Corps of Cadets and Veterans@VT welcome all to next month's Veterans Day events
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will hold a Veterans Day remembrance ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11, to recognize all veterans and to honor the service that Virginia Tech men and women have given our nation.
The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. and will be held in in the War Memorial Chapel, located at 601 Drillfield Drive. The free event is open to the public.
Anthony Scott, Virginia Tech's associate dean of students. will speak. Service songs will be played by the Highty-Tighty brass ensemble, and attendees will be invited to proceed up to the War Memorial for the placing of a memorial wreath.
Scott is the adviser to the student veterans group, Veterans @ VT. He served 10 years in the U.S. Army. He received his bachelor’s degree from Indiana Wesleyan University and a law degree from Indiana University School of Law.
At 11 a.m., Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands and Laura Sands will join the Commandant of Cadets, Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, and Scott to place the memorial wreath in front of the cenotaph on War Memorial Court.
The Gregory Guard, the Corps of Cadets precision rifle drill team, will fire a rifle salute, the Color Guard will present the colors, and taps will be played.
Veteran's Day, formerly known as Armistice Day, was established to celebrate the signing of the Armistice at the end of World War I. The Armistice took effect at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation for this ceremony, please contact Maj. Carrie Cox at 540-231-6413 or email cacox@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.
Other events surrounding Veterans Day include:
- Veterans @ VT will also honor the sacrifice of U.S. service members on Nov. 11, when volunteers will take turns reading the names of those killed while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn. The reading will take place at the Pylons starting at 2 p.m. and will start with an opening speech and a moment of silence. It is expected to take more than five hours to read the names of the more than 6,800 men and women who have lost their lives in the conflicts.
- At 4:45 p.m. on Nov. 11, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets will hold a formal retreat ceremony at the flagpole on Upper Quad behind Lane Hall, located at 280 Alumni Mall. The regiment will be formed between Lane, Shanks, and Major Williams halls. The Color Guard will lower the flag, Skipper, the Corps of Cadets cannon, will fire, and the Highty-Tighties, the regimental band, will play.
- The corps will also be holding two vigil ceremonies to honor our nation’s veterans. The Robert Femoyer Service Squadron will hold a 24-hour vigil at the Rock by the flagpole on Upper Quad from midnight Tuesday, Nov. 10, to midnight Wednesday, Nov. 11. Two cadets will be posted as guards and will change every half an hour. Volunteers from the entire Corps of Cadets will take turns.
- The second vigil will be located at War Memorial Court. Echo Company will hold a 48-hour vigil from midnight Monday, Nov. 9, to midnight Wednesday, Nov. 11. Two cadets will be posted as guards at the cenotaph and will change every hour. All current and many alumni of Echo Company will participate in the vigil.
- In addition to the campus events, the Citizen-Leader Track, known as VPI Battalion, the Highty-Tighties, the Color Guard, and the Gregory Guard will represent the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets as they march on Saturday, Nov. 7 in the Virginia’s Veterans Parade in Roanoke. The parade will start at 11 a.m.
- Also, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is hosting the Veterans 5K run at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 8, on the Virginia Tech cross country course. Funds raised will go to The Mission Continues, Eric Greitens’ nonprofit agency. His book, “The Heart and the Fist,” is Virginia Tech’s 2015-16 Common Book and he will be speaking on campus on Thursday, Nov. 5. The Mission Continues challenges veterans to find new missions after separating from the military by focusing their talents and energy to tackle challenges facing us at home. By empowering veterans to serve at home, The Mission Continues seeks to change the national conversation about veterans while building stronger communities.
The public is welcome to attend all events.
In order to prepare for the Veterans Day events, Gregory Guard plans to hold a practice firing the evening of Monday, Nov. 9, on the Upper Quad at approximately 6:20 p.m. There will be three rifle shots fired in succession.
The Rock is a memorial to Virginia Tech alumni lost in World War I and is located next to the flagpole on Upper Quad. Cadets salute this memorial whenever they pass it to honor the sacrifice of these men. All Hokies are encouraged to place their hand over their heart when passing it, as cadets do when out of uniform.
The Pylons are a representation of Virginia Tech’s values. The values engraved on the eight pylons are, (from left to right): Brotherhood, Honor, Leadership, Sacrifice, Service, Loyalty, Duty, and Ut Prosim. The Pylons are etched with the names of 430 Virginia Tech students and graduates who have died defending our nation’s freedom. At the memorial’s center, the cenotaph displays the names of Virginia Tech’s seven Congressional Medal of Honor recipients.
Free parking is available in Perry Street Lots and the Perry Street Parking Garage near Prices Fork Road with a visitor’s pass. A visitor’s pass may be obtained Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 6, Saturday 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 5 p.m. at the Visitor Center, located at 925 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 at 330 Sterrett Drive, outside of the Visitor Center hours.
Find more parking information online or call 540-231-3200.
