"Today, one year later, we have proven strong and devoted to the one legacy no one will ever take away, Hokie Nation..."

We Will Prevail...

Dedicated to the lives lost on April 16th, 2007. Keep the families and friends of the VT community in your thoughts. Show your support by joining and telling your friends to join. Hokies United...We will never forget this day...

So far, 33 confirmed dead. Known as the Deadliest Shooting Incident in the history of the US.

4/16/07 - Certainly, a tragic day that will be remembered by everyone...

The suspect: Identified as Cho Seung-Hui, a 23 year old student from South Korea. He was a senior English major at Virginia Tech. About a year ago, Cho's instructor brought news of his strange, bizarre, and horrific "plays" and writings turned in. The instructor brought the attention to the University and little was done. The University saying "there's really little we can do about the papers" since it was in fact a creative writing class.

7:15am: Cho Seung-Hui entered West AJ, went to the 4th floor (Possibly Room 4040), and killed 1 man and 1 woman.

Between the shooting at 7:15am and 9:30am, Cho compiled a package of videos, pictures, and a "manifest". He sent this package to NBC. Cho's videos contained him speaking to the world against hedonism and Christianity, also saying "I did it for my brothers and sisters". Since we will not post the pictures actually on this site, MSNBC has chosen to show these pictures to the world. These are multiple pictures of Cho with his arsenal of weapons. Truly horrifying...

9:30am: Cho then entered into Norris Hall, chained the insides of the doors, and began entering classrooms (rooms 204 and 211) shooting as many people possible. Students, in an attempt to avoid the terror, jumped out of 2nd & 3rd story windows, and even played dead on the ground. The shooter ended up killing 31 students and faculty, including turning the gun on himself.


Below is a list of the individuals killed on this day:

Emily Jane Hilscher - 19, a freshman majoring in animal and poultry sciences, was known around her hometown as an animal lover. "She worked at a veterinarian's office and cared about them her whole life," Rappahannock County Administrator John W. McCarthy, said a family friend.

Ryan Christopher Clark - 22, was known as "Stack" to his friends in the Marching Virginians college band. The Virginia Tech senior came from Martinez in Georgia and was a "true example of 'The Spirit Of Tech'," according to a message posted on the band's Web site. He majored in biology and English, and carried a 4.0 grade-point average, according to the coroner in Columbia County, Georgia. Clark was a resident assistant at West Ambler Johnston Hall, the dormitory where he and another person were shot dead at 7:15 a.m. Monday. He had been planning to pursue a doctorate in psychology with a focus in cognitive neuroscience, according to the Marching Virginians Web site.
If you would like to help the family with funeral costs please call the Georgia Bank and Trust and ask to donate money to the Ryan Clark Memorial Fund. The number is (706) 739-1780

Mary Read - 19, was born in South Korea into an Air Force family and lived in Texas and California before settling in the northern Virginia suburb of Annandale. Read considered a handful of colleges, including nearby George Mason University, before choosing Virginia Tech. It was a popular destination among her Annandale High School classmates, according to her aunt Karen Kuppinger.

Henry Lee - Roanoke, Va., Freshman, Computer Engineering

Leslie Sherman - Leslie was from Springfield, VA and attended West Springfield High School. She was a sophomore honors student who was very smart and had a very high GPA. She was very outgoing, funny, and carefree. Leslie's passion for history and running was well-known to all of her friends.

Reema Samaha - 18, was a first-year student of Lebanese descent at Virginia Tech and went to the same high school in Centerville, Virginia, as the shooter, Cho Seung-Hui. Her father, Joseph, described her as a "shy girl till you got to know her." She was looking forward to majoring in urban planning with a minor in international relations because "she thought she could solve the problems of the world," her father said. Samaha, remembered as a beautiful and creative dancer, performed the weekend before the shootings, which marked the last time her parents saw her alive. "I keep her in my mind," her father said. "Her face is in my mental vision. It keeps me going."

Maxine Turner - Vienna, Va., Senior, Chemical Engineering

Jarrett Lane - Jarrett Lane, from Narrows, Va., was a senior civil engineering student who was valedictorian of his high school class in tiny Narrows, Va.

Dr. Liviu Librescu - 76, was a Holocaust survivor who, his son said, will be remembered as a hero. He "blocked the doorway with his body and asked the students to flee," said his son Joe Librescu. The elder Librescu, a professor at Virginia Tech, was recognized internationally for his research in aeronautical engineering.

Dr. Kevin P. Granata - Engineering science and mechanics professor Granata and his students researched muscle and reflex response and robotics. He one of the top five biomechanics researchers in the country and was working on movement dynamics in cerebral palsy.

Juan Ortiz - Graduate Student, Civil Engineering

G. V. Loganathan - 51, was a professor of civil and environmental engineering in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. Since coming to Virginia Tech in 1982, he earned the Outstanding Faculty Award, the Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in Civil Engineering Education, according to his biography on the Virginia Tech Web site. Loganathan, of Tamil Nadu, India, lived with his wife and children on Virginia Tech's campus.

Professor Jamie Bishop - A 35-year-old German professor known as "Jamie," wore his hair long, rode his bike to campus and worked alongside his wife in the foreign languages department at Virginia Tech, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was known for his gentle manner and generosity toward students. He is the son of science fiction writer Michael Bishop.

Matt La Porte - 20, of Dumont, New Jersey, was studying political science and French at Virginia Tech. He was also a member of the Corps of Cadets, the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets band, the Highty-Tighties and the U.S. Air Force ROTC, according to his MySpace page.

Brian Bluhm - Graduate student in Civil Engineering

Caitlin Hammaren -19, of Westtown, New York, was a sophomore majoring in international studies and French, according to officials at her former school district. "She was just one of the most outstanding young individuals that I've had the privilege of working with in my 31 years as an educator," said John P. Latini, principal of Minisink Valley High School. "Caitlin was a leader among our students." Minisink Valley students and teachers shared their grief Tuesday at a counseling center set up in the school, Latini said.

Daniel Perez Cueva - 21, of Peru, was killed while in a French class. Perez Cueva was a student of international relations, an interest driven by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He spoke four languages, loved soccer and swimming, and was a member of the Honor Society, his friends said. "I'll miss his smile and his laughter," said friend Donald Smith. "We're missing a friend, a very good friend."

Ross Alameddine - 20, was a student from Saugus, Massachusetts. The sophomore English major was shot during French class, said a family friend. A Facebook page created in Alameddine's memory called him "an intelligent, funny, easygoing guy who will be greatly missed."

Waleed Shaalan - Another heroic story from all of this. Mr. Shaalan was a professor in Norris Hall. During the chaos, Mr. Shaalan was in a classroom with another student. The gunman entered the room shooting random people. But the professor and student hit the ground, Mr. Shaalan wounded but the student played dead. When the gunman reentered the room noticed that the student was still alive, Mr. Shaalan made a move to distract the killer ultimately resulting in being fatally shot once more killing the professor. His truly remarkable story will always be remembered.

Erin Peterson - Student from Centreville, Va. She graduated from Westfield High School. She played basketball and from friends, was "one of the nicest girls you would meet. You would see her, and all you wanted to do was smile". She was very close to her parents, and an only child.

Julia Pryde - Pryde, 23, of Middletown, N.J., was a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences. She traveled to Peru with a professor to work with students there on improving water systems in South America, was fluent in Spanish and enjoyed hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Mike Pohle - Mike Was a fifth year Biological Sciences major from Flemington, NJ. He was also on the VT lacrosse team.

Matthew Gwaltney - An engineering graduate student from Chester, Va. He graduated from Thomas Dale High School. A very nice guy and a good friend. He was a big hokie football and basketball fan.

Jocelyne Couture-Nowak - French language teacher and former Montreal resident, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. She taught at Virginia Tech along with her husband, Jerzy Nowak, a horticulture professor.

Nicole White - A junior majoring in international studies and German.

Dan O'Neil - O'Neil, a graduate student in environmental engineering from Lincoln, R.I., graduated in 2002 from Lincoln High School and last year received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Lafayette College in Easton, Pa., before heading to Virginia, according to The Providence Journal.

Jeremy Herbstritt - Herbstritt, 27, was of Johnstown, Penn., according to WJAC-TV. A 1998 graduate of Bellefonte Area High School in Pennsylvania and a Penn State graduate, he was a Virginia Tech graduate student studying civil engineering.

Lauren McCain - Of Hampton, Va. An undergraduate majoring in international studies.

Austin Cloyd - Born in Charlotte, N.C., lived in central Illinois with her family for several years before moving to Blacksburg. She graduated from Centennial High School.

Rachael Hill - Freshman student, 18, from Richmond, Va., area

Partahi Lombantoruan - 34 Indonesia Doctoral Student, Civil Engineering

Minal Panchal - Was in her first year of pursuing hers masters degree at Virginia Tech in Science.


We also have a list of those injured in recovery:
Heidi Miller ( http://vt.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2359625864&ref=mf )
Kristine Heeger
Kevin Sterne
Elilta Habtu (Lilly)

Keep these friends and their families in your thoughts and prayers.

"This tragic day in Blacksburg will be burned into memory for a long time to come. From what we know so far, we have lost many bright young minds at the hands of a deranged individual who senselessly violated the sanctuary of the Virginia Tech campus,"
- Florida Republican Adam Putnam

"We hold the victims in our hearts, we lift them up in our prayers and we ask a living God to comfort those who are suffering today,"
- President Bush

IF YOU MISSED THE CONVOCATION SERVICE HERE SERVICE http://www.hokiesports.com/convocation.html

"We've come to express our sympathy. In this time of anguish, I hope you know that people all over this country are thinking of you and asking God for comfort."
- President Bush at the Convocation at Cassell Collesium

"It is a very bitter and sad day, and yet there's no place in the world [my wife and I] would rather be than here with you,"
- Virginia Governor Tim Kaine at the Convocation at Cassell Collesium

My Dedication on the April 16th, Memorial website for VT:
As we mourn together and remember those loved ones we've lost, we stand in resiliance and perseverance. With the support from friends, families, Universities, and the world, we grow stronger. Yes, we will shed tears in the present days, but we will make it through. Every thought, every prayer helps us through this. Thank you for your overwhelming support. May God bless our friends' short lives and praise those heroic individuals who rose up against evil to save lives.
Thank You,
Marcos Correa

As reported and confirmed, Norris Hall will now be closed for the remainder of the semester.

Truly moving words from VT Professor Nikki Giovanni at the Convocation
We are Virginia Tech
We are sad today
And we will be sad for quite a while
We are NOT moving on
We are embracing our mourning
We are Virginia Tech
We are strong enough to stand tall tirelessly
We are brave enough to bend to cry, and sad enough to know
We must laugh again
We are Virginia Tech
We do not understand this tragedy
We know we did nothing deserve it
But neither does the child in Africa, dying of AIDS
Neither do the invisible children, walking the night away to avoid being captured by rogue army
Neither does the baby elephant, watching his community be devastated for ivory
Neither does the Mexican child looking for fresh water
Neither does the Appalachian child, killed in his own crib, in the home his father built with his own hands, being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized
No one deserves a tragedy
We are Virginia Tech
The Hokie nation embraces our own and reaches out with open heart and hands to those that offer their hearts and minds
We are strong and brave and innocent and unafraid,
We are better than we think and not quite what we want to be
We are live to the imagination
And the possibility we will continue to invent the future
Through our blood and tears
Through all this sadness
We are the Hokies
We will prevail
We will prevail
We will prevail
WE ARE
VIRGINIA TECH

Thank you to all supporters. Every thought, every prayer is very important to us all (read less)

"Today, one year later, we have proven strong and devoted to the one legacy no one will ever take away, Hokie Nation..."

We Will Prevail...

Dedicated to the lives lost on April 16th, 2007. Keep the families and friends of the VT community in your thoughts. Show your support by joining and telling your friends to join. Hokies United...We will never forget this day...

So far, 33 confirmed dead. Known as the Deadliest Shooting Incident in the history of the US.

4/16/07 - Certainly, a tragic... (read more)