Originally named Varsity Rifles, members renamed the organization in honor of their mentor and patron, Lieutenant (later General of the Armies of the United States) John J. Pershing, upon his departure from the university in 1895.

Pershing Rifles became a national organization in 1928 expanding to include several other universities, with companies consisting of drill teams as well as tactical units.

[1] In 1891, General Pershing, then a 2LT in Troop L, 6th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Bayard, New Mexico, became the Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Nebraska.

Pershing wished to increase the morale and discipline of the battalion there and support for the Cadet Corps throughout the university's staff and community.

A total of 39 picked cadets and alumni met in the university's armory to hold their first meeting, Lieutenant Pershing consented to act as temporary drillmaster for the organization.

Under Pershing's leadership, the organization won the Army Silver Cup for drill team competition, second after West Point.

[5][better source needed] The end of World War I saw the disbandment of SATC and the return to campus of ROTC and Pershing Rifles.

Those who knew the value of the Pershing Rifles as an organization capable of promoting interest in drill work for basic students heeded the circulars.

The 1930s were the first Golden Age of Pershing Rifles, which saw so much sustained growth that it had expanded its structure to emulate the organization of the World War I U.S. Army Infantry Division.

Major Bailey was killed in action on September 26, 1942, on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands and posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his valor that day.

Another is Army Air Corps Lt Richard Joyce, an alumnus of Company A-2 at the University of Nebraska, who piloted a B-25 that bombed Japan as part of the famous Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942.

During World War II many Pershing Riflemen were drafted directly from college and served as enlisted men to meet urgent wartime manpower requirements.

Copies of the film were distributed to Pershing Rifles units throughout the country as a means of promoting the organization to prospective members.

The Pershing Rifles National Assembly in November 1947 agreed to accept Navy ROTC cadets making the society a true multi-service organization.

With the President's Executive Order 9981 of 26 July 1948 that abolished racial discrimination in the U.S. Armed Forces, Pershing Rifles rapidly integrated African American cadets and Historically Black units into the society.

This was echoed in the sense of duty and service amongst college students which has sustained the growth and popularity of Pershing Rifles from 2001 to the present.

After over 125 years Pershing Rifles is going strong and continues to inspire students and create future leaders in the military, business, industry, and the arts.

[10] The mission of the National Society of Pershing Rifles is to aid in the development of successful officers in the Army, Navy, and Air Force.

Pershing Rifles is organized by units consisting of companies or squadrons, regiments or brigades, and the national headquarters.

The Pershing Rifles Group is incorporated in the state of Delaware and is a registered 501(C)10 not-for-profit organization under the Internal Revenue Service.

It is the supporting corporation to Pershing Rifles which furnishes the society with basic services such as insurance as well as legal, regulatory, and fiscal oversight.

+ Craig Zagorski was promoted to major general and national commander for one day immediately following the end of Christopher D. Scheuermann's term in 2008.