2008.04.16
Cadet commander spends last hour at the memorial
The last 24 hours have been long for Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets Regimental Commander Dustin Siddle. But overseeing the guarding of the candle at the Drillfield memorial to those slain on April 16, 2007 has been rewarding.
“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.”
Siddle, a senior history major, plans to graduate in May and join the army as a second lieutentant, he said.
One of the students killed last year was a cadet Siddle knew. Experiencing such a large-scale tragedy “helped me mature in ways I never thought I could,” Siddle said. “It was my introduction to the real world.”
The Pennsylvania native is determined, however, not to let the experience taint his memories of college.
“Overall, it was great,” he said.
-- Tonia Moxley
