Class of 2015 to complete Caldwell March as freshman training year concludes for cadets
To commemorate the successful conclusion of their freshman training, the Class of 2015 of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will complete the second leg of the Caldwell March from the Caldwell Fields area to the Upper Quad of Virginia Tech on April 14. This is the second half of the 26-mile march made in 1872 by Virginia Tech’s first cadet and student, Addison Caldwell.
The spring semester chain-of-command, the upper-class cadets who are leading the Corps of Cadets, will march with the freshman to honor them as they complete their challenging year of training. During the fall semester, the freshmen class, along with their cadre responsible for the initial phase of freshmen training, completed the first 13 miles of the march starting at the Caldwell homestead.
The start point for April’s march is on Route 621 roughly a quarter-mile west of Caldwell Fields. The cadets will unload from the buses, form up, move into the wood line just off the road, and cross a creek. Once everyone is across they will then move directly south and straight up Brush Mountain. They will then move west approximately three miles along the service road on the top of the mountain until they come out in the Preston Forest subdivision.
They then follow Preston Forest Lane to Mt. Tabor Road. The cadets halt momentarily for a break at the Slusser’s Church of God parking lot, after which they resume the march, moving through the Woodbine neighborhood before turning south on Main Street. The cadets will turn left onto Giles Road and continue downtown until crossing at Turner Street and returning to the Upper Quad.
Upon returning to the Upper Quad after the march the regimental band, the Highty-Tighties, will play and Skipper, the Corps of Cadets cannon, will be fired when the cadets first enter the quad, and on the first note of "Tech Triumph." There will be two shots total, the first shot will be at approximately 3 p.m. and the final shot will be at about 3:15 p.m. Actual time depends on how long the march takes and is subject to weather and road conditions.
Everyone is welcome to come out and view the corps as it marches through town, and all are welcome to watch the ceremony on Upper Quad once the cadets return to campus.
Alumni of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets support the freshman as they march by being a Caldwell March Sponsor. They donate $500 or more to sponsor a cadet, and the cadet wears a nametag recognizing their sponsor while they march. Afterwards, the nametag, a commemorative pin, and a photo of the cadet are sent to each sponsor. This year 171 cadets are sponsored for the spring Caldwell March, raising $85,500 for the corps.
