The Citadel’s Class of 1979 Leadership Day was held on Wednesday, Oct. 16. In place of regularly scheduled classes, Citadel cadets participated in a day of servant leadership. At dozens of locations, more than 1,100 freshman and sophomore cadets engaged in service activities across the Lowcountry.

The day began with an address to the Corps from Medal of Honor recipient SFC Leroy Petry, U.S. Army (Ret.). Petry was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions in Afghanistan. After his presentation, the cadets split up by class.

Freshmen cadets, or knobs, led classroom activities with elementary students. They shared The Citadel’s core values — honor, duty and respect — and discussed what it means to be a hero.

Sophomore cadets traveled to several service locations in the Lowcountry to provide volunteer work for charitable and community organizations. Some of these sites included helping assemble “The Wall That Heals,” a traveling Vietnam memorial, as well as building homes with Habitat for Humanity, canvasing businesses for the upcoming Veteran’s Day parade and many more.

Junior and senior cadets attended leadership and ethics seminars — both on campus and off — from federal and state agencies, museums, businesses and corporations across South Carolina.

This year, Gen. Frank McKenzie, USMC (Ret.), ’79, was on campus to be part of a fireside chat, where he discussed his new book. The event, held inside the Capers Hall auditorium, allowed different ROTC cadets at The Citadel to learn valuable insights and lessons from McKenzie. Afterwards, McKenzie signed copies of his book, “The Melting Point,” for the cadets.

On average, more than 7,000 hours of service to the Lowcountry are provided by the cadets each Leadership Day. This year marked an historic milestone, as The Citadel surpassed 100,000 hours of service from Leadership Day since its inception 14 years ago.

The Citadel Class of 1979 has donated nearly $1 million to permanently endow the “Class of 1979 Leadership Day.” Thirty-seven members of their class were there alongside cadets at various locations for Leadership Day. The Krause Center for Leadership and Ethics also sponsors the event.