The Summerall Guards (previously known as the Richardson Rifles) is a military drill platoon at The Citadel, a military college in Charleston, South Carolina. The Summerall Guards was formed in 1932 and is named after General Charles P. Summerall, former chief of staff of the United States Army and president of The Citadel from 1931 to 1953. Unit history and background Summerall Guard tradition states that their exhibition drill, known as the "Citadel Series", has remained virtually unchanged since 1932. The drill has never been written down and is passed from each class to the next. Becoming a member of the Guards is a competitive process and being selected for the Guards is considered one of the highest achievements a cadet can attain at The Citadel. The drill steps are modeled on German close-order drill, including the Prussian Goose Step. The "Citadel Series" consists of a series of complex close-order drill movements, including the manual of arms, the German Squad Movement, the flank by flank, obliques, successive peeling movements, and varied individual squad maneuvers. The drill is silent and automatic except for an occasional "sound off" in unison by members of the group. The Summerall Guards drill exclusively with the M1903 Springfield rifle with an attached parade chrome plated bayonet. Other than regimental color guards, the Summerall Guards are the only unit at The Citadel to use this particular rifle. In addition to a buttstock identification number, each rifle is given both a first and middle female name. The name is carved, or burned, into the wooden stock of the rifle. The unit has performed nationally at Disney World, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., Mardi Gras in New Orleans, numerous National Football League sanctioned games, and St. Patrick's Day parade in Savannah, Georgia. The Guards have been disbanded several times in its history including the mid 1940s due to World War II and most recently, in 1998, due to administrative changes to the Bond Volunteer Aspirant (BVA) training. In 2017, the Summerall Guards made their fifth appearance at a presidential inaugural parade during the inauguration of Donald Trump. The Guards also 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. The Guards also frequently perform on the campus grounds and can be seen free of charge by the public during major