Corps

CORPS OF CADETS

STANDBY, FIRE!: Jillian Skahill fires Skipper, the Corps of Cadets’ cannon, at the start of the Hokies’ game against Old Dominion University in 2019.

DEFINED BY DEDICATION

JILLIAN SKAHILL HAS BEEN AN INTEgral part of Virginia Tech football games for four years. But you probably didn’t notice her. Dressed in the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets’ uniform, Skahill looked like every other member of Skipper Crew, the cadets who fire the corps’ cannon during home games. She found joy in the experience. She also embraced the responsibilities of timing, communication, leadership, and safety. What made her blend seamlessly at football games is exactly why Skahill stands out to her peers. “She is simply the most dedicated cadet that I have seen in my eight years here,” said Command Sgt. Maj. Dan Willey, the senior enlisted advisor for 1st Battalion and advisor for the Skipper Crew. Skahill was the crew’s top junior during the 2019-20 academic year and the gun captain this past year. Skahill graduated in May with a degree in political science from the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and commissioned as a second lieutenant into the U.S. Army’s Military Police Corps. In November, she will head to her first duty station in Germany. “As she continues to hone her knowledge and combine it with her work ethic, she will continue to be the type of officer that makes Virginia Tech proud,” said Lt. Col. Curtis Armstrong, executive officer of Virginia Tech’s Army ROTC unit. Raised in Delaware, Skahill always wanted to be a police officer. She joined the Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program at her high school and discovered the military and its promise of college scholarships and a job after graduation. She earned leadership positions within the corps, ROTC, and Skipper Crew, honing her time-management skills and adaptability. Most importantly, she learned how to take care of people after she was asked to take a leadership position in a unit that was struggling. “It took me away from the idea that my job was to enforce standards and made me focus on how people fit into the mission,” she said.

Skahill is proud of that unit today, so much so that it rivals Skipper Crew as her best experience at Virginia Tech.

Shay Barnhart is the Corps of Cadets’ communications director.