Logan Barber
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Class of 2019
  • Winter Park, Florida

The Citadel announces the Class of 2019 Summerall Guards

2018 Apr 3

After weeks of rigorous training and tryouts, The Citadel Class of 2019 Summerall Guards were introduced on Saturday, March 24. The 61 rising-senior cadets held their first performance after a rifle exchange ceremony with the 2018 guards.

Logan Barber of Winter Park, Florida was among the cadets selected to the Class of 2019 Summerall Guards.

The Summerall Guards are a silent precision drill platoon first formed more than 85 years ago. Through a unique series of movements based on the old military close-order drills, the Summerall Guards aspire to exemplify the precise and meticulous training of a Citadel cadet. The intricate movements of the drill are taught from one class to the next and have never been formally recorded. The platoon is named for Gen. Charles P. Summerall, former chief of staff of the U.S. Army and Citadel president from 1931 until 1953.

Earning the title of Summerall Guard is one of the highest honors that can be achieved by a member of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets at The Citadel. The selection process includes weeks of Bond Volunteer Aspirant (BVA) training. More than 100 junior cadets who pass an initial physical fitness test progress to six weeks of BVA training and tryout sessions. They must perform military pushups, sit-ups and rifle-bearing training, exhibiting exceptional physical condition and stamina.

The Summerall Guards receive frequent invitations to perform around America and have appeared in numerous Mardi Gras parades in New Orleans, at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C. and at Walt Disney World. In 2017, they made their fifth appearance at a presidential inaugural parade. The platoon previously participated in the inaugurations of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953, Ronald Reagan in 1985, George H.W. Bush in 1989 and George W. Bush in 2005.