Cadets John Mitchell, of Gainesville, Virginia; Abdel Hammad, of McLean, Virginia; and Paul Pechie, of Warrenton, Virginia, will receive the flags at this week’s football game against East Carolina University.

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and the Virginia Tech football team continue their proud partnership to highlight the colors during the pre-game ceremony at every football game.

Three football players, chosen because of their performance in the last game or at practice, will carry the American flag, the state flag, and the team’s spirit flag as they lead the team onto the field. They deliver them to cadets at the south end of the field. 

The cadets, also selected based on their performance during training, honor the flags and then carry them off the field. At home games, three first-year cadets are selected, and one or two upper-class cadets travel with the team and receive the flags at away games. 

John Mitchell, a freshman majoring in building construction in the College of Architecture and Urban Affairs, was chosen for his performance as a new cadet and because of his willingness to help and motivate other new cadets in his company, even while injured. He is the recipient of a corps’ Emerging Leader Scholarship and in Army ROTC.

Abdel Hammad, a freshman majoring in computational modeling and data analytics in the College of Science, was selected for his motivation and maturity in conducting himself throughout training. He is in Army ROTC.

Paul Pechie, a freshman majoring in environmental resources management in the College of Natural Resources and Environment, was chosen for his eagerness to learn and positive attitude. He is in Marine ROTC.

Written by Kawika Gonsalves, a senior from Midlothian, Virginia, majoring in physics in the College of Science.

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