It started with 35 members of the South Carolina Corps of Cadets, and it ended with one being recognized as the best at military drills.
This year, Cadet Coleman Bland won The Citadel’s annual Star of the West drill competition. Bland, an Exercise Science major from Lexington, South Carolina, competed against 34 other cadets for the title during the competition on Wednesday, May 3.
The Star of the West competition began in 1886 at The Citadel and is now an annual event that recognizes and celebrates the precision required in military maneuvers and leadership positions in general.
To commemorate his achievement, Bland will have his name engraved on the Star of the West monument on Summerall Field. The monument was raised in 1961, 100 years after Citadel cadets fired upon the Star of the West ship during the Civil War. Previous year’s winners of the Star of the West competition have their names inscribed on the monument.
Bland will also be awarded the Star of the West medal, which contains wood from the old ship, during the South Carolina Corps of Cadets award convocation in May.
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