ROTC/JROTC and Other Cadet Recognition Program & Contests

The National SAR awards the ROTC Medal to foster the principle of the “citizen-soldier,” exemplified by the Minutemen of Revolutionary War days. This award is presented by a SAR Chapter, State-level Society (e.g., Virginia SAR), or the National Society to ROTC or JROTC cadets (and midshipmen) who are selected for having a high degree of merit with respect to leadership qualities, military bearing, and general excellence. The recipients are selected by the Commanding Officer of the ROTC or JROTC unit, who should be given full latitude in making the selection.

  1. For ROTC or JROTC units with fewer than five hundred cadets or midshipmen, one ROTC or JROTC Recognition medal will be awarded each year.
  2. For larger units, one medal may be presented for every five hundred students enrolled in the unit.

In cases where a school has more than one ROTC or JROTC unit, each unit is counted separately.

  • ROTC Units. The Silver ROTC Medal is presented only to students in a college or university ROTC unit and no recipient may receive it more than once.
  • JROTC Units. The Bronze JROTC Medal was authorized in 1965 and is presented only to students in secondary school JROTC and no recipient may receive it more than once.
  • Sea Cadets. The SAR Sea Cadet Medal (as the Bronze Good Citizenship Medal with Ribbon Bar) is now awarded  (since June 15, 1998) and presented to cadets of the U.S. Navy Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC).


The winning cadet at the national society level will receive his or her award at our annual SAR Congress held each fall. In 2000, the Virginia Society sponsored JROTC Cadet Maj. Nicholas J. Downing, who went onto win the National JROTC Medallion as JROTC Cadet of the Year.

The award will be the National JROTC Medallion and an award of $5,000. The 2nd Place award is $2,000 and the 3rd Place award is $1,000. Two new award levels for 4th and 5th Place introduced for 2018–2019 are now at $500 each.

Resources

For a complete set of rules, along with the application for both the applicant and the sponsoring SAR members, can be found at the national website (see below). Please be aware that the local application deadline dates may vary, so interested applicants should reach out to their local SAR Society contact listed below for further details.