The Citadel

"Go Dogs, Go down the Field, Let's win this game! Fight'em and Bite'em, The Corps sings your fame! Rah Rah Rah! Fight on and never yield, It's plain to see That the Corps will take the Dogs To Vic- to- ry!"

"Oh Citadel, we sing thy fame For all the world to hear. And in the Paths our fathers showed us Follow without fear. Peace and Honor, God and Country, We will fight for thee. Oh Citadel, we praise thee now And in Eternity."

"Oh Citadel, though strife surrounds us, We will ever be Full conscious of the benefits That we derive from thee. Stand forever, yielding never To the tyrant's Hell We'll never cease our struggles for Our mighty Citadel"

"The Citadel, the Military College of South Carolina: Founded in 1842 in Charleston, The Citadel graduated 6 Confederate general officers, 49 field-grade officers (colonels and majors), and 120 company-grade officers (captains and lieutenants)."

"The ring has symbolized outstanding accomplishments both by the Corps of Cadets and South Carolina. Perhaps the most popular feature of the ring is the Star of the West, which commemorates the firing on a Union supply steamer by a detachment of Citadel cadets in January, 1861. This action was the powder keg which set off the War Between the States. Every aspect of the ring is symbolic of the history and tradition of the Cadet Corps from the Mexican War through both World Wars, to the present day, for The Citadel is a military college and the leadership, courage, and integrity found in good officers is embodied by the sword, found on the left shank of the ring. Crossing the sword is the rifle, the symbol of the infantry. Of equal importance in this world of political aggrandizement and perpetual military conflict are the concepts of freedom acquired and maintained only through a willingness to fight for it represented by the rifle surmounted by the oak leaves of toughness and victory blessed by peace, represented by the laurel wreath. On the right shank of the ring are found the United States and South Carolina colors, which depict the unity of the state and federal government. The cannon balls at the bottom of this shank serve the dual purpose of representing the artillery, one of the two original branches of military instruction given during the early years of The Citadel, and as a continuing link between the Old Citadel on Marion Square and the Greater Citadel. When the college moved to its present location, the Civil War cannon balls piled before the Old Citadel were left behind. The oval crest has a reproduction of the palmetto tree in its background. Aside from representing the state tree of South Carolina, the Palmetto symbolizes a cadet-trained regiment of infantry that fought in the Mexican War and it represents a fort, built of Palmetto logs, that repelled a large British invasion fleet during the Revolutionary War. The two oval shields at the base of the tree are replicas of the state seals."

"Whereas The Citadel Cadet Ring displays the symbols and traditions of the Military College of South Carolina Corps of Cadets. The Non-Cadet Ring displays actual campus buildings and monuments that are a constant reminder of the ideals of a military college. For if The Citadel is not a military college, it is nothing. The non-Cadet student or graduate understands that it is an honor and privilege to be associated with The Military College of South Carolina, as a graduate of The Citadel Graduate College. The Non-Cadet Ring is authorized for purchase by veteran, undergraduate evening college and graduate college students who graduate honorably from The Citadel Graduate College. Like the Cadet Ring, the Non-Cadet Ring can only be purchased in 10K white gold and is of the same pennyweight and size of the Cadet Ring. The Non-Cadet Ring is a standardized ring, which cannot be ordered with any variation, except for class year. Standardization brings two things to the importance of the ring design. First, the ring does not denote an individual graduate but a Citadel Graduate. Second, the ring can be recognized by anyone since it is of the same design from year to year, graduate to graduate."

"Upon immediate glance, the Non-Cadet ring simply displays “The Citadel, 1842”. The oval crest top of the Non-Cadet Ring displays the palmetto tree- the state tree of South Carolina and is symbolic of a fort on Sullivan’s Island built from palmetto logs, which successfully resisted many British men-of-war during the Revolutionary War. To the non-Cadet graduate it represents palmetto trees that were so abundant in the area during the founding of the college in 1842. The year of non-Cadet graduation is displayed along the sides of the palmetto tree. The two oval shields at the base of the palmetto tree are miniature replicas of the state shield. The shield inscriptions are accurate and readable with a low power glass. On the left shank of the Non-Cadet Ring the star commemorates the shelling of the union supply steamer “The Star of the West” and memorializes all those Citadel cadets, veterans, and graduates who have died in defense of their country. Lesesne Gate, the Main Gate of The Citadel campus, is named after Thomas P. Lesesne, class of 1901. On the Non-Cadet Ring, the closed Lesesne Gate represents the humbling and difficult academic task that Non-Cadet students must endure to become a wearer of the “Band of Gold”- The Non-Cadet Ring of The Citadel. Much of what a Citadel graduate gains will never be understood outside the gates of The Citadel. The United States and South Carolina colors on each side of the gate depict the unity and coordination between the state and federal government. The gate inscription The Military College of South Carolina, although appropriately unnoticeable to anyone except the wearer, is also accurate and readable with low power glass. To serve as a constant reminder of the city of their alma mater, Charleston S.C. appears on the bottom of this shank."

"On the right shank of the Non-Cadet Ring, the most prominent feature is the Eagle atop Bond Hall, another campus landmark. On the Great Seal of the United States, the Eagle is facing toward the olive leaves, the symbol of peace; whereas the Bond Hall Eagle faces to the left toward the arrows, the symbol of war. With the Daniel Library and Summerall Chapel buildings in the background of the Eagle, the Non-Cadet graduate is reminded of the beautiful architecture of the college. The library becomes the most important resource in Non-Cadet graduate degree research. In 1985, approval was granted for purchase by all non-Cadets including master’s degree graduates. In keeping with tradition, the Alumni Association assumed the approval process for purchase following the completion of degree requirements. Therefore, The Citadel has only two official designed rings that are authorized for purchase from The Citadel Alumni Association (a cadet and a non-Cadet ring). This continues the tradition of The Citadel Ring being instantly recognizable to fellow graduates."

"The Citadel cherishes the belief that the more hardship endured by the young man, the higher the quality of the person who graduates from the system. The Citadel devised a formula years ago to improve the quality of men who walked through her gates. The formula begins with the plebe system. One thing is certain. The plebe system is calculated to be, and generally succeeds in being, a nine month journey through hell. The freshman is beaten, harassed, ridiculed, and humiliated by the upperclassmen who concur and believe in the traditions of the school. Under the pressure of this system, the freshman, in theory, becomes hardened to the savage hardships of the world. Life is tough, the system says, and we are going to make life so tough for you this year that when your marriage dissolves, your child dies unexpectedly, or your platoon is decimated in a surprise attack, you can never say The Citadel didn't prepare you for the worst in life."

"In 1979, the year most of ya’ll were born, I was finishing up The Lords of Discipline and I tried to think of a line or words that would sum up better than anything how I felt and how other people feel about this college. I wanted it to be something ringing and affirmative, something true, something to be true for every person who has ever gone through the long gray line. I came up with this line, “I wear the ring." I think it is the best line I have ever written and the best English sentence I am capable of writing. I love that phrase. I love that sentence. Thirty-four years ago I sat in this field house. My mother and father, my six brothers and sisters, sitting in the audience as your parents are sitting now. My parents—it was their proudest day. My mother wept when I came off [the stage] that day. She wept so hard, and I said, “Mom, what’s wrong?” And she said, “Son, you are the first person in my family who has ever graduated from college, and you did it at The Citadel.” And she said, “the best college in America.”"

"In closing, class of 2001, I cannot thank ya’ll enough for doing this for me. I did not exactly pencil this speech into my schedule of coming attractions, and you do me the highest honor by bringing me fully into my Citadel family. And I was trying to think of something I can do because a graduation speaker needs to speak of time—time passing. Usually, I tell graduation classes I want them to think of me on their 40th birthday, but I got something else I want to do for ya’ll because I’m so moved at what you’ve done for me. I would like to invite each one of you in the class of 2001 to my funeral, and I mean that. I will not be having a good day that day... but I have told my wife and my heirs that I wanted the class of 2001 to have an honored place whenever my funeral takes place. And I hope as many of you will come as you possibly can because I want you to know how swift time is, and there is nothing as swift—and you know this—from the day you walked into Lesesne Gate until this day—a heartbeat, an eye blink. This is the way life is. It is the only great surprise in life. So I’m going to tell you how to get to my funeral. You walk up. . . You find the usher waiting outside, and here’s your ticket. . . You put up your Citadel ring. Let them check for the 2001, and each one of you, I want you to say this before you enter the church at which I’m going to be buried. You tell them, “I wear the ring.” Thank you so much."

"In 1973, The Boo had a heart attack that almost killed him. I drove down from Atlanta to visit him at the naval hospital, and he did not look that day like a man who would survive to see the dedication of the Courvoisie Room in September of 2001. When I left to return to Atlanta the next day, Elizabeth Courvoisie wept at my departure and told me she did not ever think I would see her husband again. Two weeks later, he returned to his quarters in The Citadel campus, bedridden and despondent. For a month, he did not leave his house. Only a few cadets came to visit him because The Boo had become invisible to the Corps of Cadets, or so The Citadel thought. So The Boo thought. Nothing on earth thinks or moves or acts or responds like The Citadel Corps of Cadets. The Corps of Cadets is a sovereign nation unto itself, a country that fashions its own rules, a strange entity that makes up its own mind in its own good time. The Citadel thought the Corps of Cadets had forgotten the legend of The Boo. But it was the Corps who had made that legend and the Corps who would keep it alive. Word spread that The Boo was critically ill. A rumor had it that he was dying. Along the galleries, cadets gathered to talk, and the rumors began to fly, and nowhere does rumor travel faster than the Corps. Because they are cadets, there is always mischief and always daring, always a sense of humor that is deeper than anything else. A plan was hatched in secret."

"At parade the following Friday, the Board of Visitors and General Duckett stood and saluted as the Corps passed in review before them, as they had done on a thousand Fridays before. But this time, parade was destined to be unlike any Citadel parade before or since in the many-storied and many-splendored history of our college. This parade belongs to the ages. When the A Company commander marched his troops off the field, his company was nearing the street in front of Third Battalion where he would issue the traditional order of "Company right, march." In the first time since The Citadel moved to its new home by the Ashley River, the A Company commander ordered his three platoons to march to the left. He was followed by the commander of Bravo Company, of Charlie, of Delta, of Echo, and then by every company company in the Corps. On the street between the Third and Fourth Battalions, Alpha Company marched right toward the mess hall and the infirmary, with the entire Corps of Cadets behind them. At the infirmary, the Corps turned left again and only two people on the campus knew what the Corps of Cadets was up to. The Boo had spent the day shining up. "The cadets won't care if you're shined up or not," Elizabeth Courvousie said to her husband. "I expect the Corps to be sharp for me," The Boo said. "I want to be sharp for them.""

"When the boys of Alpha reached his house, and the A Company commander gave the command of "Eyes right," the guidon snapped in the cool autumn air. The Boo, in uniform, returned the salute with perfect military bearing and held it until A Company had passed. Then he saluted Bravo and Charlie, on down to Romeo and Tango and the Band. The man who had not been out of his home for ninety days, and the man who had not returned to work for a single day, held his salute as seventeen companies passed in view for a man none of them knew. Here is the significance of that thrilling, rogue parade, which in the highly structured world of The Citadel was a revolutionary act. The Corps of Cadets broke ranks and all the rules of order that applied to the Friday parade to pay homage to the man who was in charge of cadet luggage. The Corps has never broken ranks to honor General Summerall or Mark Clark or Prince Charles or Ronald Reagan or any member of the Board of Visitors or the generals of any army of the world. The Corps did it once and only once, and they did it for the love of The Boo, a man they knew only by the power of his legend, by the greatness of his story. And nothing moves the Corps like the power of love."

"Here is what The Boo loved more than The Citadel - nothing, nothing on this Earth. The sun rose on Lesesne Gate and it set on the marshes of the Ashley River and its main job was to keep the parade grounds green. He once told me that a cadet was nothing but a bum, like you, Conroy. But a Corps of Cadets was the most beautiful thing in the world."

"When I was writing 'The Lords of Discipline,' I went to The Boo for help. 'What makes The Citadel different from all other schools? What makes it different, special and unique? Why do I think it is the best college in the world when I hated it when I was here, Boo? Help me with this.' The Boo held up his hand and said, 'It's the ring, Bubba. Always remember that. The ring, the ring, the ring.' I thought about it for a moment then wrote the words, 'I wear the ring.' 'How about this for a first line?' 'Perfect, Bubba, just perfect.'"

"Recruited by 15 colleges, I made campus visits to The Citadel, Providence, and Holy Cross before Jack Riley, the West Point hockey coach, read an article in the Boston Globe about a state championship game in which I scored 44 points and collected 28 rebounds. He gave the newspaper clipping to George Hunter, the West Point head basketball coach, who invited my parents and me to visit the academy. I was not at all interested in a military school, but my father and mother wanted to see the campus because they enjoyed watching the TV series The West Point Story with Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Clint Eastwood. After we drove to West Point, I walked the grounds of this historic institution, had discussions with Coach Hunter and members of the Army basketball team, and met with All-American players Pete Dawkins and Bob Anderson. I came away impressed with West Point's history, tradition, and institutional values. After returning home and reflecting on the last passage of Robert Frost's poem "The Road Not Taken," I was positive that I wanted to be a cadet at the United States Military Academy."

"All Hail to the Bulldogs, March to victory Long live The Citadel, so proud are we. And yield, we will never. We're Blue/White forever. We will fight, we will win, we will conquer in the end, A Bulldog triumph today."

"When I was 13 years old my brother gave me The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. Years later my oldest son became interested in the tales of J.R.R. Tolkien. The books involve a tale of the One Ring that controls the others. Years later I was struck at the similarities and differences between the One Ring and The Ring the senior cadets at The Citadel receive their senior year. The One Ring is one of power over people. The Citadel ring that a graduate wears is also one of power. The Citadel ring’s strength is in the power of friendship forged through the tough training the cadets endure over their four years. The power of The Citadel ring goes beyond the graduates and in many cases influences the families of the one who wears the ring. One of the most moving accounts of the bond forged by the graduates who wear the ring is told by Pat Conroy. He told this story in his book, My Losing Season, and he also told the story in his commencement address in 2001. I can’t read the story without tears welling up in my eyes. Talk to many graduates and their families and they can tell you their own story of the Ring. In her book In the Company of Men, Nancy Mace details her father’s story of recovering his lost ring in the swampy fields of Vietnam."

"Two weeks from now the Class of 2013 will receive their rings. It is a huge weekend for seniors and their families. My son used to say that the ring, and what it symbolizes, is more important to him than his diploma. Everyone who graduates from a college or university gets a diploma. Not everyone can earn the right to wear The Citadel Ring. Over the past five years I have had the privilege to see what the power of this ring can do. As the chair of the Georgia Citadel Parents Group for a few years I had the honor of witnessing the kindness of the members of the Atlanta Citadel Club when they heard a cadet was in need. One had trouble meeting the out-of-state tuition and was helped by a graduate. Another family had a crisis and weren’t sure they could get their cadet home, the alumni offered to pay for a flight. If a knob needed a ride back to campus from Georgia I just posted the need and within minutes offers to help would pour in. This giving nature also applies to the families of the cadets. A family suffered the death of a grandparent. Their cadet couldn’t afford to travel to the funeral. A ticket arrived in the mail paid for by another family who heard of their need. When a cadet or graduate is deployed the moral support for the family of the soldier pours in."

"Each year cadets and graduates are sent overseas to war. When one Citadel Mom learned that current cadets were going to war she founded The Citadel Heroes Project. Volunteers donate items and cards that are sent to the deployed cadets and graduates a few times a year. It is a huge effort that means so much to the recipients. A young graduate died just months after graduation and before he reported to his first duty station. The roommate of the deceased was left behind to tie up the loose ends. A few of us attended the memorial service in Summerall Chapel. I was asked to read a poem during the service on behalf of the Citadel Family Association. A few of us moms learned it was difficult for the surviving roommate to go to the mail box each day and see mail to his deceased classmate/roommate/good friend. The Citadel Moms each took a week and sent baked goods gift cards for coffee shops and food. For eight weeks the surviving roommate went to his mailbox to find these gifts of love and support from his Citadel Moms. Recently it was brought to the attention of a group of alumni that a few seniors, due to a number of circumstances, couldn’t afford to pay off the balance on their rings. Within a matter of hours alumni of all types, young and old, male and female, came together to donate the money needed to pay off the rings for these deserving seniors. When parents of current cadets and graduates heard of this effort, they too wanted to help. It was an amazing show of support by the members of The Citadel family. On October 12 the qualified cadets will receive their rings with the rest of their class."

"Wearing the ring is something I will never experience. It was my son and his classmates that proved they were worthy of the honor of joining the Long Gray Line of graduates. They are family, not just classmates. I can tell you being a family member of the person who wears the ring makes you part of their extended Citadel family. Pat Conroy used the sentence “I wear the ring.” in The Lords of Discipline to summarize the importance of his time at The Citadel and the bond he shares with others who wear the ring. The cadets who went through the rigors of the 4th Class System understand that sentence differently than any one else who reads it. The parents and family members of the cadets and graduates can only get glimpses of what it means."

"A Cadet Does Not Lie, Cheat, Or Steal, Nor Tolerate Those Who Do."

"Honor, Duty, Respect"

"The process was designed to create a pressure cooker environment in which young officers in training were pulled at from every direction, for every imaginable reason, to do things that were next to impossible. But the cadre weren't there simply to make our lives miserable. Hot situations gave the upperclassmen excellent indicators of who was, and was not suitable for command, both at the school and later in life. The idea was a simple: to be so overcome with stress and responsibilities, so completely surrounded with impossible demands on their time, that they would have to choose, in triage fashion, the most important tasks to complete while keeping a cool head in the process."