First woman to try to enter Corps of Cadets says she considers herself alum of The Citadel

Shannon Faulkner standing at attention inside the Cadet Bookstore at The Citadel in 1995. (REUTERS, File)

The first woman to try to enter the Corps of Cadets at The Citadel says she left the military school quickly because of the way “outside forces” treated her and that she considers herself an alumni.

The Post and Courier of Charleston reports Shannon Faulkner spoke Saturday at the school, marking her first invited appearance since she left in 1995.

After a lawsuit, Faulkner started taking classes at The Citadel in January 1994 and became a member of the Corps about 18 months later. She withdrew six days later and left in tears while some cadets cheered.

Faulkner blames hostility from Citadel alumni and Charleston residents for her early departure. She says a man threatened her parents’ lives if she attended The Citadel.

Faulkner now teaches English in Greenville.