Page 6
University Daily Kansan
Friday, Nov. 20, 1964
Broomstick Soldiers Harassed
Bv Suellen McKinlev
When the Pershing Rifles pledges assumed their posts last night guarding Gertrude Sellards Pearson Hall and Corbin Hall, two of the freshman women's residence halls, it was difficult to decide who needed the protection—the freshman coeds or the pledges.
The "defenseless" young ladies flocked out of the dormitories to cluster around the pledges, issuing
Broomstick Soldiers
orders and laughing with glee when a pledge flopped on the ground for a round of push-ups.
What was gaiety and giggles for the freshman women was an annual event of pledge discipline for Pershing Rifles, a national tri-service honorary fraternal organization.
A NIGHT OF "harassment" and cold guard duty is part of the six weeks of instruction in military history and training in drill required of each Pershing Rifle pledge. For the instruction one night per week, the pledge receives two hours of college credit.
The pledges (otherwise known as "goons") appeared at their post promptly at 7:30 p.m. Dressed in army green fatigues, shining combat boots, and steel helmets, the pledges lined up for inspection. In their white-gloved hands they carried their "weapons"—brooms. In one case, however, a pledge was "armed" with a wastebasket.
An active, better known as an officer, noticed the unusual "weapon" and asked, "Do you classify that weapon as heavy artillery, pledge?"
SMILING IS an offense of the highest order.
"Yes, sir, heavy artillery, sir," the pledge rattled, never cracking a smile.
"Can't you smile?" asked a coed of a "goon," who was standing stiffly at attention for inspection.
The young man flickered a slight grin at the young lady, which was the wrong thing to do.
"Officer, sir, that man smiled. I thought they weren't supposed to," she said.
THE OFFICER BARKED an order, and the poor fellow began his ten push-ups—"One, sir. Two, sir. Three, sir. . ."
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The penalty is also imposed for failure to have shining boots, failure to answer a young lady's question, or failure to complete any one of the 11 general orders, concerning the pledge's conduct in the line of duty.
A twelfth order, one that the pledges could never remember perfectly, stated that they should "circle the wargs in case of Indian attack."
After general inspection, most of the girls returned to their respective dormitories, and the pledges began "walking their posts in a military manner," stopping only to ask someone leaving the residence halls their name, where they came from, and their destination.
AT THE END OF THEIR training, each Pershing Rifle pledge will participate in formal initiation. The organization has a membership of 16 activities and 33 pledges. Capt. Merrill F. Steele is the advisor, and James Hamilton, Leavenworth senior, is company commander.
The purpose of the society in the words of its founder, General John J. Pershing, is "to foster a spirit of
friendship and cooperation among men in the military department and to maintain a highly efficient drill company."
The membership is recruited through a rush situation where the men are invited to sign up for the training.
The company maintains an exhibition drill team, rifle team, machine gun crew, and a number of men skilled in manual of arms, who compete in individual drill-downs.
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