The 12th Brigade consists of . On page six of the transcript of Mr. Borovsky's testimony in the Army inquiry last Dec. 15, the following exchange occurred: MAJOR NATION: Say again the question that Captain Berdy asked. Pershing Rifles units (companies) act primarily as drill teams, but also participate in tactical and ceremonial exercises. The National Society of Pershing Rifles is a military-oriented honor society for college-level students founded in 1894 as a drill unit at the University of NebraskaLincoln. Where and when was General John J. Pershing born? 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. The President's Executive Order 9981 of 26 July 1948 abolished racial discrimination in the US Armed Forces. The estate has: filed: a $5 million suit against St. John's, the National Society of Pershing Rifles, Mr. Savino, Captain Berdy; and Lieut. About | The Pershing Rifles Group Ferguson hung up, the officer told Major Nation, he turned to Captain Berdy and asked him whether he knew of an exercise by the Pershing Rifles that day. Originally named Varsity Rifles, members renamed the organization in honor of their mentor and patron, then- Lieutenant John J. Pershing, upon his departure from the university in 1895. Captain Berdy testified at the Army inquiry that Captain Ferguson mentioned a raft but not an advance party. The message about the raft was innocuous at the time, Captain Berdy said, and all it triggered in his mind was the possibility that the cadets had located a raft that had been lost by the R.O.T.C. With the establishment of a separate US Air Force on 18 September 1947, Air Force ROTC cadets joined the ranks of Pershing Rifles. LSU's Pershing Rifles Are National #1 - WAFB US Rifle, caliber .30, M1903A3 Springfield, light weight, internally box fed, bolt action, shoulder fired weapon. 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. - John Lemons, P/R Company E-4, Virginia Tech, graduated 1960, "I waited until my junior year to pledge The Pershing Rifles. They took pride in themselves, and in each other as Pershing Riflemen. Urban Dictionary: Pershing Rifles Pershing Rifles again closed its doors in 1943, this time as a result of World War II. Todays organization is no different. The sergeant present explained the situation. 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. This year's Pershing Rifles National Convention and Pershing Angels General Assembly will take place in Chantilly, VA (just outside of Washington DC) from March 9th - 12th 2023. First worn by Pershing Riflemen at the University of Nebraska as early as 1924, The original colors of the cord were blue and white the colors of the Society. Pershing Rifles 1951 Pledge Manual, "For the first time in my life I was a member of a brotherhood," [Colin], "It was The Pershing Rifles and Army ROTC at Fordham that got me interested in the Army as a possible career and I have maintained an association with many of them all these years." Excellence in drill, whether armed or unarmed, is a function of discipline and dedication that translate into other endeavors in life. Army Private First Class Galen Dean Grethen Company G-2 Killed in action on April 16, 1966, by small arms fire in Vietnam while serving as a combat medic. Pershing Rifles - Home - Facebook As organized in 1919, the Pershing Rifles became an organization for junior officers. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Army First Lieutenant Terry Lee Manz Company D-2 Killed by Friendly Fire on January 28, 1967, when the helicopter he was flying was hit by South Vietnamese artillery fire, Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal recipient, Army Captain Fred Howell McMurray, Jr Company C-4 Missing in action, presumed dead on November 13, 1974, in Au Shau Valley, Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam. The skills they learned as members of the Pershing Rifles helped prepare them for success in life, whether it be in service to their nation, or in business. 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. Traditionally, this flower represents the most important man or family of the era. Sarah M. Schmitz, XO, Pershing Rifles Company C-1, University of Kentucky 2014, +Company A-1 The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, Company D-1 The University of Akron, Akron, Ohio, Company K-1 Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, Company B-2 State University of Iowa / Iowa State University, Iowa City, Iowa, Company E-2 University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Company F-2 North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota (1948), Headquarters Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, +Company A-3 Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, +Company B-3 Western Kentucky University (Western Kentucky State / Kentucky Teachers College), Bowling Green, Kentucky (Founded: 4 February 1937, Rechartered 12 March 2016), Company C-3 University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, Company D-3 University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Company E-3 Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, Company F-3 University of Illinois, Chicago, Illinois, Company F-3 West Virginia State College, West Virginia (1948), Company G-3 Murray State Teachers College, Murray, Kentucky, Company H-3 Western Michigan College of Education, Kalamazoo, Michigan, Company I-3 DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, Company K-3 Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, Company L-3 Michigan State University, Lansing, Michigan, Squadron M-3 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, Company N-3 Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri (Currently B-2, was B-7), Headquarters Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina, 1st Battalion Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, +Company A-4 Saint Augustine's University, North Carolina, Company A-4 Presbyterian College, Clinton, South Carolina, Company A-4 University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee (1930s & 40s, 1948) (Founded: 1927), Company B-4 Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, Crossville, Tennessee, Company B-4 University of Alabama, university, Alabama (1930s & 40s, 1948), +Company C-4 Clemson University/Agricultural College, Clemson, South Carolina, Company D-4 Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Company D-4 Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (1930s & 40s, 50s), Company E-4 Mercer College/University, Macon, Georgia, Company E-4 Campbell College, Buies Creek, North Carolina, Company E-4 Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Virginia (1949), Company F-4 Georgia School/Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, Company G-4 Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, Company G-4 University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida (1948), +Company H-4 Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, Alabama (Assigned to 6th Regiment), Company H-4 Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina (1961), Company I-4 Jacksonville State University, Jacksonville, Alabama, Company J-4 University of North Alabama, Florence, Alabama (Formerly Florence State University), Company K-4 South Carolina State University, Orangeburg, South Carolina, Company K-4 University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina, Company L-4 North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, Company M-4 University of Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Tennessee, +Company M-4 Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina, +Company N-4 North Carolina A&T University, Greensboro, North Carolina, +Company O-4 Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia, Company P-4 Tuskegee Institute, Tuskegee, Alabama (Now P-6), Company Q-4 University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, +Company R-4 Norfolk State University, Norfolk, Virginia (Was C-15), Company R-4 East Tennessee State College, Johnson City, Tennessee (1958), Company S-4 Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina, Company T-4 Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia, +Company U-4 Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia (Was D-15)(Founded: 28 November 1950, Rechartered 2000), Company V-4 Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, Company W-4 Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee (1958, 62), +Company W-4 College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia, Company X-4 Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Company Y-4 Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Virginia, +Company Z-4 University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, Headquarters Pennsylvania State University / University Park, Pennsylvania, 1st Battalion University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (195859), 2nd Battalion Pennsylvania Military College, Chester, Pennsylvania (195859), 3rd Battalion Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia (1958)/Morgan State College, Baltimore, Maryland (1959), Company A-5 Pennsylvania State College / University, Altoona, Pennsylvania, Company A-5 Carnegie Institute of Technology, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Company A-5 University of Syracuse, Syracuse, New York (1930s & 40s, 1948), Company B-5 Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, Company C-5 University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland (1930s & 40s, 1948), Company D-5 College of the City of New York, New York (1930s & 40s, 1948), Company D-5 Virginia State University, Petersburg, Virginia (1958)(Now O-4), Company E-5 Cornell University, Ithaca, New York (1930s & 40s, 1948), Company E-5 Virginia Polytechnical Institute, Blackburg, Virginia (1958), Company F-5 Lehigh University, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, Company G-5 University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1948), Company H-5 Washington and Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania, Company H-5 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1948), Company I-5 Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Company I-5 Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia (1958), Company K-5 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Company K-5 Fordham University, New York City, New York (20 April 1948), Company?-5 New York University, New York City, New York (1948), Company L-5 Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Company M-5 Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, Company N-5 Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Company O-5 Gannon College, Erie, Pennsylvania, Company P-5 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (1952-late 1950s), Company Q-5 Pennsylvania Military College, Chester, Pennsylvania, Company R-5 Scranton University, Scranton, Pennsylvania, Company S-5 Chapin Hall, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. (1958), Company T-5 Loyola University, Baltimore, Maryland (1958), Company V-5 Morgan State College, Baltimore, Maryland (1954), Company W-5 Villanova University NROTC, Villanova, Pennsylvania (1958), Company X-5 Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, Company Y-5 Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Headquarters Platoon Ogontz Pennsylvania State University, Abington, Pennsylvania, Headquarters Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana / University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, Company A-6 Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Company A-6 University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California (1948), Company A-6 San Diego State University, San Diego, California (1991), +Battery B-6 East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, Tennessee, Company B-6 University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico (Chartered 1959), Company B-6 University of California, Berkeley, California (1948), Company C-6 Florida A&M College/University, Tallahassee, Florida, Company C-6 University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho (1930s & 40s, 1948), Company D-6 Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Now D-17), Company D-6 Utah State Agricultural College, Logan, Utah (1948), Company F-6 University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Company F-6 University of Arizona (1952), Company G-6 Mississippi State College, State College Mississippi (1958), Company I-6 Loyola University, New Orleans, Louisiana, Company K-6 Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana, Company M-6 Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, Company O-6 Centenary College, Shreveport, Louisiana (1958), Company P-6 Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama (Was P-4), Company P-6 College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, Company S-6 Stetson University, DeLand, Florida, Company U-6 University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida (1958), Company V-6 McNeese State College, Lake Charles, Louisiana, Company V-6 Spring Hill College, Spring Hill Station, Alabama (195859), Company W-6 Spring Hill College, Mobile, Alabama, Company Y-6 Northeast Louisiana State College, Lake Charles, Louisiana (1958), Company A-7 Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, Kansas (Formerly Kansas State College), Company A-7 University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri (1948), Company A-7 Kansas State Teacher's College, Pittsburg, Kansas (1958,59), Company B-7 Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri (Has also been B-2, N-3), Company B-7 Arkansas Poly Tech College, Russellville, Arkansas, +Company C-7 Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma (Formerly Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical College (Oklahoma A&M)), Company D-7 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas, Company D-7 Louisiana State University, university, Louisiana (1958), Company E-7 University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, Company F-7 Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas, +Company G-7 Kansas State College/University, Manhattan, Kansas, Company H-7 University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, Company I-7 Arkansas State College, Little Rock, Arkansas, Company K-7 Missouri University of Science & Technology, Rolla, Missouri (Formerly University of Missouri at Rolla/Missouri School of Mines), Company L-7 Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield, Missouri (Currently L-2), Company L-7 Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, Texas, Company M-7 Missouri Southern State College/Missouri Southern State University, Joplin, Missouri (unit disbanded), Company M-7 Southern Methodist College/University, Dallas, Texas (1952), Company N-7 Ouachita Baptist College, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Company O-7 Texas College of Mines & Metallurgy, El Paso, Texas (became H-10), Company P-7 University of Texas, Austin, Texas, Company P-7 - University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, Arkansas (2000), Company Q-7 Prairie View A&M College, Prairie View, Texas, Company R-7 University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri (Formerly Central Missouri State), Company R-7 Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas (1958,59), Company S-7 Henderson State Teacher's College, Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Company T-7 Southern State College, Magnolia, Arkansas, Company T-7 Midwestern University, Wichita Falls, Texas, Company T-7 - University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri (1990), Company V-7 Southwestern State College, Weatherford, Oklahoma, Company W-7 Panhandle State College, Goodwell, Oklahoma, Company X-7 University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, Oklahoma, Company Y-7 East Central State College, Ada, Oklahoma, Headquarters City College of New York / Seton Hall University / Saint Peters College, 1st Battalion Fordham, university, New York, New York, 2nd Battalion Seton Hall, university, South Orange, New Jersey, +Company A-8 City College of New York, New York, New York (Founded: 1936, Rechartered 12 March 2016), Company B-8 - The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania (Previously B-5 and 5th Regiment HQ, became B-8 in 1970s), Company B-8 Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, +Company C-8 - University of Maryland (Chartered 11 March 2017, Was C-5, A-15), Company C-8 St. Bonaventure University, Bonaventure, New York, Company C-8 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1952), +Company D-8 -Fordham University, New York, New York (20 April 1948), Company E-8 New York University, Bronx, New York, Company E-8 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland (19741981, 19842006, 2012, Was E-15, Now T-8), +Company F-8 Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, +Company G-8 Howard University, Washington, D.C. (Founded: 8 March 1974), Company G-8 Siena College, Londonville, New York, Company G-8 Brooklyn College, New York City, New York, Company G-8 Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York (1952), Company H-8 Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York, Company I-8 Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York, Company I-8 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Company I-8 Boston, university, Boston, Massachusetts (1952), +Company J-8 Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland (Was H-15) (Founded: 15 March 1954), +Company K-8 Seton Hall University, South Orange, New Jersey (Founded: 17 March 1951, Rechartered 12 March 2016), Company L-8 New York University, New York, New York, Company L-8 Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Company M-8 Columbia University, New York, New York, Company N-8 Saint Peters College, Jersey City, New Jersey, +Company O-8 Canisius College, Buffalo, New York, Company O-8 Gannon College, Erie, Pennsylvania, Company P-8 State University of New York (SUNY) Maritime, Bronx, New York, +Company Q-8 Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, Company R-8 Clarkson College, Potsdam, New York (Founded: 1936), Company R-8 Saint Johns University, Jamaica, New York, Company S-8 Niagara University, Niagara, New York (Funded: 7 November 1959), +Company T-8 Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, Company T-8 University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, +Company X-8 University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, Company Z-8 Rochester Institute of Technology. [9] When Pershing left Nebraska in 1895, at the request of a committee, he gave to the company a pair of his cavalry breeches. Pershing Rifles Colonel James Gallivan Company M-16 Chief of Staff, 1st Cavalry Division, Brigadier General Arnold N. Gordon-Bray Company R-7 Deputy Commanding General, US Army Cadet Command, Major General Kenneth D. Gray Company H-1 first African American Judge Advocate General officer, Brigadier General Edward F. Gudgel Company C-1 Pledged in 1942, entered West Point in 1945, Field Artillery officer who retired as a BG in 1974, Major General Patrick Higgins Company Q-8 Commanding General, Joint Forces Special Operations Command Africa; deputy director for Requirements J8, Joint Chiefs of Staff, Major General General George A. Horkan Company E-4 Served as the Army's 34th Quartermaster General 195154, Major General Donald L Jacka Company G-7 Commanding General, 3rd Corps Support Command and V Corps (Rear); deputy director, J4, Joint Chiefs of Staff; Kansas Secretary of Agriculture, First Lieutenant Richard O. Joyce Company A-2 Pilot in Doolittle's WWII Tokyo Raid on 18 April 1942, Brigadier General Timothy Lake Company N-4- Virgin Islands National Guard, Deputy Commander Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Brigadier General Thomas Maffey Company N-8 Vice Director J7 Joint Force Development, Joint Staff; US Army Director of Training G-3/5/7; service in Grenada, Panama, Iraq, and Afghanistan, Lieutenant General Paul Mikolashek Company D-1 Army Inspector General, Colonel William H. Oury Company A-2 A-2 Commander 1897, Nebraska Football Pioneer, Commander 314th Infantry Regiment 79th Division WWI, University of Nebraska Commandant of Cadets 193039, Silver Star, Distinguished Service Medal, Brigadier General Guy Sands-Pingot, Company D-8 Commanding officer, 573rd Civil Affairs Command, Lieutenant General Michael Spigelmire Company G-15 Commander, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Brigadier General Ernest Talbert Company E-8 Vice Commander, Delaware Air National Guard, Major General Eric Nelson Company E-8 Air Force program executive officer for command, control and communication (C3) programs, Hanscom Air Force Base, Colonel Robert W. Vincent - Company C-7 - 35 combat missions in WWII as a B-24 Pilot, managed infrared satellites, U-2 support. National Headquarters used 1928 to plan the foundation for an expansion at the company level which would ensure a strong national organization. [4], 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. Many accomplish this by partnering with local high school level J.R.O.T.C. 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. National Society of Pershing Angels | NHQ - History By 1918 the Reserve Officer's Training Program (ROTC), that had just been established two years earlier in 1916 was suspended. NC State Day of Giving is March 24! Together, these units form what is known as the National Society of Pershing Rifles. I think Savino named it. By 1935 the Pershing Rifles had grown to 22 companies. By tradition the National Headquarters is at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. Find a company Pershing Rifles established in prior Constitutions.) Last April, Lieut. Pershing Rifles Gen. John J. Pershing: Contributions and 9 talking about this. But somebody had to supervise these young men in activities like that.. And, after he was indicated last Dec. 2, he declined to testify at an Army inquiry. To instill excellence in leadership and discipline while improving physical and mental strength.. 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. More information about the expansion process can be found under theStart a Companymenu option above. Pershing Rifles meet in Richmond | Article - United States Army The L-4 Company is . Company A University of Nebraska 1894, Company C University of Tennessee 1927, Company E Northwestern University 1929, Brigadier General Walter J. Bickston Company A-8 Chief of Staff, XVIII Airborne Corps and Sixth US Army, Silver Star x 2, Soldier Medal, Bronze Star V Device, Lieutenant General Bob Coffey Company A-1 Deputy Commander, U.S. Army Europe, Major General Arthur Dean Company J-8 Director of Military Personnel Management, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff. 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. However the current National Staff is selected from across the Society and staff members may be from a number of different Pershing Rifles units. Pershing Rifles C-1, University of Kentucky | Lexington KY - Facebook PDF Pershing Rifles - Hofstra.edu Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. It regained its status as a fraternal organization for ROTC basic course cadets. Anyone can read what you share. It's a little foggy, and as far. 7, April 2007. He said, It's training. I'm not sure if he went into that there were going to be prisoners and we were going to be guards of them or that they were going to maybe use trainingthat they were going to evade us, something to that effectbut it wasn't really a detailed description. Q. ", "Seven Questions with Retired General Jack Keane", "Overcoming speech difficulties prompts alumnus John Lemons to give back to Virginia Tech", http://cbruget.blogspot.com/2014/10/blog-post-11.html, "The National Society of Pershing Rifles returns to K-State", "Company A-12 Pershing Rifles at Northeastern University", "PERSHING RIFLES AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY (BU)", "Pershing Rifles Charlie Company 12th Regiment @ MIT", Pershing Rifles National Headquarters Facebook Page, Pershing Rifles National Headquarters Website, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pershing_Rifles&oldid=1109739081. 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. All are qualities in which Pershing Rifles looks for in its members. 1 talking about this. Air Force First Lieutenant John Charles Hauschildt Company F-3 Killed in action on October 5, 1965, by small arms fire during his F-100 fighter direct air support mission near Tuy Hoa, Vietnam, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal recipient; attended the University of Illinois before acceptance at the Air Force Academy, Army First Lieutenant John Robert Hagood- Company A-2/National Headquarters Killed in action on November 1, 1969, in Quang Binh, Vietnam as a result of an explosive device (Buried in Arlington National Cemetery), Army Captain Thomas T. Hewitt - Commander Company E-7. The Coed Affiliates of Pershing Rifles ( CAPERS) was formed. The detailed findings of Major Nation's inquiry, which was instituted after some Congressional pressure and the Army's conclusion that an initial investigation it had made of the death was inade(relate, have never been made public. The Pershing Rifles Group coordinates resources for the Pershing family of organizations. 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. If you are interested in joining, first find out if there is a local chapter (or Company) at your college or university. The Army's action is the latest development in a mounting dispute over culpability for the death of the student, Thomas Fitzgerald, a 20yearold R.O.T.C. While additional companies of Pershing Rifles were formed in the first half of the 20th Century, after World War II, Pershing Rifles rapidly . According to Mr. Borg, who terms Mr. Fitzgerald's death an accident, Mr. Savino and the two dozen other R.O.T.C. Pershing Rifles was formed initially by General Pershing in 1891 as a crack drill organization that would set an example to the rest of the drill unit on how to conduct themselves.