On Friday, May 31, the NC A&T State University 1967 pledge line “New Breed” of the Pershing Rifles Society, a national military fraternity devoted to high standards of professionalism and leadership, reunited to celebrate on the university campus for only the second time in 50 years! The first took place in October 2018 in Richmond, VA. Ten of the original 13 pledge line were able to attend the recent event.
While attending NC A&T State University; the “New Breed” went on to excel at the advanced ROTC summer camp, held at Fort Bragg, NC, a rigorous field training exercise designed to supplement military coursework and instill and reinforce military discipline and leadership skills. Upon graduation from the university the majority went on to serve in the U.S. Army as commissioned officers.
“You just can’t hide that Aggie Pride”, said retired Lt. Colonel Reginald “Reggie” Ray (AKA “The Black Commander”) who was the organizer of the reunion and instrumental in locating the members and coordinating the get-together.
The Pershing Rifles is a military oriented fraternal organization for college-level students founded in 1894 as a military drill until at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln by General John Pershing. It is the oldest continuously operating U.S. college organization dedicated to military drill that includes such esteemed members as Colin Powell, retired U.S. Army General and former chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.
