1 Year After Rampage, Va. Tech Remembers

Campus Holds Vigil, Solemn Memorial To Victims Of Worst Mass Shooting In U.S. History

(CBS/AP)  Candle flames flickered at dusk as some 30,000 people gathered at Virginia Tech's campus for a vigil to remember those killed by a gunman in the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.

Students representing each of the 32 killed one year ago lit their candles from one burning since midnight when another event on the same field began a day of grieving for the victims.

As the vigil ended, "Let's go," was screamed at one end of the field. "Hokies" was the reply from the other end in what became a growing participatory chant.

Earlier, a sea of people clad in maroon and orange, some with heads tearfully bowed, others with arms interlocked, paid tribute to the victims who died a year ago.

"We remain deeply and profoundly saddened by the events of that tragic day...," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger told the crowd. "Indeed, all our lives were changed on that day."

The accomplishments of each of the 32 people echoed across the drill field, a litany of what they had done and planned to do before a student gunman killed them in classrooms and a dormitory.

Austin Cloyd had an iron will. Caitlin Hammaren loved playing the violin. Emily Hilscher was a skilled horsewoman. Ryan Clark was a collector of friends. Daniel Alejandro Perez Cueva dreamed of bringing people together and making the world peaceful.

"The world was cheated - cheated out of the accomplishments that were sure to come from these extraordinary lives," Gov. Timothy M. Kaine told the crowd.

People held back tears as a moment of silence was observed for those killed by Seung-Hui Cho, who took his own life as police closed in. But as music started playing, many sobbed and wept openly, overcome again by the magnitude of loss.

One grieving young woman fell to the ground and EMTs hurried to tend to her, eventually helping her off the field as she blinked back tears.

After the ceremony, bells in the nearby administration building tolled 32 times as mourners approached the semicircle of memorial stones, each engraved with the name of a victim.

The mourners gathered on the same field where a white candle lit at midnight began a day of grieving for the victims. Its flame was to be used to light candles for a vigil at dusk.

Some 20 people gathered in front of Norris Hall shortly after 9:30 a.m., the time one year ago that Cho killed 30 people in the building.

Shane Hutton, a senior from Bristol, said he had wanted to go into Norris but it was closed. Hutton, who had studied under instructor Jamie Bishop, one of the victims, said he has visited the wing of locked classrooms a half-dozen times in the past year.

"I find comfort in it," he said. "I just go in and think about the victims and the families."

Some in this close-knit campus of 27,000 were just hoping to make it through what they knew would be a difficult day.

"It's just so emotional for everybody," said Lori Haas, whose daughter Emily survived being shot. "The kids - you're just so worried about them and think, `Are they reliving those moments?"'

Smaller, reflective gatherings were to take place during the day. About 50 people laid down in protest of Virginia's gun laws (left). The protesters stretched out on the grass for three minutes, to symbolize the amount of time they say it takes to buy a gun in Virginia.

A similar "lie-in" was held at the University of Toledo, Ohio, and more were planned for other campuses.

Seung-Hui Cho had a history of bizarre and threatening behavior and had been declared dangerously mentally ill by a court. Under federal law, Virginia authorities should have sent his name to an FBI database, and when the gun stores ran their instant background checks his purchases should have been denied.

In the past year Virginia tightened its laws, sending thousands of names to the FBI, and congress gave all the states financial incentives to do the same, but CBS News correspondent Chip Reid reports that progress has been slow at best.

Numbers provided by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence show that a year ago there were 166,000 names in the FBI database and today, about 402,000. But an estimated 2.6 million Americans have been declared dangerously mentally ill.

The Brady Campaign's Paul Helmke says that means, "8 out of 10 people that have a history of being dangerously mentally ill are still going to be able to buy a gun in this country."

Others argue that solving the problem isn't as simple as creating stricter gun laws.

"If you have someone who's intent on committing criminal acts and they want to get a gun, they're gonna find a way to get a gun," says Virgina House of Delegates majority leader Morgan Griffith.

Some family members of victims entered War Memorial Chapel early Wednesday for a private service. Other family members of those killed said they couldn't bear to attend the official events and planned to grieve privately.

Bryan Cloyd, whose daughter Austin was killed, hopes to plant an oak tree with his wife Renee to honor their daughter's life. It is a way of looking toward the future, he said, rather than reflecting on the horrors of last April 16.

As a Virginia Tech professor and Blacksburg resident, Cloyd has faced reminders of his daughter every day. He believes Austin would want the community to honor her life, but then move forward.

"I won't be able to walk my daughter down the aisle at her wedding. I won't be able to bounce her children on my knee," he said softly. "And I don't think it's helpful to dwell on that, because where that leads is just more sadness. I think what's helpful to do is to dwell on what can be. What can we do with what we have?"

"It's been difficult at times. The nightmares and reliving flashbacks and other things," said Derek O'Dell, who was shot in the arm in his German class. He told CBS News there were 13 people in his class, and five didn't survive.

"I try and not let this event define me. It's tough to not be defined by tragedy, especially when you are in the news as much as I might be," O'Dell said. "It's difficult for people who might not have known me prior to April 16th to learn who Derek O'Dell is. Hopefully I will eventually reach all of my aspirations in life and become a great veterinarian and hopefully change the world for the better, and hopefully become remembered for that, and not just as a survivor."

No public memorials were planned for Cho.

Gerald Massengill, who led a governor-appointed panel that investigated the slayings, has tried to focus his thoughts on the changes that have been made to the state's mental health system and school security procedures in light of the panel's recommendations.

"I think a lot of us have been anticipating April the 16th with some reservations as to how it would impact us," he said. "And I think as it's gotten closer, what I have tried to consume myself with are those things ... the lessons that we think we could learn from Virginia Tech."

[gunownerdan]

A "GUN FREE ZONE" is an "EASY VICTIM ZONE".
The sooner we realize this the better.
Killers prefer defenseless victims and self defense is the most basic of human rights!

A-HUMAN-RIGHT.com

[noaanhc]

Would be so nice if just this once,on such a somber and tragic anniversary,that the issue of gun control would not be debated on here.This is not the time and place for this,for we are never ever going agree on here about the issue of guns in America.Let us just remember the ones that were lost and the 32 families that still hurt and grieve.We should all show the better angels our our nature today.

Take care

[VTchemist]

This story should be renamed. It is not remembering the 32 we lost, or remembering the impact on my campus. It is focused on the issues of guns.

Today is a day of rememberance for me. I am a faculty member at Virginia Tech. I lost a colleague and a student in the shootings.

Let the gun control debate be the focus of other stories on other day. Just not today. Please.

[VTchemist]

My prior comments refer to the video that is part of this page.

[lloydbest1]

Posted by noaanhc at 08:01 AM : Apr 16, 2008
Posted by gll1955 at 08:14 AM : Apr 16, 2008

Amen.

[displeased]

Posted by jh6379 at 09:15 AM

You must be one of those gold diggers...

[displeased]

Nah...I''''m just one of those who agrees that kids aren''''t sent to college to be shot and killed.
Posted by jh6379

Tell me if this is correct. By your standards, if my family enters a convenience store to buy some snacks and a gunman enters and kills one of my family members during a robbery attempt, I can sue that convenience store for not protecting my family member? Because of the notion they entered the store to buy snacks, not to die.

[jumkey]

This isn''t the "time or place" to debate gun control? You must be talking about the memorial service for the victims of this gun crime, not the comments section of the national news story ABOUT the memorial.

This is EXACTLY the place to talk about gun control, and exactly the right moment.

32 dead is only horrific and only merits memorials and news stores because it happened in one place and at one time. Virtually every single week since the Virgina Tech massacre there has been an equally appalling gun crime committed against innocent people somewhere in this country. These other slaughters are vaguely noted and then forgotten as quickly as possible, apparently to satisfy the delicate sensibilities of the gun nuts. Now we have to sweep 32 more deaths under the rug of our national collective amnesia?

No, sorry, I have no intention of giving these people a free pass when their wildly irresponsible and childish "handguns of everyone" demand which is in no small part responsible for this completely avoidable tragedy. Our insanely lax gun laws and culture of violence and gun love put a weapon in the hands of a crazy person. The result was completely predictable and will happen again because we refuse to acknowledge this.

And it will happen again.

[gunownerdan]

"..when something as terrible as Columbine''s tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look
for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws
that continue to erode away our personal and private liberties.
We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors.
No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre.
The real villain lies within our own hearts."
-- From the Testimony of Darrell Scott
Father of Two Victims of Columbine High School Shootings
Littleton, Colorado
Before the Subcommittee on Crime
House Judiciary Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Thursday, May 27, 1999

[usbrit-2009]

Posted by noaanhc at 08:01 AM : Apr 16, 2008
Posted by gll1955 at 08:14 AM : Apr 16, 2008

Amen.

Seconded.

[maedean]

Make sure you remind everyone of this so that every crack pot in the US can repete the crime..

[displeased]

You didn''''t file or sign anything with the store nor did you live there nor did you have insurance with the store. It is just a place you went. A campus is supposed to be safe for kids who are registered and live there unlike a convenient store.
Posted by jh6379

I work at Virginia Tech and I also pay health and life insurance, like the students. I pay life insurance because life is unpredictable. If a gunman barges into my office and kills me, it''s the gunman''s fault, not Virginia Tech''s. And if the kids had insurance, then why aren''t the insurance companies paying the families?

[okmd58]

Can anyone tell me one gun law a criminal or nut case obeys? How about the so called "Gun Free Zone". Or those little stickers on store doors showing a hand gun with a line thru it? Of course they don''t, only the law abiding citizen doe''s. So go ahead & pass as many gun laws possible, it will not change a thing. The laws only hurt myself & other law abiding citizens.

[bestillandno]

As a parent of a student who attends a college close to Tech and also has many friends that go to Tech, I think the general consenses is the same. Security issues needed to be addressed as well as the way the system handled students known to be mentally ill, but if someone really wants to plan and execute something like this, there''s not a lot that can be done to stop it. Gun control included.

[gunownerdan]

Killers prefer defenseless victims.
They always have and they always will.

[jumkey]

"No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre."

This is self-evidently untrue. By logical extension ALL laws are pointless and unenforceable because people break them.

That a person who has lost two children to gun violence would defend the mechanisms that allow guns to get into the hands of the murderers is evidence of the irrational way in which we view gun ownership and use in this country.

If Darrell Scott were to be offered the lives of his children back in exchange for stronger gun laws he would willing take it or be considered insane. Subtract that he CAN''T get his children back, what changes in the equation other than it''s OTHER people''s children are still alive and still in danger of being murdered by gun owners?

[jumkey]

Criminals prefer guns.

[dmyers110808]

As a college student and someone affected by this event I ask you all, as well did the faculty members of VA Tech, Please do not debat the issue today. Just remember the innocent lives lost and there families.

Thank you

[gunownerdan]

I think the families of the innocent victims should be fighting to allow responsible students and teachers to have the ability to protect themselves and prevent these mass shootings from taking so many lives.

[excoachken]

How about this alternative: Do not restrict guns, but rather I.D. them to the original owner, AND make him equally responsible for any crime committed by that gun in the future. I''ve heard all the gun nuts saying that they "are responsible, law abiding citizens," so let''s take them up on their bragging. We all have been told that "guns don''t commit crimes, only criminals." Make them responsible for the damage that their gun causes for the lifetime of the gun. This is very similar to the lifetime legal liability of owning a backyard trampoline. Now, y''all can have your AK-47s for hunting those pesky squirrels and I won''t say a word.

[mediapreachr]

''Killers prefer defenseless victims.
They always have and they always will''
This is so obvious,but we need to say it over again.
This zombie didn''t go to a police station or any other place where people with shoot back-he went to a place advertised to be "gun free".

[usbrit-2009]

Now, y''''all can have your AK-47s for hunting those pesky squirrels and I won''''t say a word.

Posted by excoachken

Come on guys, we''ve been asked not to debate pros and cons today. Let''s accede to these wishes and table debate till another occasion.

[mediapreachr]

The spin machine fails to mention one thing-Cho was not a citizen,so he wasn''t allowed to carry any weapons.
Not one word about that from the press.
But the propaganda is full blown against regular citizens,whose rights are written in stone.

[naucoming4u]

This story should be renamed. It is not remembering the 32 we lost, or remembering the impact on my campus. It is focused on the issues of guns.

Today is a day of rememberance for me. I am a faculty member at Virginia Tech. I lost a colleague and a student in the shootings.

Let the gun control debate be the focus of other stories on other day. Just not today. Please.

Posted by gll1955 at 08:14 AM : Apr 16, 2008
.............

And so, I shall honor your request by reposting your request for others to read.

May you find strength in this time of remembrance. God bless.

[displeased]

Come on guys, we''''ve been asked not to debate pros and cons today. Let''''s accede to these wishes and table debate till another occasion.
Posted by USBrit

I''m fine with holding back, but you have to remember, this is a debate forum. It''s an opportunity for people to share and debate their thoughts on this particular subject. ALL shootings should have the "do not debate" attitude because they ALL affect someone.

[gunownerdan]

I am sorry to be talking about guns here on this tragic anniversary, but the fact that Virginia Tech is a "gun free zone" must never be forgotten.
Self defense is arguably the most important human right there is.

[td74va]

As a Hokie alumni, I mourn the terrible losses of one year ago today. We will never forget, but we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech.

[jumkey]

Hey gunownerdan, how many gun murders would it take before you support gun control laws?

I mean, if say 1000 people a day were being killed by crackpots with easy, uncontrolled access to firearms would you still be arguing against restrictions?

Or would it take 10,0000? Or 100,000? A million? What is the amount of needless suffering and death you''re willing to allow others to endure before you decide enough is enough.

Just curious.

[gunownerdan]

jumkey,
Give it a rest, bigot.

[fibonacci_]

The more killings, the more he thinks it is necessary to have more guns out there to stop the killers.

[displeased]

The less killers, the less need for guns.

[gunownerdan]

People who have the ability to protect themselves can stop much more crime than any candle-light vigil ever could.

[fibonacci_]

I do not think the point of a candle light vigil is to try to stop violence - it is to remember the people who are victims.

[fibonacci_]

Imagine a society where every single adult who was deemed mentally competent carried a 9mm pistol everywhere they went. We would have literally about 150,000,000 people armed during any normal day.

[gunownerdan]

fibonacci_,
I happen to think that one good way for people to remember all the innocent victims of violent crime is to choose to never be one yourself.
I hate violent criminals with a passion and if I ever get another chance to stop any more of them I certainly wouldn''t think twice.
That''s why I will always support the basic right for all good citizens to be able to defend themselves from any and all attackers.

[fibonacci_]

Considering how high the murder rate is in America I might even consider being armed myself some day when I move back.

[fibonacci_]

"That is so very sad" - that really sounds like a Christian statement - the tone.

[glock4me]

As a Hokie alumni, I mourn the terrible losses of one year ago today. We will never forget, but we will prevail. We are Virginia Tech.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by TD74VA at 02:37 PM : Apr 16, 2008



Well said fellow Hokie, I couldn''t put it better myself. GO HOKIES!!!

[mediapreachr]

Posted by jumkey at 08:34 PM : Apr 16, 2008
I can guarantee that if at least one guy shot back we wouldn''t had so many victims.
Embrace your rights and stop being used by the establishment.

[ubrew12]

Here are gun-related deaths per 100,000 people in the world''s 36 richest countries in 1994: United States 14.24; Brazil 12.95; Mexico 12.69; Estonia 12.26; Argentina 8.93; Northern Ireland 6.63; Finland 6.46; Switzerland 5.31; France 5.15; Canada 4.31; Norway 3.82; Austria 3.70; Portugal 3.20; Israel 2.91; Belgium 2.90; Australia 2.65; Slovenia 2.60; Italy 2.44; New Zealand 2.38; Denmark 2.09; Sweden 1.92; Kuwait 1.84; Greece 1.29; Germany 1.24; Hungary 1.11; Republic of Ireland 0.97; Spain 0.78; Netherlands 0.70; Scotland 0.54; England and Wales 0.41; Taiwan 0.37; Singapore 0.21; Mauritius 0.19; Hong Kong 0.14; South Korea 0.12; Japan 0.05.

[jumkey]

"I hate violent criminals with a passion..."

Posted by gunownerda

Please, stop your idiotic nonsense. You are the greatest proponent for violent crime I''ve ever heard. You are constantly here defending the "rights" of EVERYONE to own weapons - even the mentally ill.

Again, I''ll give you a chance to dispute this (if the CBS censors will allow actual debate that is):

How many people need to die before you support laws restricting gun ownership? Give me a number.

What are you afraid of gunownerdan?

[rheola-2009]

The more killings, the more he thinks it is necessary to have more guns out there to stop the killers.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by fibonacci_ at 04:49 PM : Apr 16, 200

His idea is working well isn''t it.

Have a look at the comparison of gun related deaths per country compared with that of the U.S.

Or is it they just do not want to acknowledge the bleeding obvious.

[ubrew12]

We send our young soldiers to South Korea to help defend that country from a North Korean invasion.

Ironically, in so doing, we decrease their chances of dying of a gunshot wound by a factor of 120!!

The U.S. is a killing field. I dont know what Va tech is commemorating, other than the fact that they are just as likely to suffer a massacre tomorrow as they were a year ago.

[gunownerdan]

How many people need to die before you support laws restricting gun ownership?
Posted by jumkey

Laws like this one?
"Jews are prohibited from acquiring, possessing, and carrying firearms and ammunition, as well as truncheons or stabbing weapons.
Those now possessing weapons and ammunition are at once to turn them over to the local police authority.
Firearms and ammunition found in a Jew''s possession will be forfeited to the government without compensation.
Whoever willfully or negligently violates the provisions...will be punished with imprisonment and a fine.
Berlin, 11 November 1938
Minister of the Interior
Frick"

Blaming guns or other weapons for the actions of violent criminals will never solve a single thing.

[gunownerdan]

People with a history of violence or severe mental problems should never be allowed to have guns.
This should be common sense and would have certainly made it a little harder for Cho to get them.

[gurusavant]

$11 Mil ''only''? for 32 killed? Is there something I missed?

[mckim39]

Cho is an American citizen you moron that''s why he
acted like redneck American except that he has not
earned paper-citizenship.

[gunownerdan]

Unfortunately, killers prefer defenseless victims.

"The peaceable part of mankind will be continually
overrun by the vile and abandoned, while they neglect the means of self defense."
- Thomas Paine

"The Constitution shall never be construed... to
prevent the people of the United States who are
peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms."
- Samuel Adams

"The best we can hope for concerning the people at
large is that they be properly armed."
- Alexander Hamilton

"Are we at last brought to such humiliating and
debasing degradation, that we cannot be trusted with
arms for our defense?"
- Patrick Henry

"The great object is that every man be armed. Everyone
who is able might have a gun."
- Patrick Henry

"No Free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
- President Thomas Jefferson

"Americans have the right and advantage of being
armed -- unlike the citizens of other countries whose
governments are afraid to trust the people with arms."
- James Madison

"To disarm the people is the best and most effective
way to enslave them."
- George Mason

a-human-right
.com

[displeased]

My motto is "We are Virginia Tech, We HAVE prevailed!"