Virginia Tech will honor its eighth Medal of Honor recipient, 1st Lt. Gary Lee Miller, during a small ceremony at 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Pylons.
The university will livestream the ceremony on its YouTube page, https://youtube.com/virginiatech.
During the event, the Corps of Cadets Gregory Guard will perform a rifle salute with three volleys of shots and buglers will play Echo Taps.
The portion of Drillfield Drive that passes in front of the Pylons will be closed between Kent and Stanger streets during the ceremony, expected to last about 30 minutes. Authorities will be in place to help guide drivers around the closures.
Additionally, the Gregory Guard will practice the rifle salute at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, behind Lane Hall on Upper Quad.
A unit commander in the U.S. Army, Miller died from wounds he received after smothering an enemy grenade to save the men he was leading in South Vietnam on Feb. 16, 1969. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor, but his connection to Virginia Tech remained mostly unknown.
A resident of Covington, Va., Miller attended Clifton Forge-Covington Community College during a period when it was designated a branch of Virginia Tech. Today, it is Dabney S. Lancaster Community College.
Protocol for inclusion on the cenotaph is for the Medal of Honor recipient to be an alumnus, whether a graduate or not.