Citadel cadets to march in Trump’s inaugural parade

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) — More than 100 South Carolina Corps of Cadets members have been selected to march in the presidential inaugural parade in Washington later this month.

The Citadel announced Friday that the Regimental Band and Pipes, Summerall Guards, and Color Guard will participate in the Jan. 20 parade.

Officials said cadets have been rehearsing “intensively” to prepare for the parade, which will begin shortly after Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president.

“The Citadel has participated in multiple inaugurations, speaking to the outstanding reputation of our Corps of Cadets,” said President Gen. Glenn M. Walters, USMC (Ret.). “The Citadel is proud to represent our institution and South Carolina at another inaugural parade.

This will mark the seventh time The Citadel’s Band has joined the parade. The first was President Dwight Eisenhower’s inauguration in 1953, and the most recent was Trump’s 2017 inauguration.

It will be the sixth appearance of the Summerall Guards, a silent precision drill platoon, that has participated in the inaugurations of Dwight Eisenhower in 1953, John F. Kennedy in 1961, Ronald Reagan in 1985, George H. W. Bush in 1989, George W. Bush in 2005, and Trump in 2017.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), the first female cadet to graduate from The Citadel, called Friday’s announcement “wonderful news” for her alma mater.

The swearing-in ceremony will take place on the west steps of the U.S. Capitol beginning at noon.

Afterward, the parade, which features military regiments, marching bands, and floats, will travel down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House.