Timekeepers of the Corps
By Cadet Gabriel Morales '27
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets is distinctive among senior military colleges for having a live bugling service every day – and the tradition almost disappeared during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Signal Corps is an integral part of the Corps of Cadets, performing three times a day, seven days a week, every day of the school year. In the morning, six calls are performed with the cadet regiment present. In the evening, two calls are bugled, and three at night.
The Signal Corps is a unique program in this day and age, and the tradition is being held strong by the eight current members of the organization. This hasn’t always been the case, however. During the 2022-2023 school year, only two seniors remained in the program. Patrick Corrigan and Zachary Vaday were prepared to let the Signal Corps die out if no one met the high standard that the program demanded. Fortunately, three individuals sought to join the organization that year: sophomore Cadet Carter Velivlis and first-year cadets Morgan Sobota and Ethan Homenik.
The Signal Corps’ admission process (or “tap” process) is unlike any other organization in the Corps. Their tap lasts as long as the prospective member needs to master all the calls.
“While other tap processes might be sprints to get to the finish line, Signal Corps uniquely is a marathon,” said Ethan Homenik, the junior in charge of Signal Corps.
This demanding process requires buglers to know their calls and routines from memory and to acquire the precision and attention to detail required to be in the organization. It is not all about being able to play, though; it is about understanding why the Signal Corps does what it does. They‘re asked questions about taps, life, and fallen heroes.
Time is something the organization values more than any other program, and they have everything synchronized to the second, literally. If someone were to watch a bugler, they would notice the uniform, the trumpet, and the shiny black shoes with metal plates on the bottom that make a clicking sound. Something they will not notice, however, is the silver analog watch that every single member of the Signal Corps wears when they bugle. Every morning before they step off, the member bugling syncs the watch to the official United States time. This ensures that not only is the bugler on time, but that the Corps of Cadets is on time.
The Signal Corps isn’t an organization meant for people who only want to play the trumpet; it is an organization for cadets who want to better themselves and represent the fallen through their playing. Their motto is “Honor through Service, Service through Sacrifice,” and their aim as an organization is to uplift themselves and others through the motto. In their own tradition, each of the juniors and seniors have the initials of the Signal Corps motto engraved on the inside of their dress ring, “HTS, STS.”
While the majority of the Signal Corps members are in the regimental band, the Highty-Tighties, cadets from across the regiment are welcome to join. Carter Velivlis, the commanding officer of Signal Corps, said, “We have two members in the line companies, and I would love to have more.” The organization wants to spread their wings to encompass the whole Corps.
Not only is the organization trying to expand within the Corps, but it is also trying to expand around Blacksburg and Christiansburg. “Making it known that we can do bugling events, taps, or anything like that, funerals, we’re open to that,” said Morgan Sobota, a junior in the organization. Members of the Signal Corps want to be able to serve their community and make a difference for people, seeking to fulfill their strong desire for service to Virginia Tech and the surrounding areas.