Type Private non-profit Area served United States | Founded 2012 | |
Headquarters Hockessin, Delaware, U.S. Key people Chris Scheuermann, Chair / Executive Director Brian Cox, Vice Chairman Craig Zagorski,
Deputy Director Website Pershing Rifles Group Headquarters | ||
The Pershing Rifles Group is a Delaware incorporate 501(c)10 non-profit organization, which coordinates resources for the Pershing family of organizations. Our partner and member organizations include the National Society of Pershing Rifles, National Society of Pershing Rifles Alumni Association (NSPRAA), National Society of Pershing Angels, National Society of Blackjacks, and the Pershing Foundation.
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Mission
The mission of the Pershing Rifles Group is to provide advice, assistance, and support to partnered and member organizations. Our goal is to bring together the entire Pershing Family of organizations into a community that mutually supports one another and our various missions.
Purpose
The Group is organized exclusively for charitable and educational purposes. The purpose is threefold:
(a) Assemble college students in a national fraternal or sororal organization dedicated to developing, to the highest degree possible, outstanding traits of leadership, military science, military bearing, and discipline within the framework of a military oriented, professional organization.
(b) Assemble high school students in an national honor society dedicated to instilling the principles of leadership espoused by General of the Armies John J. Pershing and the National Society of Blackjacks.
(c) Assemble alumni of Pershing Rifles and Blackjacks in a national association dedicated to preserving the ideals espoused by General Pershing, and to provide a network of support to active and alumni members of all of our organizations.
Background
The PRG made its beginnings in 2008 as an effort to bring together various alumni groups of the National Society of Pershing Rifles under one umbrella. Originally known as the Federation of Pershing Rifles Alumni Associations (FPRAA), the organization continued to evolve and became more than just an alumni effort, but one that worked to provide support to the undergraduate Pershing Rifles.
In 2011, the PRG was granted classification as a not-for-profit, tax exempt organization under section 501(c)(10) of the Internal Revenue Code. This provided financial protection to the National Society of Pershing Rifles, marking the first time the Society was recognized as more than an unincorporated association at the University of Nebraska.
At the National Convention in March 2016, the PRG reached an agreement establishing a partnership with the National Society of Pershing Rifles Alumni Association (NSPRAA). The agreement recognized NSPRAA as the sole official alumni organization for Pershing Rifles, and marked the first time in decades that alumni Riflemen have united under a common banner.
Additionally, the PRG formalized a relationship with the National Society of Pershing Angels. Pershing Angels is a military-based drill sorority for women founded in 1965 as a Coed Affiliate drill unit of Pershing Rifles. It is the oldest continuously operating U.S. national women’s college organization dedicated to drill.
Although the PRG is independent, they work closely with the Department of Defense Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) and host Universities, High Schools, and Middle Schools throughout the county. The PR Group is led by a Board of Directors elected from its member organizations, and a volunteer staff.
The Pershing Rifles Group has taken on a role in the organization of the Pershing Rifles National Convention (NATCON), through a Joint Planning Committee with the Pershing Rifles National Headquarters and other partner organizations. They have played a part in reestablishing the Blackjacks Drill Competition for JROTC, CAP, and other youth drill units, as part of their efforts at reconstituting Blackjacks at the high school level.