The National Society of Pershing Rifles is a U.S. military-oriented honor society for college-level students founded in 1894 as a drill unit at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. It is the oldest continuously operating U.S. 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.Colin Powell, by Geoffrey M. Horn, p. 18, Gareth Stevens, 2004. .
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 and 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.Five Stars, by James F. Muench, p. 83, University of Missouri Press, 2006. .Encyclopedia of the Great Plains, by David J. Wishart, p. 833, University of Nebraska Press, 2004. .
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.Pipe Clay and Drill, by Richard Goldhurst, p. 42, Reader's Digest Press, 1977. . 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." 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. 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, second after West Point.Five Stars, p. 83. When Pershing left Nebraska in 1895, at a committee's request, he gave 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.Black Jack, by Frank Everson Vandiver, p. 135, Texas A&M University Press, 1977. .
The first decade of the 20th century saw the Pershing Rifles reach the height of its existence before the First World War. It was one of the most important features of the 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.
As war clouds gathered over Europe in 1915, Pershing Rifles membership declined. By 1918 the Reserve Officer's Training Program (ROTC), which 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.
The end of World War I saw the disbandment of SATC and the return to campus of ROTC and Pershing Rifles.
Reestablishment
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.
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.
The year 1928 brought the establishment of an official National Headquarters at the University of Nebraska which was organized along the lines of a U.S. 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, several circulars were sent to universities that did not hold 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, Company B – Ohio State University – 1925 First Battalion, Company C – University of Tennessee – 1927 First Battalion, Company D – University of Iowa – 192 Second Battalion, Company E – Northwestern University – 1929 Second Battalion, Company F – Indiana University – 1929
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 U.S. 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 Force 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.The Lincoln Star, Lincoln, Nebraska, p. 6, January 25, 1957.
With the establishment of a separate U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. Military and Pershing Rifles were hard-pressed to attract members. However, the society continued in a few Pershing Rifles units across the country. The spirit, strength, and traditions of the society continued in a few strong Pershing Rifles units across the country.
The 9/11 attacks created a groundswell of support for the U.S. 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 the present.
After over 130 years, the Pershing Rifles continues to inspire students and create future leaders in the military, business, industry, and the arts.
Mission