Federation of Pershing Rifles Alumni Associations
Written by P/R COL William Day
Regimental Commander
Greetings from the 8th Regimental Headquarters of the National Society of Pershing Rifles! As an introduction, my name is William J. Day ’05 and I currently serve as the commander of the 8th Regiment, Pershing Rifles.
Upon taking office last April I was charged with a number of duties, to include the responsibility to ensure the wellbeing of each and every unit under my charge. I was quick to realize however, that with the limited resources available to the undergraduate organization, that mission was easier said than done.
Financially the National Society of Pershing Rifles, at every level of organization, is weak. The dues assessed by the National Headquarters are inadequate to operate the national organization, and the allocations made to the various regiments do little to assist commanders in meeting their mission. In addition, the active membership by its very nature does not have the experience necessary to properly manage the undergraduate organization. Although our Society is run by active members, providing for a unique leadership development experience, a basic mentorship program whereby our alumni can share their experiences and expertise beyond the local level is non-existent.
These various problems hinder our growth and development. To remedy these problems and perhaps establish a standard by which the national organization can mimic, my staff and the majority of our unit commanders have been working with a handful of alumni from within the 8th and 12th Regiments to kick start a few initiatives. The project has become known as the Federation of Pershing Rifles Alumni Association (FPRAA).
The Federation’s mission is to support the active organization in areas of operations and logistics in order to assist the active Society in the accomplishment of its mission. This is accomplished by assisting units without an alumni association in the formation of one, and by assisting alumni associations without an active counterpart in restarting their active chapter or adopting a current active chapter.
Once an active chapter is operating with the help of an established alumni association, the alumni will be a in a better place to assist units in maintaining Pershing Rifles traditions, social events, fund raisers, scholarship funds, and ensuring at risk unit remain active. Because a majority of our alumni are serving, or have served in the military, associations have a unique ability to assist active chapters in improving and maintaining relationships with their host University and ROTC Department, and assist in the recruiting and retention of Pershing Riflemen within their units.
The Federation employs a bottom up approach in assisting the National Society of Pershing Rifles in the accomplishment of their mission. The efforts of local alumni associations are coordinated through the FPRAA Alumni Advisory Board which works directly with the Regimental Commander, with each alumni association appointing a representative to the Advisory Board.
I would like to invite you to become a part of this effort. More information about the FPRAA can be found online at http://alumni.pr8reg.com. I would also ask that you take a short moment and complete the registration form found at http://www.pr8reg.com/register.php. Due to poor record keeping in the past, our record of current and past members is incomplete at best. Registering online will add you to our Regimental database which is currently trying to gather information of current and past members in the 8th and 12th Regiments. Thank you for your time and I hope to work with you in the future.
Fraternally,
William J. Day
COL, Pershing Rifles
Commanding