Veterans Day events planned for Virginia Tech community

2 Nov 2021

A wreath is placed in front of the cenotaph during the 2019 Veterans Day Remembrance Ceremony. Photo by Shay Barnhart for Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech will honor Veterans Day and the service of our nation’s military on Nov. 11. Here's a listing of Veterans Day events.

Burruss Hall

Burruss Hall, the main administration building on Virginia Tech's Blacksburg campus, will be lit in green on Nov. 10-11 in honor of Veterans Day.

Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets

Veterans Day Remembrance Ceremony
10:30 a.m. - War Memorial Chapel on the Blacksburg campus

Col. Gregory Lowe, commander of Virginia Tech Air Force ROTC Detachment 875 and a 1997 graduate of the Corps of Cadets, will speak. The event is open to the public.

Beginning at 11 a.m., the memorial wreath will be placed in front of the cenotaph on War Memorial Court. The Gregory Guard, the corps’ precision rifle drill team, will fire a rifle salute, and a bugler will play taps.

Later that day, the corps will welcome Homer Hickam, a 1964 corps alumnus and part of the trio of cadets who created the first Skipper, the famed Corps of Cadets’ cannon. He is a Vietnam veteran, a retired NASA engineer, and the best-selling author of the memoir “Rocket Boys,” which was adapted into the blockbuster movie “October Sky.”

In addition to the events, cadets will participate in two vigils that honor Veterans Day.

The Robert Femoyer Service Squadron will hold a 24-hour Veterans Day vigil at the Rock — a memorial to Virginia Tech alumni lost in World War I — on Upper Quad. The vigil also honors and remembers the men and women who have served in the military.
The Corps of Cadets’ Echo Company will hold a vigil at the Pylons. Two cadets will be posted as guards at the cenotaph and will change every hour for 48 hours.

Pamplin College of Business

Salute to Veterans Day: The Embodiment of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve)
4:30 - 5:30 p.m. - Pamplin Auditorium (Blacksburg); remote viewing available at the Falls Church campus

Homer Hickam will speak during this event. He will be joined by Wanda J. Smith, associate professor emerita of management and an Army veteran; Robert Sumichrast, dean of the Pamplin College of Business; members of the Pamplin Veterans Day Program Steering Committee; and additional speakers. Registration is free. Sign up to attend.

University Advancement

Meet and Greet with Homer Hickam
6:30 p.m. - Holtzman Alumni Center

Hickam will share highlights from his newest book, "Don’t Blow Yourself Up," with a reception and book signing to follow. Sign up to attend the event.