LEGION OF VALOR BRONZE CROSS FOR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2024

Each year, the Legion of Valor of the United States of America, Inc., an organization made up solely of recipients of the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, and the Air Force Cross - presents the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement Award. It is the highest award a Navy Junior ROTC cadet can earn. The medal is awarded annually to outstanding cadets for achievement of excellence in military, scholastic, and civic affairs.

Robertsdale High School NJROTC, which includes cadets from Elberta High School, is one of over 600 units nationwide. According to regulations, of the 78,000 NJROTC cadets across the country, only 22 awards are presented annually. Therefore, the competition is keen and with so few selectees chosen, obviously only very special, very deserving cadets make the cut.

This year is no different. The awardee carries a GPA of 4.41 in a college preparatory curriculum and is ranked third of 330 in her academic class. She is also an Alabama Girls State graduate and a member of the National Honor Society, as well as other honor societies.

She was handpicked to help oversee the school’s summer STEM camp for middle school students and was instrumental with the school’s Christmas Toy Drive. Perhaps her single biggest service project was with the local battered women’s shelter’s Youth Task Force, where she and another cadet worked together to create an art exhibit to highlight the battered families’ issues and their impact.

Cadet Glass is always at the top of her NJROTC class, is a graduate of NJROTC’s Basic Leadership Training, and currently serves as the Battalion Executive Officer responsible for the daily requirements of 140 cadets. She previously served as the Battalion Administrative Officer, as well as the Adjutant at this year’s annual NJROTC inspection.

She was the first runner-up for the statewide Alabama JROTC Navy/Marine Corps Vice President position, a first for Robertsdale. Additionally, she is very active on the NJROTC’s Academic team and Color Guards, including at the nationally televised YellaWood 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway and at the Daytona 500. She is always among the first to volunteer for community service, accumulating nearly 110 hours in the past three-plus years, and she is knowledgeable about all things NJROTC.

Cadet Glass is extremely dedicated to her unit. She does not merely accept responsibility, she seeks it out. She is driven in whatever endeavor she undertakes, and she is very successful in all she does. She is an expert at garnering support from other cadets while seeking to accomplish the tasks at hand. She is a hardworking leader who challenges her fellow cadets, who has a positive can-do attitude that is infectious, and her resume is that of an outstanding cadet in an outstanding unit. Clearly, she has been instrumental in the success of her program.

Her selection marks an historical event as, for the sixth year in a row, a Robertsdale High School NJROTC cadet has received this prestigious award, meaning that during this span, 12 cadets from the five-state area have been selected and six of those have come from Robertsdale High School’s outstanding NJROTC program.

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — For the fourth year in a row, a Robertsdale High School Naval Junior ROTC cadet has received the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement, the highest honor a Navy Junior ROTC cadet can earn.

Cadet Ashlynn Simmons was surprised during pre-game ceremonies Friday night, Aug. 27 at J.D. Sellars Stadium in Robertsdale.

Only two are handed out each year in Area 8, which includes 49 schools and over 5,000 cadets from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle.

“Basically of the eight awards handed out over the last four years, four of them have gone to one of our cadets,” said RHS NJROTC Commander Frank Starr. “That is a very impressive feat to say the least.”

Cadet Keanan Ard was the first recipient from RHS to receive the award in 2018, followed by Cadet William Gage Doty in 2019 and Cadet Aidan Johnston in 2020.

Provided by the Legion of Valor of the United States of America Inc., an organization made up solely of recipients of the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross, the award is given to just two cadets from each of the NJROTC’s 11 districts nationally each year. To be eligible for the Legion of Valor’s Medal of Honor, nominees must:

• Be a member of the junior class and enrolled in his/her third year of NJROTC.
• Have an NJROTC class standing within the top 25 percent.
• Have a school academic standing in the top 25 percent of the junior classs.
• Have demonstrated outstanding military leadership qualities.

According to NJROTC regulations, nominees are recommended to their respective Area Manager who can select only two cadets per year.

Simmons is ranked No. 1 in her class and carries a GPA of 4.47. She currently serves as the Battalion Executive Officer responsible for the daily requirements of 170 cadets. She previously served as the Battalion supply Officer responsible for hundreds of thousands of dollars of government uniforms, textbooks, equipment, and property.

Simmons is a member of the school’s National Honor Society, the Rho Kappa National Social Studies Honor Society, and the National Society of High School Scholars. She has twice been named class president, is the varsity golf team’s captain, and was a member of the varsity volleyball team for the past three years.

Simmons attended the Alabama Girls State leadership program this summer where she was elected Sergeant At Arms for the House of Representatives and is a graduate of NJROTC’s Leadership Academy, the premiere leadership training within the program. She is heavily involved in community service, accumulating nearly 1,000 hours in the past four years, and she is also an excellent marksman on the NJROTC air rifle team and an integral member of its academic teams.

“She is a humble leader who challenges her fellow cadets, her uniform is always impeccable, and her resume is that of an outstanding cadet in an outstanding unit,” Starr said. “Clearly she has been instrumental in the success of her program.”

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — For the third year in a row, a Robertsdale High School Naval Junior ROTC cadet has received the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement, the highest honor a Navy Junior ROTC cadet can earn.

Cadet Aidan Johnston was surprised with a ceremony at Robertsdale High School recently, among those in attendance were Baldwin County School Superintendent Eddie Tyler, Mayor Charles Murphy and RHS Principal Joe Sharp.

Only two are handed out each year in Area 8, which includes 49 schools and over 5,000 cadets from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle.

“For us to have three in a row is something I have definitely never heard of,” said RHS NJROTC Commander Frank Starr.

Cadet William Gage Doty received the award in 2019, while Cadet Keanan Ard was the award’s recipient in 2018.

The award is given each year by the Legion of Valor of the United States of America Inc., an organization made up solely of Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, and the Air Force Cross.

Provided by the Legion of Valor of the United States of America Inc., an organization made up solely of recipients of the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross, the award is given to just two cadets from each of the NJROTC’s 11 districts nationally each year. To be eligible for the Legion of Valor’s Medal of Honor, nominees must:

• Be a member of the junior class and enrolled in his/her third year of NJROTC.
• Have an NJROTC class standing within the top 25 percent.
• Have a school academic standing in the top 25 percent of the junior classes.
• Have demonstrated outstanding military leadership qualities.

According to NJROTC regulations, nominees are recommended to their respective Area Manager, who can select only two cadets per year.

A letter addressed to Area 8 Commander Merlin Ladnier, signed by Starr and Sharp, states that they believe Johnston meets the high standards set out by the award.

“Cadet Johnston is absolutely worthy of inclusion in this select group and rightfully should be a serious contender for this year’s selection,” according to the letter which was sent in April.

Johnston is completing his third year in the NJROTC program, currently carries a grade point average of 4.05 in a college preparatory curriculum, is ranked in the top 6 percent in his academic class, had a composite ACT score of 32, an ASVAB score of 94, and is always at the very top of his NJROTC class, according to the letter.

He graduated from the National Flight Academy and Basic Leadership Training camps in both Tennessee and Florida. He is projected to attend Boys State this summer.

Johnston recently completed flight lessons to receive his pilot’s license and has applied for, and fully expects to participate in, the Airline Transport Pilot’s License program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The same program offered at Auburn University is his back-up plan and he intends to become a commercial pilot upon graduation.

Johnston has recently assumed the position of Battalion Executive Officer after serving as a Company Commander for three semesters where his company was routinely the best of the battalion’s six. He has played a major role in the unit submitting, in back-to-back years, the most points on the End of Year Report in unit history.

“When one imagines the perfect NJROTC cadet, Cadet Johnston is what comes to mind,” according to the letter. “He always sets the example and his uniform is absolutely beyond reproach. He is the first to volunteer for community service, accumulating nearly 250 hours in the past three years, and he is absolutely knowledgeable of all things NJROTC.”

As a member of the unit’s academic team, he was instrumental in the Brain Brawl team qualifying for the national championship after finishing second at the Area 8 Championship and for the JROTC Leadership and Academic Bowl team making it through two rounds; scoring 15 percent better than last year’s team. He also helped establish and served as the commander of the unit’s CyberPatriot team which finished fourth in Area 8.

As a member of the unit’s air rifle team, he served as the assistant commander where he qualified for, and participated at, the national championship in Arizona. He is a member of the National Honor Society and the school’s Scholars Bowl team.

“Cadet Johnston is extremely organized and is very dedicated to the unit and its teams,” Starr said. “He anticipates areas of concern and when cadets need help, he is there.  He does not merely accept responsibility, he seeks it out. He is driven in whatever endeavor he undertakes, and he is successful in all he does. He masterfully looks for the best cadet to accomplish the task at hand and he provides guidance and oversight as needed. His resume is that of an outstanding cadet in an outstanding unit and he is simply one of the absolute best cadets I have had in my 14 years of NJROTC.”

LEGION OF VALOR BRONZE CROSS FOR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2019

ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — The Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement is the highest honor a Navy Junior ROTC cadet can earn.

Only two are handed out each year in Area 8, which includes 49 schools and over 5,000 cadets from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle, so for a cadet from Robertsdale High School to receive the award would be a rare honor.

But for the school to have a cadet receive the honor two years in a row would be virtually unheard of, but that’s exactly what happened.

On Aug. 9, before a crowd of teachers from schools throughout Baldwin County gathered at the Baldwin County Coliseum in Robertsdale, RHS NJROTC Commander Frank Starr announced that cadet William Gage Doty had received the award, given each year by the Legion of Valor of the United States of America Inc., an organization made up solely of Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross, and the Air Force Cross.

Doty thought he was there with the RHS NJROTC Color Guard to present the U.S. colors for the Pledge of Allegiance.

“I had done that several times before, so I was OK with that,” said the 17-year-old son of Lori and Steven Doty of Robertsdale, who just began his senior year at RHS. “I didn’t know I would be receiving the award.

“It was nice to be recognized in front of all of my teachers. Several of them came up and congratulated me afterward and I really appreciate that.”

While the award is rare, even more rare is the fact that Cadet Keanan Ard, a 2019 graduate of RHS, received the award last year.

“He’s like my brother,” Doty said. “I followed him as Rho Kappa Honor Society President and when I found out he was getting the award last year, I told him that I was going to get it too and do it better.”

Doty said Ard was a tremendous help in applying for the award and doing what he needed to receive the award.

In addition to Rho Kappa Honor Society, Doty serves as the battalion commander for the RHS NJROTC, responsible for nearly 200 cadets. He also serves as secretary for the RHS National Honor Society and is responsible for establishing the school’s Science National Honor Society.

He attended Boys State at the University of Alabama and is a graduate of the NJROTC Leadership Academy. At the end of his junior year, Doty had a 3.82 cumulative GPA and is heavily involved in community service, accumulating over 200 hours in the past two years and is a member of the unit’s color guard.

“Both Ard and Doty are fine young men with a great work ethic,” Starr said, adding in his introduction of Doty, “He is a humble leader who challenges his fellow cadets, his uniform is always impeccable, and his resume is that of an outstanding cadet in an outstanding unit.”

Provided by the Legion of Valor of the United States of America Inc., an organization made up solely of recipients of the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Navy Cross and the Air Force Cross, the award is given to just two cadets from each of the NJROTC’s 11 districts nationally each year. To be eligible for the Legion of Valor’s Medal of Honor, nominees must:

• Be a member of the junior class and enrolled in his/her third year of NJROTC.

• Have an NJROTC class standing within the top 25 percent.

• Have a school academic standing in the top 25 percent of the junior classs.

• Have demonstrated outstanding military leadership qualities.

According to NJROTC regulations, nominees are recommended to their respective Area Manager who can select only two cadets per year.

Doty was recommended for the award by Starr RHS’s NJROTC Senior Instructor.

Doty said his goal after graduation was to join the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and said he wants to be a boarding officer.

“If I am fortunate enough to have a career with the Coast Guard, when I retire, I want to go into law enforcement,” he said. “If the Coast Guard doesn’t work out that’s probably what I’ll do.”

Another of his Naval Science instructors at RHS, Petty Officer Erin Pate, was a Coast Guard boarding officer, Doty said.

“I heard him talk about it and decided that’s what I want to do,” he said. “Boarding officers are also certified law enforcement officers, so I thought if I’m going into law enforcement that will give me some experience going in.”

LEGION OF VALOR BRONZE CROSS FOR ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2018