Presenting the Class of 2017 Summerall Guards
Cadet with prosthetic hand makes history earning slot as member of elite drill platoon
Earning the title Summerall Guard is one of the highest honors that can be achieved by a member of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets at The Citadel. Each winter, cadets who are juniors endure weeks of rigorous physical training and drilling in an attempt to be named a member of the famous platoon for their senior year. The competitions for the newest guards were completed Feb. 24, and among the competitors was Cameron Massengale, who earned a place with the group, despite having lost his hand his freshman year.
Consisting of 61 members, all of the Summerall Guards were chosen for their physical stamina and drill proficiency. The platoon's purpose is to 
exemplify, through a unique series of movements based on the old German close-order drill, the exactness and thoroughness with which a cadet is trained. The drill, which has never been written down, is performed to a silent count. Each year's platoon takes responsibility for teaching the precise drill to the upcoming unit.
Massengale, who is from Greenville, South Carolina, lost his hand in an accident at a butcher shop where he worked during the summer of 2014. He was a rising sophomore at The Citadel then. Now, as a junior, he has learned to hunt and fly-fish one-handed, but the Summerall Guards rifle drills required something more.
Hanger Clinic, a nationally-known prosthetics provider, worked closely with Massengale on a series of specially developed prosthetic devices designed to help him twirl and manuever a drill rifle, making competing for the Summerall Guards a possibility.
“It’s been a very rewarding journey for both Cameron and our team at Hanger Clinic. Together we assessed the challenges Cameron faced and worked to develop custom prostheses to help him realize his goal to not only be a successful cadet, but excel to become a member of the elite Summerall Guards at The Citadel,” Hanger Clinic Area Clinic Manager Jon Nottingham, Certified Prosthetist Orthotist. "Cameron truly exemplifies the Hanger Clinic mantra of ‘Empowering Human Potential’. As long as America has young men and women like Cameron in its future who know their potential, will strengthen their resolve against adversity, and pursue their calling or passion regardless of what others believe they can or can’t do, I believe there is a bright future ahead for all of us.”
Massengale and the other 60 guards will peform publicly together for the first time on Corps Day, which is March 19. The 2017 Summerall Guards will include:
| Albertson, Brett | Easley, South Carolina | Frasier, Edward | Las Vegas, Nevada | Maxwell, William | Jacksonville, Florida |
| Barker, Jacob | Hanahan, South Carolina | Garrett, Mason | Simpsonville, South Carolina | McIver, Patrick | Clayton, South Carolina |
| Batzer, James | Johns Island, South Carolina | Gee, Nicholas | Summerville, South Carolina | Newton, Michael | Simpsonville, South Carolina |
| Bedenbaugh, Benjamin | Prosperity, South Carolina | Glasser, Paul | Elgin, South Carolina | Noga, Nicholas | New Milford, Connecticut |
| Bingham, John | Beaufort, South Carolina | Graham, Ra'Shaud | Lake City, South Carolina | Nuttall, Austin | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |
| Blocker, James | Summerville, South Carolina | Griles, Andrew | Keysville, Virginia | Oliver, Devin | Bluffton, South Carolina |
| Bourckel, Andrew | Parkville, Maryland | Harbol, Marcus | Bothell, Washtington | Pinckney, Garrett | Wilmington, North Carolina |
| Boyce, Lawrence | Waxhaw, North Carolina | Hiles, John | Atlanta, Georgia | Poole, Jared | Lexington, South Carolina |
| Breeden, Joshua | Fort Mill, South Carolina | Hombirg, Darren | Commerce Township, Michigan | Proveaux, Christopher | Charleston, South Carolina |
| Bridges, Aaron | Charleston, South Carolina | Huertas, Jose | Jacksonville, Florida | Rickenbacker, Gerald | Cameron, South Carolina |
| Brunson, John | Alpharetta, Georgia | Hyatt, Avery | Pauline, South Carolina | Ross, Clayton | Portland, Oregon |
| Buchanan, Andrew | Charleston, South Carolina | Kimbrell, Forrest | Beaufort, South Carolina | Santa Rita, Samuel | Edon, Ohio |
| Capps, Coleman | Aynor, South Carolina | Klosinski, Paul | Augusta, Georgia | Scaife, Joshua | Jacksonville, North Carolina |
| Chew, Nathan | Greenville, South Carolina | Kot, Andrew | Raliegh, North Carolina | Stoneburner, Reese | Wheaton, Illinois |
| Coleman, Stacy | Marion, South Carolina | Kuhn, Blaine | Fort Mill, South Carolina | Taylor, Cory | Pelzer, South Carolina |
| Crosby, Anthony | Wellford, South Carolina | Lang, Thomas | New Milford, Connecticut | Vicci, Joseph | Cranford, New Jersey |
| Dalmaso, Griffin | Beaver, Pennsylvania | Liljerberg, Stephen | Avon Lake, Ohio | Wade, Branden | Pensacola, Florida |
| Dickson, Alexander | Mount Pleasant, South Carolina | Leudtke, Dillon | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Wilson, Andrew | Columbia, South Carolina |
| Duly, Benjamin | Fallston, Maryland | MacDonald, Kevin | Hilton Head, South Carolina | Woodward, Evan | Columbia, South Carolina |
| Dvorack, Joshua | Portsmouth, Rhode Island | Mander, Marcus | North Charleston, South Carolina | ||
| Ferguson, William | Greenville, South Carolina | Massengale, Cameron | Greenville, South Carolina |
Created in 1932, the Summerall Guards have performed nationally at Disney World, the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., Mardi Gras in New Orleans and St. Patrick's Day in Savannah, Georgia. The platoon is named for General Charles P. Summerall, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and Citadel president from 1931 until 1953.
In 2005, the Summerall Guards made their fourth appearance at a presidential inaugural parade. The Guards also participated in the inaugurations of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953, Ronald Reagan in 1985 and George H.W. Bush in 1989.
