Corps of Cadets alumni return for Sept. 11 Gunfighter Panel

3 Sep 2014

Returning alumni speak to the cadet regiment at the Fall 2013 Gunfighter Panel in the Burruss Hall auditorium. — Corps alumni speak to the cadet regiment at the Fall 2013 Gunfighter Panel.

For the 22nd consecutive semester, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will bring back Corps of Cadets graduates who have recently deployed to speak to the regiment.

The Fall 2014 Gunfighter Panel will be held on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 3:30 p.m., in the Burruss Hall auditorium located at 800 Drillfield Dr. All are welcome to attend and no tickets are required.

Each semester, alumni return to campus to sit on the Gunfighter Panel, one of the four programs in the Leaders in Action lecture series hosted each term by the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and the Maj. Gen. W. Thomas Rice Center for Leader Development. They share their combat deployment experiences, their lessons learned and leadership challenges, and they share how the corps experience prepared them for life after college.

The Gunfighter Panel series started in 2004 shortly after the United States entered combat in Iraq. With the war came the increased potential for cadets to be in combat shortly after graduation and this series evolved to prepare them for their future in an uncertain world. Each semester's panel allows the corps to teach future leaders and to honor those who are already serving the nation in harm’s way.

This semester, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will welcome back officers from the U.S. Army, U.S. Naval Reserve, and U.S. Air Force.

Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnus Lt. Col. Brad Lawing, U.S. Army, who earned a degree in history from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences in 1992 is returning to campus from his current assignment at Fort Eustis, Va., where he serves as the acting director for the Live Training Directorate under the Army Training Support Center. As a cadet, he served as the First Sergeant for Alpha Company and then as the First Battalion Executive Officer his senior year. He has been deployed seven times to Haiti, Kuwait, Bosnia, Iraq, and most recently to Afghanistan.
Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnus Maj. Ernest Cage, U.S. Air Force, who earned a degree in psychology from the College of Science and minors in sociology from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and leadership studies from the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Rice Center for Leader Development in 2002. Cage was a member of Delta Company and served on the Color Guard and Inspector General staff as a cadet. As a junior he served as the First Sergeant of Bravo Company and as the Regimental Command Sergeant Major. Cage then served as the Second Battalion Commander during his senior year. He is a logistics readiness officer and is currently stationed at the Pentagon. Cage has deployed multiple times in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, New Dawn, and Unified Protector and most recently was deployed to Kabul, Afghanistan.
Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnus Lt. Cmdr. Nick Buls, U.S. Naval Reserve, who earned a degree in history from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and a minor in leadership studies from the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Rice Center for Leader Development in 2002. When not serving as a reservist, Buls is employed by Pennsylvania’s Emergency Management Agency. As a cadet, he served as the First Sergeant for Alpha Company and then as the India Company Commander his senior year. He served on active duty as a surface warfare officer until early 2013. He participated in numerous multinational training operations around the world and deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumnus Capt. David Lynes, U.S. Air Force, who earned a degree in electrical engineering from the College of Engineering and a minor in leadership studies from the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Rice Center for Leader Development in 2007. He was a member of Hotel Company and served as the Regimental Executive Officer, the second highest-ranking cadet in the regiment, during his senior year. Lynes deployed to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan with the U.S. Special Operations Command in 2010. He currently serves as a senior nuclear weapon test engineer at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M.

With a visitor’s pass, parking is available in the Squires Lot, located at the corner of College Avenue and Otey Street or the Architecture Annex Lot also on Otey Street. Parking meters within the Squires Lot will need to be paid. A visitor’s pass may be obtained Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Visitor Information Center, located at 965 Prices Fork Road, near the intersection of Prices Fork and University City Boulevard next to the Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center.

A visitor’s pass may also be obtained from the Virginia Tech Police Station, located on Sterrett Drive, outside of the Visitor Information Center hours. Find more parking information online or call 540-231-3200.