Marcus Milhouse

Where Your Story Begins

As Marcus Milhouse II walked through the sally port of 2nd Battalion for the first time on Matriculation Day, he could feel his father walking right beside him.

His father, Marcus Milhouse, ’92, for whom he was named, passed away suddenly on April 4, 2004, a week before his son’s 7th birthday.

“I was really young, but we had a very close relationship,” said Milhouse. “Wherever he was, I was with him, and every time he went to the car I ran into the passenger seat just to be with him. He and I were like two peas in a pod.”

As he grew older, Milhouse felt a strong desire to honor his father’s legacy. During his senior year of high school, he decided to pursue that desire by attending his father’s alma mater—The Citadel. Apart from the stories his family shared over the years about his father’s time at The Citadel, Milhouse didn’t know much about the college.

Adjusting to life at The Citadel was challenging, but his commitment to honor his father’s legacy motivated him to seek out new opportunities and do everything to the best of his ability. During Challenge Week his freshman year, Milhouse was introduced to The Citadel Gospel Choir.

The choir was originally established as a cadet club in the 1980s, but membership dwindled over time. Milhouse worked alongside a group of six faithful knobs who shared a common love of gospel music to bring the choir back to campus. Four years later, a diverse group of over 60 cadets meet every Tuesday and Thursday in Summerall Chapel to learn, rehearse and prepare for performances—not only on campus, but around the Charleston area as well.

“From six to 60, the one thing that remained constant was our love for each other,” said Milhouse. “For us, the more people that came in were just more family we had made. I’ve learned something from every single one of those 60.”

Throughout his cadet career, Milhouse found support and inspiration in the cadets in the gospel choir.

“When you come to The Citadel, you make good friendships, you establish what your values are and look to mentor other people who are coming behind you. That’s where your Citadel starts. That becomes your Citadel story, and I thank God for making my Citadel story since I’ve been here.”

Milhouse, who graduated in May with a degree in sport management, is set to begin the next chapter of his story as a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force stationed in Hawaii.

Special thanks to cadet interns Grayson Cooper and Justin Hill for their contributions to this project.