Pershing Rifles
June 13, 2008
During my college years at K-State I joined the R.O.T.C. (Reserve Officers Training Corps), affectionally/derisively pronounced “rotzee.” For paying attention to my Army training and attending the weekly classes, I was issued a uniform and received, as I recall, a $50 monthly stipend. During the summer of my Junior year, we shavetails-in-waiting attended summer camp for a month at Camp Gordon, Georgia. Upon graduation from college we were commissioned as U.S. Army Second Lieutenants.
Associated with the R.O.T.C. in college was a precision drill team called the Pershing Rifles, and I ended up as the ‘Captain’ of the platoon-sized unit and conducted drills once a week, Hup-Toop-Threep-Four! I won’t attempt to describe the intricacies of the march and counter-march stuff, but we drilled carrying (and doing tricks with) the ten-pound M1 Garand rifle.
One of the tricks was synchronized spinning of the rifles as we marched in formation. During half-time of one football game, we performed a drill with loaded (blanks) rifles. After drilling in formation for a while, we peeled off in one long file at mid-field. As the file formed, everyone went to one knee with their rifles positioned vertically behind their left shoulder. Captain Dave was front and center, facing the home stands.. Get the picture? (Oh, well.)
Anyway, Captain Dave, standing at rigid attention, slowly raised his right hand in salute. When his fingers touched his cap, the rifles were discharged, starting at one end of the file and rippling down to the other end. That accomplished two things: It woke everyone up and probably damaged the hearing in a bunch of left ears.
If you will indulge me with some comments on the M1 rifle, I confess to somewhat of a love affair with that weapon. It was the standard infantry weapon in World War II and Korea. Besides learning to do tricks with it in college, I later trained to be a Range Officer at Fort Benning, GA. I fired off many 8-round clips on the various ranges, which may account for some of my high-range hearing loss. No ear plugs in those days. I’m not sure I could field-strip, clean, and re-assemble the M1 now, but I sure could then.
For you gun-nuts, it fired a .30-06 Springfield cartridge, semi-automatic, at an effective rate of 16-24 rounds/min. It was almost as accurate as the bolt-action Springfield M1903 rifle that it replaced. The Springfield became a very accurate sniper rifle.
But enough. I mainly wanted you to know that I got rhythm.
Dave, still hupping along.
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4 Responses to “Pershing Rifles”
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Granddad, I didn’t know you had rhythm! haha No, I guess I hadn’t ever thought about it, but now that I know I am impressed. Just earlier today I was practicing with my rifle! I can’t brag that it weighs ten pounds and is loaded or anything, purely for looks…I am in the color guard at my school and get to march around on the football field with the band. So much fun. Perhaps my mom, your daughter, will send you some photos that she will take at games and competitions.
-Karen
Hey Karen! I want pics of that color guard! Next time we together I would be happy to call cadence for you.
I agree, there is something about marching to music that is fun. I was in the marching band in high school, tootling my clarinet and showing off my rhythm.
Granddad
Ah, a fellow Pershing Rifleman. I’ve only been one since 2004.
Thanks for your comment. Please tell me a little about yourself and your connection with PR.