On a tragic spring day, April 16, 2007, the campus of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, became the scene of a horrific mass shooting that claimed the lives of 32 people. Among the victims was Matthew Joseph La Porte, a 20-year-old male student who demonstrated extraordinary bravery in his final moments. La Porte, a freshman from Dumont, New Jersey, was in his French class in Norris Hall when the gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, began his rampage through the
building.
As chaos and terror erupted, La Porte, a member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and an Air Force ROTC scholarship recipient, took decisive action. With a complete disregard for his own safety, he attempted to barricade the classroom door with a heavy desk to prevent the shooter from entering. When Cho forced his way into the room, La Porte charged at him in an effort to stop the attack and protect his fellow students and professor. In this heroic act, he was shot multiple times and tragically lost his life. His courageous efforts, however, are credited with slowing down the gunman and saving the lives of others in the classroom.
The perpetrator of this senseless act of violence was identified as Seung-Hui Cho, a 23-year-old senior at Virginia Tech. After carrying out the deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, Cho took his own life. As the sole person responsible for the massacre, there were no other suspects, and consequently, no arrests were made in connection with the death of Matthew Joseph La Porte or the other victims. For his incredible bravery, Matthew La Porte was posthumously awarded the Airman's Medal, a testament to his selfless sacrifice in the face of unimaginable horror.
