Coach Williams and Team at Arlington National Cemetery this Morning

for those who don't follow Coach Williams on Twitter, he posted this today:

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Comments

Me have man crush.

By "the other day" do you mean November of last year? This was done in advance of Veteran's Day. The original was posted November 10th and, for some reason, has made a resurgence in the past few days across social media.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's confused as to why this video keeps popping up as a "have you seen this?"

There's always a lighthouse. There's always a man. There's always a city.

It was trending on my Facebook today, it's reemergence after so long is odd

Buzz, just like the rest of us, has no idea why this video is resurfacing 4 months later

He also set the record straight about the reason for doing this

The Orange and Maroon you see, that's fighting on to victory.

I have seen a couple of versions of this story floating around today and they're all saying the same thing. It really irks me that the premise of this article is that VT players were disrespectful and needed to be taught a lesson. Another story referred to basketball players in general as disrespectful. I really hate that narrative. I love the lesson Buzz was teaching, but the implication from multiple writers that these lazy, disrespectful athletes (or our players particularly) needed a tough lesson rubs me the wrong way. Buzz, as we have seen, teaches life lessons. This one was particularly poignant, especially in light of our tradition in the Corps and Ut Prosim. But that's too much for a writer knocking off a quick article.

/rant

"Exit light..."

It's called clickbait. Put in a #HOTTAKE as a headline and more people click it.

Exactly. This isn't limited to VT basketball. The spoiled millennial rhetoric has spread all around the nation and Facebook eats it up now.

I have no idea why my username is VT_Warthog.

Arkansas blew a 24-0 lead in the Belk Bowl.

Yeah there was a lot of "We need to force more people to do this to bring back patriotism on campus" editorializing that I saw in the posts that got shared.

Was kinda sad to see that taking away from an excellent learning opportunity for Buzz helping his team connect with some very close to home vets and a very visible part of Hokie Nation.

It really irks me that the premise of this article is that VT players were disrespectful and needed to be taught a lesson.

I saw that too, and was frustrated that it was twisted in that sense. I knew it was from last year, and for people only watching the video and not reading the commentary about the video, it certainly is nice to see.

No Facebook! No!

The Orange and Maroon you see, that's fighting on to victory.

Yea, I've been correcting other posts on facebook that are linking to articles that are suggesting he was upset with our players by commenting with the facts. 6 degrees of communication....

It's Faux Newz and Fakebook, what more can be expected? At any rate I'm not gonna let any of these other haters affect me from being positively impacted by this. I choose to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative (in this instance).

"Man this looks similar"

*Scrolls up*

Gosh who runs this ragtag website anyway? /s

I always get goosebumps going there. I don't know of anyone who would not be humbled by a visit, just knowing so many gave so much for you.

Sometimes we live no particular way but our own

If you ever really want to get that feeling at its peak, find a view from one of the towers in Arlington at night that allows you to see the entire area. The cemetery is nearly completely dark while DC, the Pentagon, Alexandria are all lit up. It gives you a real perspective of how large ANC really is by seeing this giant void of light surrounded by light on all sides.

Throughout my life I have been to Arlington for burials on over 20 occasions. My father was a helicopter pilot working on a lot of experimental aircraft so as a child we unfortunately were called to Arlington about once a year for a good portion of my childhood. Once I went on active duty, my trips were far more personal, a couple for former cadets, a few more for former commanders or Commandant of Cadets, and then the hardest for those that worked for me at some point. The hardest of all was for my last platoon sergeant as a platoon leader. SFC Paul R Smith was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his actions in protecting my former platoon as well as countless other lives at Baghdad Airport. If you ever need to be reminded of what a hero is, I recommend you visit the Congressional Website honoring all the recipients of this medal.

Here is a link to SFC Smith's actions: http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3461/smith-paul-r.php

Another closer link to some of us in the Corps in the nineties and early 2000's, here are the actions of former Assistant Commandant of Cadets, Colonel Wesley Fox USMC(R): http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3284/fox-wesley-l.php

Rob Peterson
VTCC
Charlie/Hotel Company
Class of 1999

My father is buried in Arlington Cemetary and everybody should go and see a burial with honors becuse it will take your breath away. I love our men and women in the military. Thank you all so much.

Certainly is a small world. I was at Saddam Int'l/BIAP that morning too, but on the other side of the airport. I was with C co, 2/7 INF, 1st BDE, 3ID. The infamous picture of the blown up civilian airliner may or may not have been done by us. SFC Smith was a true definition of a hero that day.

"War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.”~~Judge Holden

Most of my work when I was with 11th Engineers supported 3/7 INF. Seemed like we always were moving around with Alpha Company. By the time the airport happened they had moved me to the 92nd Engineers to teach demolition work in support of their construction efforts across theater so I had to see his name come up on the memorial board at Tallil Airbase. He went out the way he lived though, hard headed and tough as nails to the end. When they finally got him out of there they found something like 17 fragments or bullets between vest and helmet. He unfortunately gave all that day.

Rob Peterson
VTCC
Charlie/Hotel Company
Class of 1999

My mother is there.

Reel men fish on Wednesdays

He does all the right things.

For the record, one of the right things is also "Stay at VT until retirement."

There's a vid circulating internetverse that shows Buzz with the team bringing in a number of vets and talking about the proper way to stand during the Nat'l Anthem. While the singer was not particularly great (I would say mediocre at best) the vid itself just really pulls my heart. It's one of the most humbling things I've ever watched and damn near brought me to tears. Here's the link from fakebook:
https://www.facebook.com/SportsParentingResourceCenter/videos/9999489133...

Watched that as well and you're 100% correct- Buzz is what coaches should be!

I highly recommend that anyone who visits ANC take the time to visit section 60. That section is filled with those lost in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is important to respect those lost in the past and see the Tomb of the Unknowns and all the other popular areas of ANC, but it is also important to remember we still have those in harms way and giving their lives for this counrty.

If you play it, they will win.

"How the ass pocket will be used, I do not know. Alls I know is, the ass pocket will be used." -The BoD

It's a very emotional section of ANC. Not a day goes by that you can go and not see another one of our finest being laid to rest. I unfortunately had to attend a friend and former teammate's ceremony at ANC and it is one of the most emotional and impactful moments I've ever had to experience.

@vtscottyb

I'm sorry for your loss.

If you play it, they will win.

"How the ass pocket will be used, I do not know. Alls I know is, the ass pocket will be used." -The BoD

Thank you. I encourage everyone who hasn't been to ANC to visit at some point. It is a truly humbling experience and I'm glad to see Buzz took the fellas for a trip.

@vtscottyb

gotta agree with that. Been to three since 03, two of them were Hokies and classmates. Still get choked up thinking about it. I've been back there a couple times to see their gravesites, actually not that far from each other and I lose it every time. My grandpa, who served in the pacific in WWII is also there.

Buzz is just an awesome coach and teacher.

If you don't want to recruit clowns, don't run a clown show.

"I want to punch people from UVA right in the neck." - Colin Cowherd

I generally don't care about basketball but curiously I've started to look for scores and such- apparently I'm catching the BUZZ!

HOOAH! Coach Buzz!

VT '10--US Citizen; (804) Virginian By Birth; (979) Texan By the Grace of God.

Rick Monday... You Made a Great Play...

I also root for: The Keydets, Army, TexAggies, NY Giants, NY Rangers, ATL Braves, and SA Brahmas

Buzz knows how to build and coach a TEAM. I hope he remains our Coach for a very long time.

Stop it with the Negative Waves!

I grew up in Arlington, and lived there over 30 years. A fun fact that some may not know: the land was seized from Robert E. Lee after the war between the states as a result of his choice of siding with his "country" (Virginia) in the conflict. Many of the victors found a degree of satisfaction that Union soldiers were to be buried there.

Personally, my first 21 gun salute funeral there was for my father in 1986 (which chokes me up a bit even now, as I write this). But I have been to others since, and expect more. The history and the conversation of this hallowed place are very healthy for our board, and our society as a whole, IMO, and we have Buzz to thank for that. The fine people buried there deserve our solemn reflection of who they were and what they stood for, and can serve even today, long after they are gone, to help the living improve on how they conduct their lives in the here and now.

A picture is worth a thousand words. A gif is worth a million.