and later became the second alumni director for the corps
  
• Denise Shuster Greenfield ’88, a member of Hotel Company and the first female cadet named regimental commander in 1987-88
  
• Eleanor Franc ’19, a member of Delta Company and the handler of canine ambassador Growley II, call sign "Tank," from 2017-18
  
• Brooke Johnson ’23, a member of Bravo Company who served as the 10th female regimental commander in fall 2022
  
• Claire Seibel ’23, a member of Lima Company and the 11th female regimental commander this past spring
  

These are their words.

When you were a cadet, what were your living arrangements?  

Morris: L Squadron was housed on the first floor of Monteith Hall, but there was no room for me there when I joined, so I was assigned to live with a civilian on Monteith’s third floor.

Larkin: I lived on the third floor of Rasche Hall all four years. My room was in the "newer" section of Rasche (the side facing alumni mall), and all the ladies from E and F companies lived in this same area, so as to be close to a women's latrine.

Shuster Greenfield: I was a member of Hotel Company and lived on the fourth floor of Rasche Hall. It was coed, with men and women living on the same floor, but the women were all in one section at the end of the hall. My roommate was also in H Company, but my neighbors were women from Echo Company.

Seibel: All four years I lived by company with both males and females on the hall. My roommate was in my company all but one semester.

What was one of the largest hurdles that you had to overcome as a woman in a predominantly male organization?

Morris: No one to talk to about the issue. I was the only woman in my Army ROTC class.

Larkin: I didn't feel there were a lot of major hurdles, based on my gender, to overcome when I entered the corps. Thankfully, there were a handful of hard-working, tough women who had come before me, to include Sandy Siegrist E-’85, who was my cadre sergeant during New Cadet Week and later became the first female regimental executive officer. As the 1980s were before the Tailhook scandal [in which male pilots in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corp were accused of sexual assault and improper conduct], sexual harassment was not addressed yet, neither in the corps nor in the active military. Many males had "girlie" posters up in their rooms, raunchy jodies were sung, etc. So to fit in and not be singled out as difficult, we ladies put up with that kind of stuff during those years.

Shuster Greenfield: I was incredibly fortunate to feel welcomed in the corps from day one. I never had the experience of feeling somehow different because I was a woman. My male buds, many of whom remain good friends to this day, were supportive and treated me with the same respect with which they treated one another.

Franc: After spending 3 1/2 years in the Marine Corps, one of the services with the least female representation, I can honestly say the VTCC [Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets] was one of the most empowering organizations as a young woman pursuing a military career. 

Seibel: Honestly, I do not think my gender created any additional hurdles. I never thought, "Here's how I need to do this as a female leader." Instead, I just focused on doing the job to the absolute best of my ability.

After you graduated, did you feel as though your experience as woman in the Corps of Cadets prepared you for your chosen profession?

Shuster Greenfield: Absolutely! I had the opportunity to figure out my leadership style before I began leading Marines, and I was able to get comfortable making the tough decisions that come with being in a leadership role. I was also able to get comfortable being a woman in a predominantly male organization, an experience that directly translated — in so many ways — to my experience being a woman in the Marine Corps.

Franc: In some ways yes, in others no. The Marine Corps has far less female representation and still has a long way to go in terms of successfully integrating females. The VTCC showed me a great example of what female integration looks like, which in turn made it very easy to spot the areas my service needs to improve.

While “hindsight 20/20” applies to a lot of things, what is one thing that you would change about how the corps was when you were a cadet?

Morris:  Many decisions were put to class votes on whether the women would be “allowed” to enter certain traditions. With only four women in the Class of 1976, we never won any of those votes. One was about carrying sabers and whether we could buy them. At Ring Dance, the ladies of L Squadron carried a spring bouquet in protest rather than the traditional roses. My saber was carried by my date.

Shuster Greenfield: There is little I’d change about my experience. I simply loved being in the corps. Having said that, I do wish we would have had the opportunity to pursue the minor in leadership studies that is available to our cadets today. And the support we now provide our Citizen-Leaders [Citizen-Leader Track cadets, who graduate without a military obligation] is tremendous. 

When we think of diversity, equity, and inclusion, we also add the term “belonging.” While the corps has been at various stages of its journey toward a coed organization, discuss your thoughts on the term “belonging” as it relates to your experience as a cadet in the corps.

Morris: During my time in the corps, I felt that the women were tolerated and treated as a curiosity rather than accepted. It wasn’t until years later at a corps breakout during a milestone reunion that Steve Taylor reminded the rest of my buds that I was the only woman in my class who regularly attended reunions and contributed generously to the corps; that it was about time that they fully accepted that I was a member of the class.

Shuster Greenfield: I think about belonging in two ways: the experience of being wholly accepted for who you are and in the sense of being committed to something greater than yourself. Being a member of the corps allowed me to experience both. 

Franc: For any cadet who is genuinely searching for that sense of belonging, there is a place for everyone in the VTCC, whether it’s a leadership role in your company or on one of the extracurricular teams/organizations.

Johnson: I believe the term belonging is an integral part of being a part of this program, and while during my time as a cadet, I found no issues with feeling as if I belonged, I found myself assisting others who felt as if they did not.

Seibel: I had an interesting perspective about belonging as I compare my experience in VTCC to my siblings' experiences as civilian students at VT and JMU [James Madison University]. It takes time for "regular" students to find their circle of friends and a sense of belonging. However in VTCC, you essentially have built-in friends from the first few minutes and the experience of leaning on your buds forms strong friendships.

Virginia Tech was the first corps amongst military colleges and academies to venture into a coed organization. What is one thing that you might want to offer that captures how Virginia Tech’s incorporation of women into the Corps of Cadets is something that makes you proud and should make others proud?

Morris: We didn’t require an act of Congress or order of the Supreme Court to admit women to the Corps of Cadets.

Shuster Greenfield: It seems to me we incorporated women into the Corps of Cadets, and into leadership positions, without a whole lot of fanfare. That speaks volumes about the way we approach the business of creating leaders. 

Franc: The VTCC should be proud of its integration of women. In my four years I never felt I was at a disadvantage due to my gender. I was simply another cadet, just like everyone else. I was evaluated on both my academic and leadership abilities in the same way as everyone else, and never once felt like my gender played a role.