Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
New River Valley native and country music rising star Morgan Wade was embedded this past month with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets during its annual Platoon Tactical Challenge.
The event was a demanding, day-long event designed to push participants to their physical and mental limits. Wade, who is originally from Floyd, took part in the same activities as each Corps member.
“That was definitely harder than anything I have ever done,” said Wade.
Wade is a singer-songwriter from Floyd, who rose to prominence with her 2021 debut album, Reckless. Her latest is called “The Party is Over.”
She announced earlier this year a break from touring to focus on personal health and non-music projects. At the time, Wade said after performing nearly 500 shows in three years, she wanted to experience life outside the industry.
Her music has been categorized as a blending of rock, pop and Appalachian bluegrass.
Wade has been open about her journey with sobriety, which began in 2017 and her struggles with mental health. In 2024, Wade underwent a proactive double mastectomy after testing positive for the RAD51D gene, which indicated a high risk for breast cancer.
Outside of music, she is a dedicated powerlifter and runner.
In Blacksburg, Wade experienced the physical and mental demands of the Cadet program and the camaraderie that develops through shared challenges.
“Everybody’s pushing in these groups to get completed, to get things done and make sure everybody’s doing their best, and that’s how it is when you’re out on the road when we’re performing. We’re all working together and try to make sure we get everything done well,” said Wade.
She joined cadets from Alpha Company and completed the full course as her platoon navigated obstacles spread across campus. From rappelling and simulated casualty evacuations to miles of running and intense physical training, the challenge tested teamwork, endurance, and leadership under pressure.
In information provided by the university, the Platoon Tactical Challenge has been a signature Corps of Cadets event since 2015, compressing months of preparation into a single, high-stress environment.
Approximately 24 platoons consisting of about 30 cadets moved through five stations, each designed to evaluate different aspects of readiness, including tactical decision-making, physical resilience, and the ability to operate as a cohesive unit while fatigued.
The specific tasks are often kept secret until the day of the event to test each cadet’s adaptability, but common stations were log carries, box jumps, running in boots and utilities and rappelling from a tower. Combat simulations included paintball courses, crawling through mud and water under barbed wire and simulated enemy contact drills.
Before the challenge, Wade met with Cadet Isaiah Lee, Alpha Company commander and a political science major, and toured the Pylons, gaining insight into Virginia Tech’s military history and traditions.
“Morgan is an awesome person, and it was great getting to know her and having her do the competition with us. It was a valuable experience for me to realize that celebrities are just normal people like us who do awesome things, and we can have normal conversations with them. I think that’s an important lesson to take with me — we are all humans and, in the end, we all need communication and connection,” Lee said.
The visit offered a deeper understanding of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve) and the responsibility cadets carry to honor those who have died in service to the nation.
“These were some awesome men and women out there, and it was very inspiring,” said Wade.
