Virginia Tech's first-year cadets to make the fall Caldwell March
First-year cadets, their upperclass training cadre, and Corps of Cadets staff walk the first half of the 26-mile Caldwell March.
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets’ Class of 2021 will make the fall Caldwell March on Oct. 7.
To mark the progress of their training, first-year cadets and their training cadre trace the first half of the 26-mile journey Addison Caldwell, the first cadet and student at Virginia Tech, made in 1872. They will complete the second half in the spring.
After Saturday’s march ends, all cadets are bused back to the Upper Quad for a ceremony on Upper Quad. The Highty-Tighties will play, and Skipper, the Corps of Cadets cannon, will fire.
Cadets are expected to arrive at about 2:30 p.m., and Skipper will fire twice: when the cadets first enter the quad and on the first note of “Tech Triumph.” Actual time depends on how long the march takes and is subject to weather and road conditions.
Many alumni, families, and friends support the first-year cadets as they march by being a Caldwell March sponsor. Anyone who donates $500 or more to the Commandant’s Priorities Fund automatically becomes a sponsor.
Each donor receives a memento from the march and a note from the cadets.
To be eligible for the fall march, donations should be made by Sept. 27. To sponsor a specific cadet, include his or her name in the comment section of the gift form at givingto.vt.edu/corps. Please call 540-231-2892 for more information.
