The Summerall Guards for the Class of 2026 are now in position. The 61 rising-senior cadets held their first performance during the changing of the guard ceremony, an event that is part of The Citadel’s annual Corps Day weekend ceremonies. This marks the moment that the Class of 2025 Summerall Guards perform their last precision drills as a unit before passing their rifles to the new platoon.
Jackson Tompkins of Tega Cay, SC named to The Citadel Class of 2026 Summerall Guards
Bryson Barrett of Rock Hill, SC named to The Citadel Class of 2026 Summerall Guards
Ethan Clinton of Clover, SC named to The Citadel Class of 2026 Summerall Guards
They were selected after a process that included weeks of Bond Volunteer Aspirant (BVA) training. Junior cadets who pass an initial physical fitness test take part in the six-week BVA training and tryout sessions. They must perform military pushups, sit-ups and rifle-bearing physical training, exhibiting exceptional physical condition and stamina.
Known around the United States as one of the elite military drill troupes, membership is a high honor at the military college of South Carolina. Created in 1932, The Summerall Guards have represented The Citadel at events around the nation, including performing in five presidential inaugural parades.
The platoon is named for Gen. Charles P. Summerall, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and The Citadel president from 1931 until 1953. Its purpose is to exemplify the exactness and thoroughness of a cadet’s training through a unique series of movements based on old, close-order Prussian drills. The maneuvers have never been written down, are passed from class to class and are performed to a silent count.
The 61 seniors will be commanded by Cadet Cole Bouknight.
About The Citadel
The Citadel, with its iconic campus located in Charleston, South Carolina, offers a classic military college education for young men and women focused on leadership excellence and academic distinction. The approximately 2,300 members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets are not required to serve in the military, but about one-third of each class earn commissions to become officers in every branch of U.S. military service. Citadel alumni have served the nation, their states and their communities as principled leaders since 1842. The Citadel Graduate College offers dozens of graduate degree, graduate certificate and evening undergraduate programs in the evening or online. The Citadel has been consecutively named Best Public College in the South by U.S. News & World Report for 14 years and No. 1 Best Public College for Veterans in the South for seven years. Learn more about The Citadel here.
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