That I May Serve

By Katie Mallory '03 Communications Director
Six months after Hurricane Helene barreled across the southern United States, communities were still wrestling with storm damage. Though the Corps sent over 500 cadets to Giles County shortly after the hurricane in October to assist with cleanup, a sizeable workforce was still needed this spring to address widespread damage along the New River, which winds its way through the county.

Coinciding with Virginia Tech's Big Event in April, the Corps once again aided the neighboring county during the annual ReNew the New event with a specific goal: remove the piled debris from the islands and banks along the river. Local boaters from the county helped shuttle cadets across the water to numerous islands where they collected items ranging from park benches to boats left stranded as flood waters subsided. From morning to afternoon, 500 cadets worked on ten different sites, providing 3,000 hours of service to the New River and Giles County. Cadets from the Citizen-Leader Track’s VPI Battalion managed the island cleanup sites while cadets from battalions across the regiment focused on the banks.
In appreciation of support received from the Corps, officials from Giles County during the annual Corps awards ceremony presented Maj. Gen. Seely and cadets Carson Manternach and Thomas Feely with tokens of appreciation, including a commendation from the House of Delegates and announced the naming of a boat landing on the New River, Cadet Landing, in honor of the regiment’s service.