Military Appreciation Day is Saturday

Saturday is Military Appreciation Day, a very special day each year on the Clemson home schedule.

There will be many highlights during pregame and halftime ceremonies of Saturday’s game that honors the school’s military heritage and recognizes the armed services who continue to serve our country today.

The pregame ceremonies will begin at 2:30 pm with a parade from the Holmes and McCabe dormitories led by a Riderless Horse, The ceremony continues with The Citadel Bag Pipes and Band, the march of The Citadel Cadets and Citadel veterans, the Clemson Senior Platoon and Clemson Corps banner, the march of Clemson veterans, and Clemson ROTC and Tiger Band.

Dotting the “i” in Tigers Saturday will be members of the Clemson University Pershing Rifles, Company C4. This past spring, this group won the National Drill Team Championship for the fifth straight year and for the seventh year in the last nine years. The Pershing Rifles were founded in 1939 and can be seen each year posting and retrieving the nation’s colors at all home football games in addition to special events on campus throughout the year. The Pershing Rifles are made up of cadets from the Air Force and Army ROTC programs and Clemson University students.

The pregame ceremonies will also include a flyover at the conclusion of the National Anthem of four F16s from McEntire Air National Guard. The pregame Pledge of Allegiance will be led by a soldier stationed overseas. One of the highlights of Saturday’s activities will be the halftime introduction of Medal of Honor recipient First Lieutenant Charles Murray, Jr. and the joint performance by The Citadel and Clemson bands.

Murray is one of just four living Media of Honor recipients from the state of South Carolina. A member of the 30th infantry and third Division, Murray directed his troops from a flank attack against 200 Germans in Kaysersberg, France on December 16, 1944. During the attack, Lieutenant Murray killed 20 and captured 10 enemy soldiers. He suffered eight wounds when hit by a grenade during the attack. By his single-handed attack, First Lieutenant Murray stopped a counter attack while establishing an advance position against formidable odds. Give a warm welcome to this American hero during halftime of today’s game.

The halftime ceremonies will also include the introduction of some of the families of the 62 fallen soldiers from the State of South Carolina who lost their lives in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. There will also be a 21- gun salute by the Pershing Rifles Drill Team. The bells at Tillman Hall will ring 472 times for the fallen Clemson solders on the “Scroll of Honor.”