“I’m so proud of these guys,” Siddle said of the more than 80 cadets who volunteered to stand watch over the candle in 88 half-hour shifts.

Siddle was simply here “to make sure everything went right.”

The ceremony is concluded.

"Let's Go, Hokies!" The crowd, led by a lone, male voice begins the familiar chant, echoing last year's convocation.

Other people have lined the ledge of the War Memorial to watch the ceremony, which is slated to begin at sunset.

Along the field's sidewalks, students groups are handing out pink and orange candles and paper 7-Eleven cups in which to cradle the candles during the ceremony.

The cadets have left their post at the candle until 9 p.m. so they are not a distraction during the candlelit vigil.

The number of visitors to the memorial has picked up, with a crowd of more than 50 slowly passing by each of the stones. An uptick in police presence is noticeable as well, with pockets of sheriff's deputies and community officers patrolling the sides of the field.

"Because we all go to Tech and she knows a lot of poeple who go to Tech, she wanted to make it," Xia said. Lee did not know any of the victims.

Xia stood in line with about 30 other visitors to the memorial.

Media photographers are beginning to line up along the memorial to make certain they have a good spot for the candlelit vigil at dusk.

Some passersby noted that names of some victims are shrouded because of the sea of petals adorning each. Some of the flowers, carnations, come from the seven buckets lined along the wall in front of War Memorial Chapel.

NRV Floral donated the flowers and signs accompanying them encourages people to take a single, long-stemmed carnation to the site of the candle memorial.

The cadets guarding the candle remain stoic as curios onlookers snapped photos of the changing of rigid changing of the guard.

Farther from the vigil, the crowd scattered on the Drill Field has thinned. Some barefoot boys continue to toss footballs and throw frisbees, while couples hug each other and others read while lounging on blankets.

In about two hours, candle-light vigil is set to begin.

Sweeney and other volunteers started at 7:30 a.m. today. By 5 p.m., they estimated they had given away at least 60 cases of bottled water -- at 24 bottles a case.

They also distributed snacks. Students lined up for Rice Krispies Treats and chocolate-chip granola bars.

Of course, Sweeney said, the snacks "would be popular on any day."

But, he added, "I'm glad we were able to do this today."

He mentioned one other constituency that appreciated the Red Cross food and drinks at the Drillfield -- the news media.

-- Rob Johnson

-- Rob Johnson

Most of the dozens of officers from various police agencies, including state troopers, on duty Wednesday morning have departed. In fact, only one remained. A Virginia State Trooper sitting inside his patrol car near the Drillfield, barely watching the students. In fact, one campus officer, who stood on the steps on Burruss Hall, said she wasn’t patrolling the Drillfield at all. But she had just come outside her office for a breath of air.

One who brought flowers was Alyssa Durben, a geography major who wasn’t a student at Virginia Tech last year, but transferred in since. She brought a single pink chrysanthemum. She said the emotion of the day prevented her from attending the commemoration service, but “I wanted to come now and leave this flower, especially for the Holocaust survivor [Liviu Librescu]. I didn’t know he was one until I saw it on TV. It broke my heart.”