Hokies at the Tip of the Spear

By Cmdr. Nate Brown '98, Alumni Director

It is a common phrase on Upper Quad: “Cadets need to be ready upon graduation.” Recent world events have highlighted this reality once again.

There have been several instances in our collective history where we have witnessed the pressing need for young leaders, but these examples have lost their relevance to our current generation. How did cadets feel on Dec. 8, 1941, the day following the attack on Pearl Harbor? How did they feel in November of 1955 when President Eisenhower deployed the Military Assistance Advisory Group to train the Army of the Republic of Vietnam? Or in the subsequent years through the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations when troop presence in Vietnam peaked at over 540,000 and our last combat troops were withdrawn in 1973? How did cadets feel on Sept. 12, 2001 following attacks on our home soil the day prior?  

For some of us, we remember vividly what we were doing and how we felt. Our current cadets, however, were not yet born to experience these cataclysmic events that would propel the United States into war, and instead grew up in the aftermath with the Global War on Terror as their “normal.”

The violence in Ukraine, the continued tension with China, and the conflict between Israel and Hamas that has enticed unrest on land and sea in the Middle East and here at home, have made it evident once again that our graduates are ready.

Our Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets alumni, some of whom just graduated last May, are in the areas of the world that we all see nightly on the evening news. Our alumni office has not had a tracking device on every graduate through the years, so the information below is just a small sample of some of our own who have recently been in harm’s way.

Responding to events that transpired in the eastern Mediterranean Sea last fall, Hokies assigned to multiple ships and commands have answered the call. On USS Normandy: Lt. Kyle Luchau (Class of 2018), Lt.jg. Roger Gerome Maisog (Class of 2021), and Lt.jg. Robert McGroarty (Class of 2020). With the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group: Capt. Jim Von St. Paul (Class of 1998) and Capt. Dave Dartez (Class of 2000). On USS Arleigh Burke, Ensign Marissa Bell (Class of 2023).

In the Red Sea responding to multiple drones and ballistic missiles aimed at heightening the instability and unrest in the Middle East, Ensign Caleigh Mason (Class of 2022) is serving on USS Carney and Lt. j.g. Austin Tirona (Class of 2021) is serving on USS Laboon.

In the South China Sea, Lt. Nikki Slaughter’s (Class of 2016) interaction with Chinese fighter jet was featured by CNN. In the East China Sea, Cmdr. Kevin Taylor (Class of 2005) is serving as the executive officer of the USS Robert Smalls and Ensign Alexandra Scarfe (Class of 2022) is serving onboard the USS America.

In Japan, Capt. Elizabeth Archer (Class of 2019) and Capt. Amanda Jacobson (Class of 2018) are serving as F-15E Strike Eagle weapon systems officers.

2nd Lt. Grace Kim (Class of 2022) was recently a scout platoon leader with the 1st Armored Division in support of Operation European Assure, Deterrence, and Reinforce in Poland.

1st Lt. Eryn Wolfe (Class of 2020) and 1st Lt. Zachary Young (Class of 2021) are deployed to Germany in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve. Both in the 3rd Infantry Division, Wolfe is serving as a UH-60M pilot and executive officer for a maintenance company and Young is a CH-47F pilot and platoon leader.

In the Middle East, Maj. Kyle Hooper (Class of 2013) is the director for operations with the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron in Kuwait. At Isa Air Base in Bahrain, Cmdr. Keith Frost (Class of 2005) is the Operations Officer and Lt. Naveen Gupta (Class of 2016) is in air operations support. In Iraq, Capt. Alexander Kase (Class of 2016) is deployed with the 10th Mountain Division.

This is only a small sample of our alumni currently serving around the world. If we broadened the example to include not only those serving abroad, but also at home, it would continue to showcase how our graduates are at the frontline of ensuring the security, stability, and freedoms that we all hold dear as citizens.

Sending the Class of 2024 out into the world while preparing to welcome the Class of 2028 in August reminds me of the importance of the work we do here in Blacksburg, and how appreciative we are of our alumni, families, and friends that support this program so much. The development of the future leaders that our commonwealth and nation so desperately need is a calling that we can all be proud of.

If you see it on the news, there is a high probability that a Corps alum is there and living out our university motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve).