Class of 2016 to complete Caldwell March as first-year training concludes for cadets
To commemorate the successful conclusion of their first-year training, the Class of 2016 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 13.
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 first-year cadets to honor them as they complete their challenging year of training. During the fall semester, the Class of 2016, along with their cadre responsible for the initial phase of 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 2:30 p.m. and the final shot will be at about 2:45 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 and friends of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets support the cadets as they march by being a Caldwell March Sponsor. They donate $500 or more to sponsor a cadet, and the cadet wears a name tag recognizing their sponsor while they march. Afterwards, the name tag, a commemorative pin, and a photo of the cadet are sent to each sponsor. This year 211 cadets are sponsored for the spring Caldwell March, raising over $124,500 for the corps. Each year sponsors continue to raise the bar higher. This year’s total tops the previous record donation by almost $20,000 making it the most money ever raised for a single Caldwell March.
