Pershing Rifles

Pershing Rifles
Founded October 2, 1894 (1894-10-02)
University of Nebraska, Lincoln, Nebraska
Type Fraternal/Military
Scope National
 United States
Colors  Blue  White 
Symbol Pershing Rifles Coat of Arms
Flower White Rose
Publication The National Shield
Chapters 60 Units
Headquarters Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
Homepage Pershing Rifles National Headquarters

The Pershing Rifles is a military fraternal organization for college-level students founded in 1894 as a drill unit at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It is the oldest continuously operating US college organization dedicated to military drill. Originally named Varsity Rifles, members renamed the organization in honor of their mentor and patron, Lieutenant (later General of the Armies of the United States) John J. Pershing, upon his departure from the university in 1895.

Pershing Rifles became a National organization in 1928 expanding to include several other universities, with companies consisting of drill teams as well as tactical units. Together, these units form what is known as the National Society of Pershing Rifles.[1]

Mission

Pershing Riflemen in 2014. Drill, Leadership, Service and Camaraderie are the foundation of Pershing Rifles

The mission of the National Society of Pershing Rifles is to aid in the development of successful officers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force. To foster camaraderie and esprit de corps among all three Reserve Officers' Training Corps programs. To further the purpose, traditions, and concepts of the United States Army, Navy, and Air Force. And to give civilians an opportunity to be part of a military organization without a formal commitment to the military.[2]

Symbols

The symbols of Pershing Rifles are:[3]

Pershing Rifles Membership Shoulder Cord (Fourragère) and Membership Ribbon on a uniform from the late 1970s.

Focus on drill

Pershing Rifles is a leadership development program with a foundation in close-order and exhibition rifle drill. Excellence in drill, whether armed or unarmed, is a function of discipline and dedication that translate into other endeavors in life. These traits are put to work on a regular basis by Pershing Rifles units which typically perform as color guards, exhibition drill teams, honor guards, funeral details, or ceremonial duties. These services are usually in support of the local ROTC detachment or school, but are sometimes requested by alumni, local governments, or active duty military units. Through all of these activities, in addition to the skills gained by the students, positive publicity is also received by the unit's host school, host ROTC detachment, and ultimately the military in general. Pershing Rifles hosts the John J. Pershing Memorial Drill Competition each spring which attracts some of the finest college and high school level drill teams in the nation.[4]

History

Founding

In 1891, General Pershing, then a 2LT in Troop L, 6th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bayard, New Mexico, became the Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Nebraska. Pershing wished to increase the morale and discipline of the battalion there, as well as to increase support for the Cadet Corps throughout the university's staff and community. To this end, he formed a hand-picked company of men, known as Company A, and made them his premier drill unit.[5][6]

The following year, Company A won the Maiden Competition at the National Competitive Drills held at Omaha, Nebraska, earning the "Omaha Cup" and $1,500 for the group. The spectators were so excited by the event that they left their seats and carried the cadets off the field.[7] On 2 October 1894, former members of Company A formed "Varsity Rifles". A total of 39 picked cadets and alumni met in the University's armory to hold their first meeting, Lieutenant Pershing consented to act as temporary drillmaster for the organization.[8] On 1 June 1895, the organization, in appreciation of the initiative and cooperation of LT. Pershing, changed its name to the "Pershing Rifles." Under Pershing's leadership, the organization won the Army Silver Cup for drill team competition, coming in second place after West Point.[9] When Pershing left Nebraska in 1895, at the request of a committee, he gave to the company a pair of his cavalry breeches. These breeches were cut into small pieces and were worn on the uniform as a sign of membership.[10]

The first decade of the 20th Century saw the Pershing Rifles reach the height of its existence prior to the First World War. It was one of the most important features of University of Nebraska military and social life. Membership was considered a great military honor. Its influence in the Military Department continued strong until just before World War I.[11]

As war clouds gathered over Europe in 1915, Pershing Rifles membership began to decline. By 1918 the Reserve Officer's Training Program (ROTC), that had just been established two years earlier in 1916 was suspended. It was temporarily replaced by the Students' Army Training Corps (SATC) which had a mission of rapidly training and commissioning new officers for service in World War I. As a result, the Pershing Rifles activities at the University of Nebraska were suspended and its records were burned.[12]

The end of World War I saw the disbandment of SATC and the return to campus of ROTC and Pershing Rifles.

Reestablishment

A 1918 photo of General of the Armies John J. Pershing. Pershing maintained a deep and abiding interest in Pershing Rifles for his entire life.

In 1919 the Pershing Rifles was reborn. As organized in 1919, the Pershing Rifles became an organization for junior officers. It regained its status as a fraternal organization for ROTC basic course cadets. The presence of Scabbard and Blade on the Nebraska campus probably prevented its growth as an officers' organization.[13]

By the 1920s, the prestige of the organization was once again on the rise, in no small part due to the popularity of General of the Armies John J. Pershing, then one of the most famous people in the World as the result of his skilled leadership of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I. Special drill units across the nation began to seek admittance into the Pershing Rifles.

The present National Society of Pershing Rifles owes its existence to Ohio State University (OSU). In the spring of 1924 it applied for affiliation with the Pershing Rifles, but the Nebraska organization refused. The Ohio State group, seeing the need for a national organization for basic course ROTC men, threatened to nationalize "The President's Guard" and leave Nebraska out of it if the two organizations could not work together. Finally, after a year of negotiations, Nebraska's Pershing Riflemen approved Ohio State's formal application of 13 May 1925. Ohio State's company was chartered on 22 May 1925, marking the beginning of a nationwide organization.[14]

The year 1928 brought the establishment of an official National Headquarters at the University of Nebraska which was organized along the lines of a US Army brigade headquarters. P/R Colonel John P. McKnight was the first National Commander. National Headquarters used 1928 to plan the foundation for an expansion at the company level which would ensure a strong national organization. In the summer of the same year, a number of circulars were sent to universities that did not hold a Pershing Rifles units, inviting their crack drill units to apply for charters from the national headquarters. Those who knew the value of the Pershing Rifles as an organization capable of promoting interest in drill work for basic students heeded the circulars. During that summer, officers attached to the schools where Pershing Rifles chapters were hosted met with officers from other institutions and as such, the organization received excellent publicity.

By 1929, six companies formed the original nucleus of the Pershing Rifles national organization:

National Headquarters – University of Nebraska

First Battalion

Second Battalion

By 1935 the Pershing Rifles had grown to 22 companies. The 1930s were the first Golden Age of Pershing Rifles, which saw so much sustained growth that it had expanded its structure to emulate the organization of the World War I US Army Infantry Division.

Pershing Rifles again closed its doors in 1943, this time as a result of World War II. Active and alumni Pershing Riflemen went off to war, serving with distinction and valor. One example is Marine Corps Major Kenneth D. Bailey, an alumnus of Company F-3 at the University of Illinois. Major Bailey was killed in action on September 26, 1942, on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his valor that day. Another is Army Air Corps Lt Richard Joyce, an alumnus of Company A-2 at the University of Nebraska, who piloted a B-25 that bombed Japan as part of the famous Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942.

Post World War II history

The Society was reactivated in January 1946, heralding the second Golden Age of Pershing Rifles which lasted to the early 1970s. During World War II many Pershing Riflemen were drafted directly from college and served as enlisted men to meet urgent wartime manpower requirements. After the war they returned to finish their college education using their G.I. Bill education benefits. It was this nucleus of WWII combat veterans that spearheaded the rebirth of Pershing Rifles.

The late 1940s and the 1950s were years of great expansion for the Society. By 1948, just two years after reactivation, Pershing Rifles had grown to 38 companies in seven Regiments. It was now larger than its prewar strength. By 1957, Pershing Rifles had grown to 130 units in twelve Regiments an over 300% increase in size in just 11 years.

In 1955, Pershing Rifles produced and released a documentary, "The Highest Ideals". This 27-minute Technicolor film discussed the history, traditions and missions of Pershing Rifles. Copies of the film were distributed to Pershing Rifles units throughout the country as a means of promoting the organization to prospective members.[15]

With the establishment of a separate US Air Force on 18 September 1947, Air Force ROTC cadets joined the ranks of Pershing Rifles. The Pershing Rifles National Assembly in November 1947 agreed to accept Navy ROTC cadets making the Society a true multi-service organization.

With the President's Executive Order 9981 of 26 July 1948 that abolished racial discrimination in the US Armed Forces, Pershing Rifles rapidly integrated African American cadets and Historically Black units into the Society. As a result, today the Society counts among its alumni many African American military leaders such as General Colin Powell former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and United States Secretary of State.

Over the next several decades, the Pershing Rifles continued to grow. In 1961, the Society had 139 active units with nearly 4,100 initiates for that year alone. Then Pershing Rifles disappeared from many college campuses during and following the Vietnam War with the dissolution of ROTC programs and the end of compulsory ROTC basic courses. In response to the shrinking number of units and Riflemen within these units, the National Headquarters increased the emphasis on tactics and marksmanship. By 1974 the Pershing Rifles was organized into thirteen regiments comprising 137 units.

The Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles (CAPERS), established in 1966, were the first officially recognized female auxiliary to the Society which established units alongside Pershing Rifles units for decades until it was disbanded in the 1980s. The 1970s saw the introduction of women into the National Society of Pershing Rifles as full members, with the first female pledge at Company L-4 (North Carolina State University) in 1971 and the first female active member from M-16 (Florida State University) a year later.

The high school auxiliary to Pershing Rifles, The National Society of Blackjacks (a tribute to General Pershing's nickname), was founded in 1967 as an after school programs that provide positive leadership experience through drill.

The late 1970s through the 1990s was a period where the number of Pershing Rifles units continued to decline. After Desert Storm both the US Military and Pershing Rifles were hard pressed to attract members. However the spirit, strength and traditions of the Society continued on in a few strong Pershing Rifles units across the country.

The 9/11 attacks created a groundswell of support for the US Military brought on by a new spirit of patriotism in the American public. This was echoed in the sense of duty and service amongst college students which has sustained the growth and popularity of Pershing Rifles from 2001 to present.

After more than 120 years Pershing Rifles is going strong and continues to inspire students and create future leaders in the military, business, industry and the arts.[16]

Membership and competitions

Pershing Riflemen in formation before the John J. Pershing Memorial Drill Competition during NATCON 2014 held in Richmond, Virginia.

Active membership is restricted to college students enrolled at an institution that hosts a Pershing Rifles company. Members may be either male or female and while a majority have affiliation with the military (especially ROTC), it is not a prerequisite for membership.

Army ROTC cadet Richard Moore of Clemson University's Pershing Rifles Company C-4 inspects a cadet as part of the changing of the guard ceremony at The Scroll of Honor. Members of the Pershing Rifles provide a 24-hour honor guard to pay respect to the men and women whose names are on the Scroll of Honor. (National Guard photo by Spc. Brian R. Calhoun)

Each company has latitude in selecting their uniform and weapons. They vary from company T-shirt and BDU or ACU pants to more formal uniforms, like the Army's service uniforms, or "Class A's". Many companies wear berets, in a wide variety of colors. The only real consistencies within companies are the wear of a Pershing Rifles rank shield and, on dress uniforms, a shoulder cord and the Pershing Rifles Service Ribbon, which is blue with six vertical white lines, symbolic of the six core values held by a Pershing Rifleman.

Pershing Rifles Company W-4 at The College of William & Mary may wear uniforms based on those of the Scots Guards as recognition of their role as the Queens' Guard, the College's ceremonial guard unit, twice mustered upon visits by Queen Elizabeth II to the College.

Most Pershing Rifles companies use older battle rifles (especially the M1903 Springfield or M1 Garand) in performing routines. At the annual National Society of Pershing Rifles National Convention and Drill Competition (NATCON), active companies compete in various categories of regulation drill (like proficiency at performing a color guard) and exhibition drill (also known as trick drill, involving spinning or throwing the rifles).

Other Pershing Rifles companies, such as Company B-9[17] (University of Colorado at Boulder), Company C-9[18] (Colorado School of Mines), Company B-12 (Boston University) and Company C-12(ABN)[19] (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), focus on tactical training. These companies teach their members skills such as escape and evasion, survival skills, rappelling, hand-to-hand combat, and marksmanship. Company C-4(Clemson University) practices and focuses on regulation D&C, and a mastery of exhibition drill.

Pershing Rifles Group

The Pershing Rifles Group is a Delaware Not for Profit Corporation, IRS 501(C)10 domestic fraternal organization. It is the supporting corporation to Pershing Rifles which furnishes the Society with basic services such as insurance as well as legal, regulatory, and fiscal oversight. See the Pershing Rifles Group article.

Pershing Rifles Foundation

The Pershing Rifles Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded for the purpose of promoting leadership, scholarship, and military excellence among the young men and women who make up the National Society of Pershing Rifles and its high school equivalent, the National Society of Blackjacks. The Foundation supports the legacy of General of the Armies John J. Pershing by providing a medium through which our alumni and benefactors can contribute to the Societies' missions of building our nation's best leaders.

The foundation provides grants and financial support for such things as scholarships, providing assistance to individual Pershing Rifles and Blackjacks units, as well as supporting the Pershing Rifles Group's national efforts in expansion and operations, to include events such as the annual Pershing Rifles National Convention and Alumni Reunion (NATCON) and various regimental drill competitions and alumni reunions.

Notable alumni

Government

Military

Academic

Arts/entertainment

Wartime losses of Pershing Riflemen

Pershing Riflemen have served in all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces in every conflict since the Spanish–American War. Several have died in the service of their country during wartime. They include:

World War II

Korea

Vietnam

Iraq

Afghanistan

Quotes

Company E-16 performs a Color Guard for Colin Powell

National commanders

P/R Rank Name Years of Service
COL John P. McKnight 1928–29
MG Ray N. Sabata 1929–30
MG Carl J. Hahn 1930–31
MG William Comstock 1931–32 (Resigned)
MG Claude A. Gillespie 1931–32
MG E. Bryon Hirst 1932–33
MG Richard A. Moran 1933–34
MG Tom F. Naughton 1934–35
COL James A. Wilson 1935–36
COL John J. Jarmin 1936–37
COL Harry P. Haynie 1937–38
COL J. Wade Raser 1938–39
COL Jean A. Wolf 1939–40
COL Warren B. Day 1940–41
COL Fred H. Voight 1941–42
COL Roger D. Anderson 1942–43
WARTIME INACTIVATION 1943–45
BG John D. Cooper 1946
BG Robert B. Avner 1946–47
BG John W. Plantikow 1947–48
BG Paul G. Hanson 1948–49
BG William R. Mook 1949–50
BG James M. Worth 1950–51
BG Thomas G. Irwin 1951–52
BG John A. Graff 1952–53
BG Dean E. Ekberg 1953–54
BG Virgil Holtgrewe 1954–55
BG William Wetzlaff 1955–56
BG Thomas V. Hoffman 1956–57
BG Allan S. Irwin 1957–58
MG Pat Y. Kuncl 1958–59
MG Larry B. Novicki 1959–60
MG Kenneth F. Tempero 1960–61
MG J. Marshall Kuhr 1961–62
MG Larry W. Berger 1962–63
MG Roger R. Stork 1963–64
MG Mark F. Anderson 1964–65
MG John E. Mullens 1965–66
MG James W. Belmont 1966–67
MG James W. Belmont 1967–68
MG William J. Krondak 1968–69
MG William T. Anton 1969 (Resigned)
MG Dennis L. Lambert 1969–70
MG James K. Radcliff 1970–71
MG Keith A. Helms 1971–72
MG Lance Wismer 1972–73
MG Pat A. Bates 1973–74
Rear Admiral C. Phillip "Phil" Warrick 1974–75
Rear Admiral C. Phillip "Phil" Warrick 1975–76
MG Alfred V. Parrish 1976–77
MG Randall L. Young 1977–78
MG Brian P. Leary May 78 –Jan 79
MG Carol A. Peterson Jan 79 – Mar 79
MG Kevin M. Born 1979–80
MG Jesse J. Rose 1980 (Resigned)
MG Paula R. Harmon 1980–81
MG David R. Earnest 1981–82
MG Teresa L. Whitehead 1982–83
MG Mark A. Ludwig 1983–84
MG Tim M. Whalen 1984–85
MG Craig W. Carlson 1985–86
MG Lois J. Anderson 1986–87
MG Jeffery A. James 1987–88
MG Reed K. Smith 1988–89
MG David J Olsen 1989–90
MG Pamela L. Dingman 1990–91
NAME UNKNOWN 1991–97
MG Rachel Lippert 1997–98
NAME UNKNOWN 1998–2000
MG Paul J. Stoural 2000–01
NAME UNKNOWN 2001–02
MG Andrew Smallwood 2002–03
MG Aaron Hall 2003–04
MG James Hunter-Chester 2004–05
MG Monica M. Olson 2005–06
MG David Poe 2006–07
MG Christopher D. Scheuermann+ 2007–08
MG Geoffrey Robinson 2008–09
MG Tom Carlson 2009–10
MG Andrea R. Walsh / Rebecca E. Scholand 2010–11
MG Nathan Jurgens 2011–12
MG Durrell D. Williams 2012
MG Paul C. Omichinski 2013–14
MG Donte' Hanns 2014–15
MG Selby Barron March – April 2015 (Resigned)
MG Tymothy Whisenand 2015–16
MG Tymothy Whisenand 2016–17

+ Craig Zagorski was promoted to Major General and National Commander for one day immediately following the end of Christopher D. Scheuermann's term in 2008.

Note: By tradition a National Commander is promoted to Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral if they serve a second term in office. Since the mid-2000s some Pershing Rifles National Commanders have been promoted to the rank of Pershing Rifles Lieutenant General/Vice Admiral upon completion of a full term in office.

Units

Known Pershing Rifles units past and present (Note that some company numbers were used by more than one university or college over time) + denotes active units. By tradition the National Headquarters is at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. However the current National Staff is selected from across the Society and staff members may be from a number of different Pershing Rifles units. The Regimental/Brigade Headquarters locations listed are the historical locations of these units. Currently Pershing Rifles has a combined Regimental structure where two or more Regiments are grouped under one Regimental Commander who may be selected from any unit in the combined Regiment.

1st Regiment

2nd Regiment

3rd Regiment/Brigade

4th Regiment

5th Regiment

6th Regiment/Brigade

7th Regiment/Brigade

8th Regiment

9th Regiment

10th Regiment

11th Regiment

12th Regiment

Headquarters – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, through June 1962, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, June 1962 through (approx) 1978 / University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut

14th Brigade/Regiment

Headquarters – Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona

15th Regiment

16th Regiment/Brigade

17th Regiment

Notes

  1. ↑ Colin Powell, by Geoffrey M. Horn, p. 18, Gareth Stevens, 2004. ISBN 0-8368-5267-2.
  2. ↑ The Pershing Rifles Group Website
  3. ↑ Pershing Rifles Symbolism
  4. ↑ PRF 501 Introduction to the National Society of Pershing Rifles, pg. 7, April 2007.
  5. ↑ Five Stars, by James F. Muench, p. 83, University of Missouri Press, 2006. ISBN 0-8262-1656-0.
  6. ↑ Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, by David J. Wishart, p. 833, University of Nebraska Press, 2004. ISBN 0-8032-4787-7.
  7. ↑ Pipe Clay and Drill, by Richard Goldhurst, p. 42, Reader's Digest Press, 1977. ISBN 0-88349-097-8. This work goes on to note "These cadets constituted themselves as the Varsity Rifles, later changing their name to the Pershing Rifles, an organization which spawned hundreds of chapters on other campuses in the coming decades."
  8. ↑ Pershing Rifles History
  9. ↑ Five Stars, p. 83
  10. ↑ Black Jack, by Frank Everson Vandiver, p. 135, Texas A&M University Press, 1977. ISBN 0-89096-024-0.
  11. ↑ Pershing Rifles History
  12. ↑ Pershing Rifles History
  13. ↑ "History of the National Society of Pershing Rifles". Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  14. ↑ "History of the National Society of Pershing Rifles". Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  15. ↑ The Lincoln Star Lincoln, Nebraska, Page 6, January 25, 1957
  16. ↑ Pershing Rifles History
  17. ↑ B-9 homepage
  18. ↑ C-9 homepage
  19. ↑ C-12 homepage
  20. ↑ Monroe, Matt (December 19, 2002). "Ebbesen named civilian aide to the Army Secretary". Virgin Islands Daily News  – via HighBeam Research (subscription required) . Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  21. ↑ metroherald page
  22. ↑ Patricia Morrisroe, Mapplethorpe: A Biography, illustration. (Da Capo Press, 1997. ISBN 0-306-80766-1)
  23. ↑ Colin Powell, by Reggie Finlayson, p. 28, Twenty-First Century Books, 2004. ISBN 0-8225-4966-2.
  24. ↑ http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2016/02/021016-dsa-lemonsfund.html Overcoming speech difficulties prompts alumnus John Lemons to give back to Virginia Tech.
  25. ↑ Veteran of a Foreign War, by Stephen J. Candela, p. 16, St. John's Press, 2004. ISBN 0-9710551-4-9.
  26. ↑ http://cbruget.blogspot.com/2014/10/blog-post-11.html Perishing Rifles Blog Post #11.
  27. ↑ A-1 webpage
  28. ↑ E-1 webpage
  29. ↑ I-1 webpage
  30. ↑ A-2 webpage
  31. ↑ "history". pershingrifl.es. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  32. ↑ A-3 webpage
  33. ↑ C-3 website
  34. ↑ C-4 webpage
  35. ↑ K-4 webpage
  36. ↑ R-4 webpage
  37. ↑ W-4 webpage
  38. ↑ 6th Brigade Roster
  39. ↑ G-7 article
  40. ↑ Q-8 webpage
  41. ↑ X-8 webpage
  42. ↑ B-9 webpage
  43. ↑ C-9 webpage
  44. ↑ B-12
  45. ↑ C-12 webpage
  46. ↑ 14th Brigade Roster
  47. ↑ C-16 webpage
  48. ↑ 17th Regiment

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