www.roanoke.com

Matt Gentry| The Roanoke Times

Above: Virginia Tech's Drillfield is lit by thousands of candles Tuesday evening as mourners from the university and surrounding communities came out to honor those who died in Monday's shooting. Below: Irving Carey cuddles with his girlfriend Darlene Schrock, a junior at Virginia Tech, during the candlelight vigil Tuesday night. The crowd broke into cheers before joining the Corps of Cadets in singing ''Amazing Grace'' and ''Tech Triumph.''

Josh Meltzer | The Roanoke Times

Audio Slideshow

• Hear audio and see photographs from the vigil on Tuesday night

Thursday's prayer service information

• Roanoke Mayor Nelson Harris will speak at a Citywide Memorial Prayer Service for Virginia Tech family and friends, at noon on Thursday, at First Baptist Church, 515 3rd St. SW., Roanoke. The public is invited.
• St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4608 Brambleton Ave., will be holding a prayer service for Virginia Tech today at 6 p.m.
• Unity of Roanoke Valley, 3300 Green Ridge Road, will hold a service from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. today.

BLACKSBURG — Norris Hall stood silent, dark and guarded from across the Drillfield, where thousands of people from the Virginia Tech community gathered Tuesday night to remember the victims of the nation’s deadliest shooting.

They didn’t let the building — a crime scene in the shooting deaths of 33 people, including the gunman — overshadow the vigil.

They lit up the field with thousands of candles. They filled the air with silence, and later, cheers.

It was clear that the Virginia Tech community was unified. The Hokies were proud of their school, and they were strong.

“We will move on from this, but it will take the strength of each other to do that,” said Virginia Tech vice president of student affairs Zenobia Hikes. “We are a community of strength. We are a community of pride. We are a community of compassion.”

After brief comments from the president of the student government association and others, the crowd went silent.

For minutes, nothing could be heard. Some eyes focused on Norris Hall. Others looked to the sky. Others were closed.

The silence was broken when a cheer broke out from one section of the crowd.

“Let’s go!” one side of the crowd yelled.

“Hokies!” the other side responded.

People raised their candles with every shout, and the shouts got louder and louder.

It was an emotional moment for many. Some people were so overcome that they chanted weakly through tears. Others couldn’t suppress their smiles and their Hokie pride, and yelled loudly.

As the shouting stopped, the Corps of Cadets began singing “Amazing Grace” and “Tech Triumph.”

There was even the faint sound of jingling keys — something Hokie fans do at football games after a big play.

“It was just typical Hokie,” said Patricia O’Hora, a Tech mom who came to support the university and her daughter, Kelly Hecht. “They are all in this together and love this community.”

Kelly Hecht lives in West Ambler Johnston Hall a floor below where the first shootings took place.

O’Hora broke down in tears talking about how her daughter could have been a victim. “Our hearts bleed for those parents,” she said.

Renee Locklear is a member of the Virginia Tech rescue squad. She responded to Norris Hall on Monday morning and came to the vigil with some of her co-workers.

“It affects us a lot,” she said. “We were right there doing patient care and trying to save as many lives as we could.”

Locklear has relied on the support of her co-workers to cope with the scene they encountered Monday.

“We have each other, and that’s what will help us,” she said.

Some students said they hoped the strength in numbers at the student-organized vigil would show the nation that Virginia Tech is mourning but resilient.

“I feel this will really show the country how people feel,” said Dave Magerkurth, a Virginia Tech senior from Roanoke. As he spoke, his eyes brimmed with tears.

“To come together after a horrible thing like this is something we need to do,” he said. The vigil was Magerkurth’s first time on campus since the shootings, and what he said was a first step to overcoming his grief.

“It’s a healing process,” he said. “This is a steppingstone in the right direction.”

Several students from Radford drove to the Virginia Tech campus to show their support. Many of them wore orange and maroon.

“Even though we’re in Radford, it’s our community, too,” said Ashley McCray, a Radford University freshman.

Her friend, Radford sophomore Kathryn Fulk, said she came just to support Virginia Tech.

“The right thing to do was to come, to say a prayer, and keep hoping Virginia Tech will stay strong,” Fulk said.

Radford students will wear Tech colors on campus today in a show of support for the university, another Radford student said.

Despite the national television coverage, a visit from President Bush, the thousands of people mourning and the nearby crime scene marked off in yellow tape, many people said the reality of the shooting still hasn’t set in.

“It’s still really surreal for me,” said Ally Yeatts, a sophomore psychology major. “I still don’t believe it even though there’re so many people out here.”