In 1891 General John Joseph Pershing, then a Second Lieutenant in the Sixth Cavalry, became Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Nebraska University. He, wishing to increase the morale of the ROTC unit there, formed a picked company of men and it was known as Company A.
In 1892 this company won the maiden competition at the Omaha Competition. In 1893, the special drill company became a fraternal organization bearing the name of "Varsity Rifles". In 1894, the organization, in appreciation of the initiative and cooperation of Lt. Pershing, changed its name to Pershing Rifles.
When Pershing left Nebraska in 1895, he, at the request of a committee, 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. These "ribbons" were the first service ribbons ever worn in the United States.
During the Spanish American War, thirty members of the now powerful Pershing Rifles enlisted in the 1st Nebraska Volunteers. W. H. Oury, Captain of the Pershing Rifles, now a full Colonel in the Regular Army, was placed in command. A Pershing Rifleman by the name of Robbins was the first sergeant. He later achieved a high position in the War Department. Every one of the thirty distinguished themselves in the ensuing battles.
From 1900 to 1911, Pershing Rifles reached the height of its existence prior to World War II. It was one of the most important features of Nebraska military and social life. Membership was a great military honor, Until 1911, its influence in the military department continued.
After that date the organization suddenly lost prestige and declined deplorably. Its activity suddenly seemed to cease, and the organization became a mere shadow of itself. Its military influence decreased and its social activities lessened.
In 1917, conditions became so bad that the organization was disbanded and its records burned. Thus, in seven short years, this promising organization had passed from national reknown to oblivion.
In 1920, Pershing Rifles was again formed. Out of the ashes of the organization which had died of its own weight in 1917 there sprang a corps with new life and activity. It is true that the prestige of the early 1900's was missing. As originally reorganized in 1920, Pershing Rifles was an organization for junior officers.
It soon, however, regained its status as a basic military society. The presence of Scabbard and Blade on the Nebraska campus probably prevented its growth as an officers organization.
The growth of Pershing Rifles after its reorganization is as remarkable as its former decline. It stepped back into its old niche and strove to grow big enough to fill it again. By 1924, it had regained some of its lost prestige and special drill companies all over the country began to seek admittance into Pershing Rifles.
The present National Honorary Society of Pershing Rifles owes its exist- ence to Ohio State University. In the fall of 1922, a group of advanced course men got together and formed "The President's Guard." It was so named in honor of William Oxely Thompson, President of Ohio State University. The "Guard" gave an exhibition drill on Military Field Day in the spring of 1923. After this exhibition, the company disbanded. In the fall of the same year it was reorganized by the Captain of the local Scabbard and Blade chapter and basic men were admitted.
This new organization was too loosely organized and too closely allied to the regular drill for the company to stand alone. In the spring of 1925, it applied for affiliation with Pershing Rifles. The Nebraska organization refused, Then the Ohio State group, seeing the need of a national organization for basic men, threatened to nationalize the "President's Guard" and leave Nebraska out of it if the two organizations could not work together. Finally, after negotiations had lapsed for almost a year, the Nebraska organization approved the formal application of the Ohio State organization. This applica- tion was dated May 13, 1925, The chapter was installed on May 22, 1925 by John A. Picker, Colonel of Pershing Rifles.
In 1928, the National Headquarters was established at the University of Nebraska. All of this laid the foundation for a strong national unit. In the summer of that year, a number of circulars were sent to other universities besides those having Pershing Rifles units already, inviting their crack units to apply for charters from the National Headquarters. Those who knew of the relative value of Pershing Rifles as an organization capable of promoting interest in military science heeded circulars. Also during that summer, officers attached to the schools where there were Pershing Rifles chapters met with officers from other institutions and thus the organization received some very good publicity.
The colors of the Pershing Rifles, blue and white, have traditional national significance. These are the colors of the cord, worn on the left shoulder, the membership ribbon, the pledge ribbon, and the guidon. White is for purity, cleanliness of life, and rectitude of conduct. Blue is for loyalty, devotion, friendship, justice, and truth. The design of the membership ribbon is identical to the Army Good Conduct Medal, which denotes exemplary conduct at all times. The six white stripes on the membership ribbon, starting on the inside as the ribbon is worn and moving out, stand for:
The official flower is the white rose. Traditionally, this flower represents the most important man or family of the era. For the Pershing Rifleman, the white rose synbolizes the great life of their founder, General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing, who made the ideals of the Pershing Rifleman a reality.
The Pershing Rifles Officer shields are blue, trimmed in silver, with a torch with crossed rifles superimposed upon the shields. The rank of a Pershing Rifles officer is shown by miniature Army devices on the upper part of the shield.
The Pershing Rifles crest consists of the officer's shield with a knight's helmet and a torse above it and a scroll bearing the name "Pershing Rifles" and the founding date "1894" underneath it. The crest is a guide for the members of our organization. It tells a little of our history and explains, by the various symbols, what is expected of each of us as Pershing Riflemen, as officers, and as ladies and gentlemen.
Above the shield, but below the helmet, there is a blue and white braided cord known as a torse. This represents the Pershing Rifles active cord. The topmost symbol of the crest is an ancient helmet. It is the symbol of the heraldry and chivalry of the Medieval knights. This spirit is the cornerstone of character for every Pershing Rifleman. It is a prime requisite of conduct, a necessay part of every true heart. The shield, upon which are the crossed rifles and torch, is a symbol of readiness. It is a symbol of the readiness to meet any situation anywhere, on the battlefield or wherever we may be called. To meet the demands of leadership, we must have knowledge. The torch denotes scholarship and knowledge.
I was a member of the National Society of Pershing Rifles, Company I, 3rd Regiment while a student at DePaul University. In fact, I served as Company Commander and held the rank of Captain P/R in 1966-1967. (For those not familiar with Pershing Rifles, that position is equivalent to President of the local Chapter.)