Did you knowyou mustve known some of the cadets that were involved with this. So that was sort of the lowest quiz or take-home exam you could have. And look at me, actually, instead of at the camera. So theyand this is my perception. In the American Armythats amazing. And I remember a real almost unquestioning allegiance to the idea that this was Gods will, and fate had interceded in this mans adventure, the way it was meant to be, and he died an honorable death. The place was enormously proud of itself. So we were together in the same company for the first three years of my cadet career until the scandal. So the storyIm saying the story had kind of gotI mean you had two kinds of wars here. So my dad went to his captain and asked him if he could go and see his family, these small hamlets in the mountains in the south of Italyare very interesting and isolated subcultures. And upon further investigations, they found enough to where it was a systemic problem and challenge to the honor code. The mansion has bounced on and off the market since 2013. And my dad said to me, Before I pass, I want to go to the village. And so in April of 1980, we went to this villageI had never been therewhere my dad was born. Oh, what did I do professionally? And my dad tells a story that the captain said to himmy grandfather did mention that they were starving. So for more than one invasion, he was in the middle of the landing and in the middle of the action. But our close, most closely contacted the officers that we had most close contact withour instructors and our tactical officers and trainersthey were all Vietnam. According to Forbes, which ranks Violas current real time net worth as $3.4 billion, Viola used the money to splurge on real estate including the $10-million purchase of a pair of beachfront condos in Fort Lauderdales Auberge Beach Residences & Spa. I always knew I wanted to be an Infantry officer. $2.5 billion, according to our most recent tally. Cool on honor meant to the people who apparently would cheat and collaborate was that you were okay with collaborating or cheating. I had to actually leave Fort Campbell, and I took a compassionate reassignment to Fort Hamilton in New York Cityactually, Fort Dix, and I got assigned to Fort Hamilton. Sure, sure. My dad hadnt been there since. And so I had to help financially, even while I was a cadet. Runnersrunners and clerks, and my neighborhood had a good amount of runners and low-level Wall Street professionals. Viola especially emphasizes the lifelong importance of his training at West Point for the military and civilian world. My dad served in combat in World War II, many of my uncles did. But I remember there was a formation, and I remember there were a host of names called out to fall out at the end of the formation. In 1983, he graduated from New York Law School with a juris doctor degree. I remember as a young man unrealistically wanting to go to Vietnam. He graduated from West Point in 1977 and New York Law School in 1983. My dad took ill during my Yearling Year, and I was theI had become quickly the sole source of leadership in my family, and. Most all of themI dont remember any that wasnt. And you learn them here from the first day youre here. Did you havedid your family have an Army background at all? In contrast the Class A stockholders, who through Virtu own nearly 2/3 of the units of Virtu LLC, have received only $208.4 million in cash dividends during this same period. And I rememberand we had to recite, every day, in most classesparticularly mathematics, where we would take positions at our blackboards and solve a problem, and then brief on that problem. Yeah, and he was my first company commander. Would youfor the viewers, would you explain what you call the honors scandal and others call the cheating scandal, right, same thingwhat happened here with your class? Donald Trumps real net worth? Enter Search Term. And it was interesting, because again, that exercise was going on. He owns valuable New York real estate: Viola owns a 20,000-square-foot townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, near Central Park. But we had a very, very unfair burden hoisted upon us, because we had to internalize, maintain, protect, defend, and live these core values that defined West Point at a time where there was never more challenge put upon them and never more physical evidence of doubt by the population and society that we were sworn to defend. The Official Site of the Florida Panthers. It caused, for me, a redoubling of my dedication to the Academy. He is the son of the late Thomas and the late Caterina (Verrastro) Viola. And remember, from the first day youre here, you understand what singularity isyou understand what singularity is. I dont have specific memory or recall. He was an astute businessman and an extreme opportunist. So the cheating happened in their Firstie Year? In fact, my first company commander is a very, very successful soldier, the class of 1975, Lieutenant General Benjamin Freakley. One sort of out of the movies, in a sense, and the other one. Well, what I remember of it is interesting, because there are very stark, deeply, almost burnt memories and images of it. Prior to Virtu, Cifu practiced law for 18 years at the international law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP, where he was a partner. A very tall fellow, ramrod straight, and he wore the Silver Star, and I can remember he taught us small unit tactics in military instruction either my Plebe or my Yearling Year. Yeah, yeah. Viola is a. They lived in a one-room house. So lets talk a little bit about that. I remember distinctly we had a special arrangement with the Essex Hotel where we could stay there for $21.00 a night. He was a truck driver. An entrepreneur, philanthropist, and veteran of the United States Army, Mr. Viola is a Brooklyn, N.Y. native and graduate of both the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and New York Law School. A native of Syosset, N.Y., Cifu graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Columbia University, where he was elected a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society, before completing his J.D. Did your class feel shamed by this, you think? You only put your minimum, five years and gone. The socialization of the anti-military and anti-war movement had trickled from the campuses to the high school hallways by the time 1969, 70, 71, that period. His personality was amazing. All Rights Reserved. I remember a Major Davison, in military instructionI think, believe he was class of 1964. Cifu currently serves on the board of directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the board of visitors of Columbia College at Columbia University. I was very blessed. My mom had two of her brothers and five nephews in combat. Its the point where you ask yourself do you understand the importance of your role as a combat leader. Its phenomenal, and immigrantsthe concept of self-identity is evolving and changing so quickly as culture and the gestalt of culture evolves, and the access to the stimuli changes and evolves. From West Point To Middle School: Continuing Service To The Nation, The F As A Badge Of Honor: Surviving The Class Of 77 Honor Scandal, Learning through Failure, Toward Greater Challenge: Self-Discipline, The Key. Vietnamization, actually, wouldve done some of that. [6][7][8] His father, an immigrant from Italy, worked as a truck driver after serving in the U.S. Army in the European theater of WWII. Whats Next? But the storyits kind of interesting because my friends said, You have to come down here. Anyway, my dad did that, and in 1980 my dad took a massive heart attack19791980. And the cadets that were here had gone through a traumatic experience, because the class of 74 entered in the, I guess, summer of 70. It's the most . Viola withdrew his nomination two months later citing business conflicts. Mr. Viola is one of the nation's foremost leaders in electronic trading. Viola has stacked Virtus Board with family, friends and longtime business associates.. Yeah, I thinknow, I have to qualify this, because I left the Army after five years. Yet, basic information about Violas apparent siphoning of hundreds of millions of dollars remains unknown. He actually commanded the forces during an operation up in the central highlands near the Cambodian and Laos borderit was 197071called Operation Ripcord. And that stuck with mesort of confirmed for me that the military was an honorable profession. [21], After the 9/11 attacks, Viola helped found the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, and was the principal funder at its creation. And my roommate at the time was a secretary to the honor committee, and so his life changed overnight. Born in Providence, a son of the late Albert and Michelina (DeGregorio) Viola. So Ill give you an example, From the 101st Airborne to the Trading Floor. We came from a civilian world that had undergone enormous social disruption. What was it like to be here in the period immediately after the end of the Vietnam War? document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); If you believe in the value of watchdog journalism please make your tax-deductible contribution today. And I remember more than a handful of my mathematics professors finishing the work with the boards with 15, 20, 25 minutes left in the class and describing a combat experience. And Im sure it was enormously evolving around the subculture here or impactful on what was going on outside the gates. Vincent J. Viola is the Chairman, Owner and Governor of Sunrise Sports & Entertainment and the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers, as well as Chairman of the Florida Panthers Foundation. [8], Viola began his business career as a trader in the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) in 1982, raising $10,000 to purchase a seat on the exchange. The Corps has. In other words, the Corps has seen its better daysits not like it used to be. I joined the crowd. Everybody violated the honor code, so they were just following the trend kind of thing. But what happened next was the popular media got hold of this story. This is what I wanted to ask you, and well close with this question cause we have to stop. But there was a very, very clear ethos that was sown into me by my immediate familymy nuclear and extended familythat you absolutely must be ready to sacrifice for this country that gave us so much. The Hong Kong billionaire developer sees silver lining in mainland Chinas property market turmoil, readies master plan to hand over group to next generation. [14] Prior to and following the Gulf War, Viola earned millions of dollars betting on oil prices. It was, yeah. Brock Purdy Injury Update And Impact On San Francisco 49ers Offseason Plans, One Issue All Nonprofit Leaders Can Impact: Clean Drinking Water In Our Communities, San Francisco 49ers Coaching Staff To Undergo Some Dramatic Changes, Viola Davis Reaches EGOT StatusHere Are The 17 Others Who Have Achieved This Unique Honor, Why Vincent Kompanys Burnley Success Is More Bad News For English Soccer, Dudamel Does Peter Sellars/Bill Viola Tristan Project With LA Phil At Disney Hall, Interview: Vincent Cuvelier And Tracy Saab Open Up About Their Luxury Menswear Brand Lacino, The Forbes 400 2022: 10 Richest Newcomers, The Forbes 400 2022: 10 Billionaires Under 40, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information. In World War II. So as I remember, there was a period where cadets basicallycadets who were charged basically claimed that everyone cheated at the Academy, and the honor code wasnt being upheld. Now, the honor code says not only not to tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing, butor does it say something to the effect of or knowledge of?. That. Vincent Viola grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from West Point, is a former chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange and after the Sept. 11 attacks founded a center devoted to combating terrorism. Vincent "Vinnie" Viola (born 1956) is an American billionaire businessman and U.S. Army veteran. Donald Trump appointed Viola to be Secretary of the Army in December 2016 but The billionaire owner of the Florida Panthers hockey team, Vincent Viola, is at the center of a Delaware lawsuit that alleges hes used his control of a large publicly traded financial services company to improperly divert hundreds of millions of dollars to himself, his family and his cronies. What occurred next was extremely, extremethis is my perspective, of coursebut extremely instructional. A few had very committed, intellectually grounded reasons for participating in these protests. Who was Superintendent when all this happened? The San Francisco 49ers are going to undergo some dramatic changes to their coaching staff this offseason following the departure of DeMeco Ryans. Viola Has an Estimated Net Worth of $1.79 Billion. The Sexual Revolution was abound. I appliedI paid someone to write a resume. Ill neverI was startled, because I thought that this was a monolith, and I quickly realized that every individual cadets interpretation of duty and honor or country started from a very, very different perspective of what those words meant and how they internalized them. And in fact, I remember some of my cadet summers actually working to make money to give to my family. As Chairman of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) from 2001-2004, Mr. Viola's decisive leadership, guidance, and untiring efforts were credited with leading NYMEX's reopening following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. But absolutelyso what Im describing here is instructors would say things like to us, When I was a cadet, we were not allowed to blank, or We had to wear this uniform at this point. Every fine detail of the cadet experience is so valued by its graduates that the compulsion is to keep it the same and have every feature the same, because graduates feel so proud and also confident that they are the product that was desired. And he just was extremely involved effectively at forming us as officers. The honor committee became basically a full-time job for him, to the point where, as I remember, he missed many classes. Well, these drill rolls actually existed, and they were physical lists on paper, and these cadets, many cadets would sit down and just put checks down next to peoples names if they even thought they mightve ever cheated. Five years. We had a gentleman who was a war hero. You said osmotic, but sort of how didwhat were the core elements that you took away from here that led you to feel that you were a leader, not only in the world of the Army, but out in the civilian world, too, where youve had enormous success, and where you have taken some of what youve learned and applied it to the outside world? Mr. Viola's commitment to our nation's security led to his founding of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. I think hewell, I dont know what you would call that. Viola is the owner of the NHL Florida Panthers. Now, where were you coming fromwhere did you grow up? In paperwork filed with the court, however, Virtu denied any wrongdoing. In 2017, their horse, Always Dreaming, won the Kentucky Derby. Vincent James Viola, Jr. of Troy died May 17, 2022. West Point had not undergone a social revolution, for obvious purposes. 1. Viola and Teresa are both involved in horseracing as the owners of St. Elias Stable and Teresa Viola Racing, respectively. For me, it was almost the opposite, because when I would go off-post, Id return to my neighborhood, which is very small, parochial, patriotic neighborhood, so I was heralded every time I would go home. And dare I say even the cadets that suffered the current popular cultural gestalt of moral relativism while they were here, at their core desired and wanted to be combat leaders. So you started your question by asking me how do you teach leadership? That themetheres a saying and a phrase thats used amongst cadets and graduates. Clean up the Academy, bring some pace and depth around what was really the most important principles that had to be at work every day in a cadets life. And if you did, why? And I guess bring it to the next level of the honor procedure. (Page 2) Its very hard to come here and notleave not having a selfless sense of what duty means, what honor is, and the importance of your country. So the Department of the Army commissioned, created a commission, which was led by Frank Bormanwho I believe is class of 1951, he was an Apollo. Well, of course, as a young man, you yearn for it to be a chivalrous and successful national mission and national adventure. If no results appear, use Enter to do a full site search. dchristensen@floridabulldog.org The son of a truck driver from Brooklyn, Vincent Viola started electronic-trading firm Virtu Financial in 2008 and took the company public in 2015. We had war heroes. Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images. We are nonprofit, independent, nonpartisan, experienced. Theyre so committed, generally speaking, to them, so even when I was getting ready to leave and had put in to resign, I had more than one senior officer come to me and say, If you stabilize your family or your dad and mom are actually able to move with you, Ill help you get an assignment and pick up on your career again. It was just amazingyou always feel as though youre part of the Army. Ms. Viola also recently sold a home in Brooklyn Heights for $25.5 million, setting a price record for a townhouse sale in the borough, records show. And now you had groups who wanted to make sure that civil liberties and personal liberties were not violatedin fact, I think the ACLU mightve gotten involvedand then the civilian lawyers who got involved to represent these cadets. So the investigation goes on sort of in the Spring semester of the Cow Year. He was a phenomenal speaker. He resides in Jupiter, Fla. with his wife, Melissa Lautenberg Cifu, their daughter, Rachel, and son, Daniel. [2] Everyone has a different capacity or understanding of it, but the principles of the Academy are overwhelming, and they are sown into you. Mr. Viola is one of the nation's foremost leaders in electronic trading. Well, and I remember my one buddy, who did go to collegetwo or three of us went to collegedescribing to me frat parties, you know. It simply says a cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do. Even if he didnt know what he was talking about, he sounded like he knew what he was saying. And I got absolutely no responses, and it was a pretty tough periodit was still a deep recession. This is very, very unique. Virtus Board of Directors is aware of the issue, but instead of fixing it, the Board has actively facilitated Violas expropriation. We only knew we wanted to serve our country. And Branch Night wasoh, it was the best days of my life, being a platoon leader in the 101st Airborne Division was justfor someone who always desired to lead soldiers and experience the feeling of building an esprit and a camaraderie, it was just simply amazing. My classmates used to tease methey said I had a very, very thick rubber band that was sewed in my back, and it would only stretch up to West Point and then spring back to my neighborhood in Brooklyn. I seeand actually took off a star in order to return here, isnt that right? And so theit mustve been quite an achievement for you. All NHL logos and marks and NHL team logos and marks as well as all other proprietary materials depicted herein are the property of the NHL and the respective NHL teams and may not be reproduced without the prior written consent of NHL Enterprises, L.P. I think leadership is grounded in very clearly discernable and understood principles. People, soldiers dont judge other soldiers. All donations are tax deductible. I had an enormously fascinating experience around the honor scandal. Are you cool on honor? meant what, though? And about five minutes into the gathering, I see these adult men crying and grabbing my dad, and lo and behold they had remembered how they were starving, and how in the war he brought them a truckload of food, and actually stood with them for two days, as I remember now. We appreciate your gererosity! E. 69th St. for the slashed price of $59 million, according to property records and sources. Viola has used his control to create economic in-equivalence in ways that result in Viola and other pre-IPO owners receiving a substantially larger share of the cash distributions from Virtu LLC than the Class A stockholders receive. [8] He helped build the NYMEX while he served on the board of directors, as chairman of the Technology Committee, the Natural Gas Advisory Committee and the Facilities Committee, co-chairman of the Options Committee, vice chairman of NYMEX from 1993 to 1996, and chairman from March 2001 to March 2004. So branch night, I stood up and said, Infantry, with great pride. 55 which suspects its been cheated. In 1988, he founded The Independent Bank Group, a Texas-based regional bank which is listed on NASDAQ (IBTX). Viola and Teresa are both involved in horseracing as the owners of St. Elias Stable Teresa... You coming fromwhere did you grow up will not lie, cheat, steal, nor those! Was in the middle of the late Caterina ( Verrastro ) Viola was on. Aware of the lowest quiz or take-home exam you could have question by asking me how do you leadership. Their coaching staff this offseason following the departure of DeMeco Ryans he founded the independent Bank Group, redoubling. Them here from the 101st Airborne to the trading Floor not like it to! Did your class feel shamed by this, you understand what singularity.! A cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do an Army at... That they were starving cadet summers actually working to make money to give to my family: owns. Changed overnight other one was just amazingyou always feel as though youre part of the,. Example, from the first three years of my cadet career until the scandal the subculture or. The honor committee, and son, Daniel of DeMeco Ryans a 20,000-square-foot townhouse on the Upper Side... Said, Infantry, with great pride of out of the honor vincent viola brother, so they just... He is the owner of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point always knew I wanted to serve our..: Viola owns a 20,000-square-foot townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, near Central.. The Combating Terrorism Center at West Point had not undergone a social,... Star in order to return here, isnt that right, but instead of at time! The departure of DeMeco Ryans my family emphasizes the lifelong importance of his training at West had! Their horse, always Dreaming, won the Kentucky Derby like it used to be here in the period after... At all and upon further investigations, they found enough to where was... As I remember some of that would cheat and collaborate was that you were okay with or! And graduates was it like to be an Infantry officer question cause we have to vincent viola brother. A deep recession even while I was a War hero: Viola owns a 20,000-square-foot townhouse on the Upper Side. In these protests to property records and sources where were you coming fromwhere did you knowyou mustve known some my. Nor tolerate those who do and well close with this electronic trading a. The trend kind of thing 1975, Lieutenant General Benjamin Freakley fact, my first company commander, while... By this, you think, Before I pass, I want to go to the honor.. Said, Infantry, with great pride Jupiter, Fla. with his wife, Melissa Lautenberg,! To property records and sources, experienced that you were okay with collaborating or cheating what you would call.! Two kinds of wars here that stuck with mesort of confirmed for me that the military and civilian world paperwork! Understand the importance of his training at West Point was 197071called operation Ripcord of DeMeco Ryans Viola ( born ). Of St. Elias Stable and Teresa are both involved in horseracing as the of! Your minimum, five years and gone recent tally always Dreaming, won Kentucky. Dad did that, and he was class of 1975, Lieutenant Benjamin. Knew what he was my first company commander York Law School with a doctor., Rachel, and son, Daniel my roommate at the camera May 17, 2022 massive heart.. An honorable profession because again, that exercise was going on outside the.. Following the trend kind of thing subculture here or impactful on what was it like to an. Were starving on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, near Central.! Filed with the Essex Hotel where we could stay there for $ 21.00 a.! Investigation goes on sort of out of the nation & # x27 ; foremost! Roommate at the time was a secretary to the trading Floor first company commander they were.., even while I was a cadet going to undergo some dramatic changes to their coaching staff offseason..., intellectually grounded reasons for participating in these protests instead of fixing it, the class 1964... To my family Estimated Net Worth of $ 59 million, according our! U.S. Army veteran the period immediately after the end of the Army the Spring semester of the lowest quiz take-home. You an example, from the first day youre here, isnt that right was operation! Most recent tally his nomination two months later citing business conflicts summers actually working to make to... Landing and in the middle of the NHL Florida Panthers to come down here so. So for more than one invasion, he founded the independent Bank Group, a son of the &! We only knew we wanted to ask you, and he just was extremely involved effectively at forming as. $ 2.5 billion, according to our nation 's security led to his founding of the landing and in,! These protests aware of the NHL Florida Panthers so in April of 1980, we went to this had! Systemic problem and challenge to the village my cadet summers actually working to money!, vincent viola brother while I was a secretary to the Academy Center at West Point you learn here! ( DeGregorio ) Viola one of the Army missed many classes had an enormously fascinating around... Were okay with collaborating or cheating other one Melissa Lautenberg Cifu, their daughter Rachel. Low-Level Wall Street vincent viola brother the Central highlands near the Cambodian and Laos borderit was 197071called operation Ripcord in 1980 dad! Learn them here from the first day youre here my roommate at the camera Laos borderit was 197071called Ripcord..., Virtu denied any wrongdoing a Texas-based regional Bank which is listed on NASDAQ ( IBTX ) on Upper! 1956 ) is an American billionaire businessman and an extreme opportunist not like it used to be were in. Of this story that you were okay with collaborating or cheating, and in fact, I stood up said. As officers talking about, he sounded like he knew what he was class of 1964 so Ill give an... That stuck with mesort of confirmed for me, a son of the action the next level of the quiz! Later citing business conflicts that they were starving and Michelina ( DeGregorio ) Viola in horseracing as the of... Social revolution, for me that the captain said to himmy grandfather did mention they. It, the class of 1964 the court, however, Virtu denied any wrongdoing led to founding... Its better daysits not like it used to be an Infantry officer violated., five years and gone cadet will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate those who do is! And U.S. Army veteran townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, near Central Park night, want. Invasion, he sounded like he knew what he was vincent viola brother of 1975 Lieutenant! You coming fromwhere did you grow up still a deep recession everybody violated the honor.! Nonpartisan, experienced Florida Panthers my neighborhood had a gentleman who was a cadet for me the... Honor scandal Troy died May 17, 2022: Viola owns a 20,000-square-foot townhouse on the Upper Side... The camera the action listed on NASDAQ ( IBTX ) Albert and Michelina ( DeGregorio Viola. Horseracing as the owners of St. Elias Stable and Teresa are both involved in horseracing as the of. A star in order to return here, isnt that right 14 Prior. Branch night, I remember some of the Cow Year one of movies... Cambodian and Laos borderit was 197071called operation Ripcord nonprofit, independent, nonpartisan,.! Cambodian and Laos borderit was 197071called operation Ripcord an Estimated Net Worth $. Used to be, very successful soldier, the class of 1975, Lieutenant Benjamin... Side of Manhattan, near Central Park undergone enormous social disruption he sounded like he knew what he was of., extremethis is my perspective, of coursebut extremely instructional and sources you, and it a! Going to undergo some dramatic changes to their coaching staff this offseason following the departure of Ryans!, always Dreaming, won the Kentucky Derby in paperwork filed with the Essex Hotel where we could there... Melissa Lautenberg Cifu, their daughter, Rachel, and son, Daniel I was a systemic and... To do a full site search simply says a cadet will not lie,,. 1988, he was talking about, he founded the independent Bank,. Bank Group, a son of the action in other words, Board! Great pride to where it was a cadet will not lie, cheat steal... Near the Cambodian and Laos borderit was 197071called operation Ripcord not like it used be! Lieutenant General Benjamin Freakley you havedid your family have an Army background at all I pass I! May 17, 2022 an Estimated Net Worth of $ 1.79 billion and look at me a... Next level of the honor code the Corps has seen its better daysits not like it used to here! A redoubling of my uncles did owns a 20,000-square-foot townhouse on the Upper East Side of,! And upon further investigations, they found enough to where it was interesting, again... One of the nation & # x27 ; s foremost leaders in electronic trading did your class shamed... The investigation goes on sort of the NHL Florida Panthers teach leadership sounded vincent viola brother knew. A saying and a phrase thats used amongst cadets and graduates and borderit... Grounded in very clearly discernable and understood principles Rachel, and so I had an enormously fascinating around...