Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles
Encyclopedia
The Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles (CAPER) was established in 1966 as the first officially recognized female auxiliary to the National Association of Pershing Rifles
. It was disbanded in the early 1980’s when women were fully integrated into Pershing Rifles. The organization has also been called the Coed Affiliates of Pershing Rifles and CAPERS over the years.
In 1963 women at the University of Oklahoma
asked to start a female drill group affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company H-7. This led to the formation of the Kaydettes drill team. By the fall of 1965, the Kaydettes members thought that there should be a national level organization for coed groups affiliated with Pershing Rifles. They petitioned the National Headquarters of Pershing Rifles in Lincoln, Nebraska and were given permission to establish such an organization. They then contacted existing coed groups across the country to start the foundation for a nationwide organization.
On January 1, 1966 the Kaydettes were established as the national female auxiliary for Pershing Rifles under the supervision of the Seventh Regimental Headquarters. However the Kaydettes name was not acceptable because it would cause already established coed groups to change the unique names of their local units. So on November 26 1966, at the Pershing Rifles Fall Little National Convention the organization’s name was changed to the Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles (CAPER) and came under the direct supervision of Pershing Rifles National Headquarters.
The first CAPER National Convention was held in Washington DC in the spring of 1967 in conjunction with the Pershing Rifles National Convention and Drill Meet. Five CAPER Companies were present, as well as observers from universities considering charting with CAPER. By the end of the 1967 school year seven companies had been chartered with CAPER. By 1968 the number of chartered companies had doubled to 14.
In 1969, several CAPER Regiments were established and they aligned with existing Pershing Rifles Regiments which provided some oversight. Establishment of CAPER Regiments allowed for more concentration on unit expansion and better support to local CAPER Companies. That same year, Colonel Iris Rodriguez was promoted to CAPER Brigadier General to elevate her to a rank above that of the regimental commanders.
On February 5, 1972 CAPER Headquarters moved to the Kansas State University
. At this time the National Staff consisted of 17 officers which had oversight for 4 Regiments and 35 Companies. At the 1973 National Convention CAPER held a separate drill meet for the first time.
Around 1976 CAPER National Headquarters moved to Auburn University
, In 1978 it moved to Appalachian State University
and in 1979 when it again moved to Seton Hall University
.
The U.S. Armed Forces move towards fully integrating women signaled the beginning of the end of the CAPER organization. By the mid 1970s, female student were able to take Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) classes at their universities and soon were able to join Pershing Rifles. Around that same time Pershing Rifles units started allowing non-ROTC cadets to join. Eventually Pershing Rifles Companies integrated CAPER members into their organization. Although the exact date is unknown the CAPER was disbanded in the early 1980s.
Some CAPER Companies chose not to join Pershing Rifles and established a new national organization called Pershing Angels that still exists today.
Known Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles (CAPER) units and other female auxiliaries to Pershing Rifles:
CAPER 1st Regiment
Units affiliated with 2nd Regiment Pershing Rifles
Units affiliated with 3rd Regiment Pershing Rifles
CAPER 4th Regiment
CAPER 5th Regiment
Units affiliated with 6th Regiment Pershing Rifles
Units affiliated with 7th Regiment Pershing Rifles
Units affiliated with 8th Regiment Pershing Rifles
CAPER 9th Regiment
Units affiliated with 10th Regiment Pershing Rifles
Units affiliated with 12th Regiment Pershing Rifles
Units affiliated with 16th Regiment Pershing Rifles
Units affiliated with 17th Regiment Pershing Rifles
Pershing Rifles
The Pershing Rifles is a military fraternal organization for college-level students, founded by then 2nd Lieutenant John J. Pershing in 1894 as a drill unit at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln...
. It was disbanded in the early 1980’s when women were fully integrated into Pershing Rifles. The organization has also been called the Coed Affiliates of Pershing Rifles and CAPERS over the years.
Mission
Like Pershing Rifles, the Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles was focused on drill and ceremony and CAPER teams competed in local and national drill meets.History
Over the years various women’s auxiliaries to Pershing Rifles were formed at the local level. One of the earliest coed group know to be associated with Pershing Rifles was the Cadence Countesses established at the University of Nebraska in 1959.In 1963 women at the University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
asked to start a female drill group affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company H-7. This led to the formation of the Kaydettes drill team. By the fall of 1965, the Kaydettes members thought that there should be a national level organization for coed groups affiliated with Pershing Rifles. They petitioned the National Headquarters of Pershing Rifles in Lincoln, Nebraska and were given permission to establish such an organization. They then contacted existing coed groups across the country to start the foundation for a nationwide organization.
On January 1, 1966 the Kaydettes were established as the national female auxiliary for Pershing Rifles under the supervision of the Seventh Regimental Headquarters. However the Kaydettes name was not acceptable because it would cause already established coed groups to change the unique names of their local units. So on November 26 1966, at the Pershing Rifles Fall Little National Convention the organization’s name was changed to the Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles (CAPER) and came under the direct supervision of Pershing Rifles National Headquarters.
The first CAPER National Convention was held in Washington DC in the spring of 1967 in conjunction with the Pershing Rifles National Convention and Drill Meet. Five CAPER Companies were present, as well as observers from universities considering charting with CAPER. By the end of the 1967 school year seven companies had been chartered with CAPER. By 1968 the number of chartered companies had doubled to 14.
In 1969, several CAPER Regiments were established and they aligned with existing Pershing Rifles Regiments which provided some oversight. Establishment of CAPER Regiments allowed for more concentration on unit expansion and better support to local CAPER Companies. That same year, Colonel Iris Rodriguez was promoted to CAPER Brigadier General to elevate her to a rank above that of the regimental commanders.
On February 5, 1972 CAPER Headquarters moved to the Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
. At this time the National Staff consisted of 17 officers which had oversight for 4 Regiments and 35 Companies. At the 1973 National Convention CAPER held a separate drill meet for the first time.
Around 1976 CAPER National Headquarters moved to Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
, In 1978 it moved to Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University
Appalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
and in 1979 when it again moved to Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
.
The U.S. Armed Forces move towards fully integrating women signaled the beginning of the end of the CAPER organization. By the mid 1970s, female student were able to take Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) classes at their universities and soon were able to join Pershing Rifles. Around that same time Pershing Rifles units started allowing non-ROTC cadets to join. Eventually Pershing Rifles Companies integrated CAPER members into their organization. Although the exact date is unknown the CAPER was disbanded in the early 1980s.
Some CAPER Companies chose not to join Pershing Rifles and established a new national organization called Pershing Angels that still exists today.
Units
CAPER units were predominately on the East coast and in the South. Many CAPER companies shared the same numbering as their affiliated Pershing Rifles Company.Known Coed Affiliates Pershing Rifles (CAPER) units and other female auxiliaries to Pershing Rifles:
CAPER 1st Regiment
- University of KentuckyUniversity of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
(Lexington, KY) "Kentucky Babes" and "Les Sabres" affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company C-1 - Ohio UniversityOhio UniversityOhio University is a public university located in the Midwestern United States in Athens, Ohio, situated on an campus...
(Athens, OH) CAPER Company F-1 - West Virginia State UniversityWest Virginia State UniversityWest Virginia State University is a historically black public college in Institute, West Virginia, United States. In the Charleston-metro area, the school is usually referred to simply as "State" or "West Virginia State"...
(Institute, WV) CAPER Company H-1 "Kaydettes" - Marshall UniversityMarshall UniversityMarshall University is a coeducational public research university in Huntington, West Virginia, United States founded in 1837, and named after John Marshall, the fourth Chief Justice of the United States....
(Huntington, WV) CAPER Company N-1 and CAPER 1st Regimental Headquarters - Central State College (Wilberforce, OH) CAPER Company T-1
Units affiliated with 2nd Regiment Pershing Rifles
- University of Nebraska - Lincoln (Lincoln, NE) "Cadence Countesses" affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company A-2
- University of MinnesotaUniversity of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
(Minneapolis, MN) CAPER Company E-2 - St. John’s University (Collegeville, MN) "Petticoat Platoon" at St. Benedict College affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company H-2
- Lincoln University (Jefferson City, MO) Pershing Angels Company A-7-5 affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company M-7
- South Dakota State College…now University (Brookings, SD) "Pershingettes" affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company K-2
Units affiliated with 3rd Regiment Pershing Rifles
- Indiana UniversityIndiana UniversityIndiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
(Bloomington) CAPER Company A-3 "Crimson Cadettes"
CAPER 4th Regiment
- Tennessee Tech (Polytechnic Institute) (Crossville, TN) CAPER Company B-4
- Clemson UniversityClemson UniversityClemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
(Clemson, SC) CAPER Company C-4 and CAPER 4th Regimental Headquarters - Wake Forest UniversityWake Forest UniversityWake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
(Winston-Salem, NC) CAPER Company D-4 - Auburn UniversityAuburn UniversityAuburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
(Auburn), GA) CAPER Company G-4 and CAPER National Headquarters (1976-77) - South Carolina State UniversitySouth Carolina State UniversitySouth Carolina State University is a historically black university located in Orangeburg, South Carolina, United States. It is the only state funded, historically black land-grant institution in South Carolina and is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund.- Colleges, departments,...
(Orangeburg, SC) CAPER Company K-4 / Pershing Angels Company K-4 - North Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State UniversityNorth Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
(Raleigh, NC) CAPER Company L-4 - Appalachian State UniversityAppalachian State UniversityAppalachian State University is a comprehensive , public, coeducational university located in Boone, North Carolina, United States. Appalachian State, also referred to as Appalachian, App State, or simply App, is the sixth largest institution in the University of North Carolina system...
(Boone, NC) CAPER Company M-4 and CAPER National Headquarters (1978) - North Carolina A & T University (Greensboro, NC)) CAPER Company N-4 / Pershing Angels Company N-4
- Virginia State UniversityVirginia State UniversityVirginia State University is a historically black and land-grant university located north of the Appomattox River in Chesterfield, in the Richmond area. Founded on , Virginia State was the United States's first fully state-supported four-year institution of higher learning for black Americans...
(Petersburg, VA)Pershing Angels Company O-4 - Tuskegee UniversityTuskegee UniversityTuskegee University is a private, historically black university located in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. It is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
(Tuskegee Inst, AL) CAPER Company P-4 / Pershing Angels Company P-4-5 - Norfolk State UniversityNorfolk State UniversityNorfolk State University is a four-year, state-supported, coed, liberal arts, historically black university located in Norfolk, Virginia. It is member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund and the Virginia High-Tech Partnership.-Academics:...
(Norfolk, VA) CAPER Company C-15 / Pershing Angels Company R-4-5 - Hampton UniversityHampton UniversityHampton University is a historically black university located in Hampton, Virginia, United States. It was founded by black and white leaders of the American Missionary Association after the American Civil War to provide education to freedmen.-History:...
(Hampton, VA) CAPER Company D-15 / Pershing Angels Company U-4-5 - Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
(Nashville, TN) Coed group at University of South Alabama, "Kaydettes" affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company V-4
CAPER 5th Regiment
- Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityThe Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
- Altoona Campus CAPER Company A-5 - Pennsylvania State UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityThe Pennsylvania State University, commonly referred to as Penn State or PSU, is a public research university with campuses and facilities throughout the state of Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1855, the university has a threefold mission of teaching, research, and public service...
- University Park Campus CAPER Company B-5 and CAPER 5th Regimental Headquarters - University of PittsburghUniversity of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
(Pittsburgh, PA) CAPER Company K-5
Units affiliated with 6th Regiment Pershing Rifles
- Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
(Baton Rouge, LA) CAPER Company D-6 - Loyola UniversityLoyola University New OrleansLoyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
(New Orleans, LA) CAPER Company I-6
Units affiliated with 7th Regiment Pershing Rifles
- University of KansasUniversity of KansasThe University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
(Lawrence, KS) E-Co "Berets" affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company E-7 - Kansas State UniversityKansas State UniversityKansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
(Manhattan, KS) CAPER Company G-7 and CAPER National Headquarters (1972-76) - University of OklahomaUniversity of OklahomaThe University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
(Norman, OK) "Kaydettes", CAPERS Headquarters Company H-7 and CAPER National Headquarters (1966-72) - Lincoln University (Jefferson City, MO) PA com A-7-5 affiliated with Pershing Rifles Company M-7
Units affiliated with 8th Regiment Pershing Rifles
- Morgan State UniversityMorgan State UniversityMorgan State University, formerly Centenary Biblical Institute , Morgan College and Morgan State College , is a historically black college in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Morgan is Maryland's designated public urban university and the largest HBCU in the state of Maryland...
(Baltimore, MD) CAPER Company H-15 / Pershing Angels Company J-8-5 - Seton Hall UniversitySeton Hall UniversitySeton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
(South Orange, NJ) CAPER Company K-8, CAPER National Headquarters (1979-?) - St. Peters College (Jersey City, NJ) CAPER Company N-8 / Pershing Angels National Headquarters
- Hofstra UniversityHofstra UniversityHofstra University is a private, nonsectarian institution of higher learning located in the Village of Hempstead, New York, United States, about east of New York City: less than an hour away by train or car...
(Hempstead, NY) CAPER Company Q-8
CAPER 9th Regiment
- University of ColoradoUniversity of ColoradoThe University of Colorado system is a system of public universities in Colorado consisting of three universities in four campuses: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, and University of Colorado Denver in downtown Denver and at the Anschutz Medical Campus in...
(Boulder, CO) CAPER Company B-9 and CAPER 6th Regimental Headquarters
Units affiliated with 10th Regiment Pershing Rifles
- New Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State UniversityNew Mexico State University at Las Cruces , is a major land-grant university in Las Cruces, New Mexico, United States...
(Las Cruces, NM) CAPER Company C-10
Units affiliated with 12th Regiment Pershing Rifles
- University of ConnecticutUniversity of ConnecticutThe admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
(Storrs, Conn) CAPER Company F-12
Units affiliated with 16th Regiment Pershing Rifles
- Alcorn State UniversityAlcorn State UniversityAlcorn State University is an historically black university comprehensive land-grant institution in Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871-History:...
(Lorman, Mississippi) CAPER Company B-16 - Florida A & M University (Tallahassee) CAPER Company C-16 / Pershing Angels Company C-16
- Florida State UniversityFlorida State UniversityThe Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
(Tallahassee) CAPER Company M-16 - Fort Valley State UniversityFort Valley State UniversityFort Valley State University is a historically black university located in Fort Valley, Georgia. It is also a unit of the University System of Georgia and a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund...
(Fort Valley) Pershing Angels Company A-16
Units affiliated with 17th Regiment Pershing Rifles
- Hardin-Simmons UniversityHardin-Simmons UniversityHardin–Simmons University is a private Baptist university located in Abilene, Texas, United States.-History:Hardin–Simmons University was founded as Abilene Baptist College in 1891 by the Sweetwater Baptist Association and a group of cattlemen and pastors who sought to bring Christian higher...
(Abilene, TX) CAPER Company L-17 - Prairie View A&M UniversityPrairie View A&M UniversityPrairie View A&M University is a historically black university located in Prairie View, Texas and is a member of the Texas A&M University System. PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees in 50 academic majors, 37 master’s degrees and four doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools...
(Prairie View, TX) CAPER Company Q-17 - Trinity UniversityTrinity University (Texas)Trinity University is a private, independent, primarily undergraduate, university in San Antonio, Texas. Its campus is located in the Monte Vista Historic District and adjacent to Brackenridge Park....
(San Antonio, TX) CAPER Company R-17
Commanders
- 1966 – COL Gloria Robinson / COL Tanya (McDonald) Miller
- 1967 – COL Patricia Gail (Todd) Kish / COL Kathryn “Kay” Sykes
- 1968 – COL Nina Rose Jacoby / COL Gwen Coley
- 1969 – BG Iris Rodriguez
- 1970 – BG Linda Grissette
- 1971 – BG Paulette (Kikugawa) Lum
- 1972 - BG Gwen (Howell) Kelly /BG Susan Linholm
- 1973 – BG Rhonda (McGuire) McCommons
- 1974 – BG Elizabeth Cramer
- 1975-77 - Unknown
- 1978 – BG Susan B. Rice
- 1979 – BG Cheryl Beers-Cullan
- 1980 - BG Sharon Sanders
- 1981 – BG Shirley Jones