ST. GEORGE — Since the 1960’s, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) has recognized the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program as an importance source for securing trained officers for our armed forces.
Under the umbrella of the society’s National Defense committee, NSDAR has been providing award recognition medals to top ranking cadets participating in ROTC programs throughout the United States at the high school, junior college and university level.
Recipients of the DAR ROTC medal must be in the upper 25% of both their ROTC classes and academic subjects. Throughout the academic year, the student cadet must have shown qualities of dependability and good character, adherence to military discipline, leadership ability and a fundamental patriotic understanding of the importance of ROTC training.
Only one cadet per school is eligible for this recognition award. Awards are presented at a ceremony held at or near the end of the school year term. It is the unit commander’s responsibility for the selecting the junior or senior school student who will receive the ROTC medal from their local DAR chapter.
Currently, Air Force Junior ROTC programs are thriving at two locations in St George; Dixie High School since 2006 and Pine View High School since 2017. In all, well over 300 high school students are participating in this leadership building program.
Award ceremonies were recently held to recognize each of their outstanding cadets for this past school term. Daughters of the American Revolution, through Color Country Chapter, participated in these ceremonies.
On April 26, AFJROTC cadet Alena Lorentzen, a senior at Pine View High School, was presented the DAR ROTC medal and certificate from Lisa Brown, a Color Country Chapter, also the wife of the group’s unit commander, Lt. Colonel Thomas Brown (USAF-ret).
Lorentzen met NSDAR’s qualifications with distinction, achieving top 5% level of her senior class and leading her cadet group as vice commander. Besides the DAR ROTC medal, she also garnered awards from the Sons of the American Revolution, Marine Corps League and American Legion.
On May 3, Jessica Grable, a junior at Dixie High School received her DAR ROTC medal and certificate from Valerie King, regent of the Color Country Chapter. Grable served as vice commander this past school year and ranked in the top 5% of her AFJROTC cadet group. She was also named “Outstanding Cadet for 2017-2018” by her unit commander, Lt. Colonel Ken “KO” Field (USAF-ret).
“She’s an amazing gal and a big supporter of Wreaths Across America” said Field.
Wreaths Across America is an annual nationwide event, a program highly supported by the Color Country Chapter.