JROTC members killed in school shooting receive medal, one admitted to West Point posthumously

PARKLAND, Fla. – The U.S. military is awarding medals to three Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps cadets who were killed in last week's high school shooting here, and one of them has received a rare posthumous admission to the U.S. Military Academy.

The students – Peter Wang, 15, and Alaina Petty and Martin Duque, both 14 – were members of the JROTC program at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the shooting occurred Feb. 14. Police said 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz – a former JROTC member at the school – opened fire inside the school with an assault-style rifle, killing 17 people. Authorities have hailed the JROTC members for their bravery that day in helping other students reach safety.

The U.S. Army Cadet Command said the JROTC Medal of Heroism is given to a cadet who does something "so exceptional and outstanding that it clearly sets the individual apart from fellow students" and "involved the acceptance of danger and extraordinary responsibilities, exemplifying praiseworthy fortitude and courage."

JROTC is a national service and leadership program that involves more than 300,000 students in 1,700 schools. Cadet Command spokesman Michael Maddox said that just 48 JROTC heroism medals have been awarded in the past 20 years.

Maddox said JROTC students who survived the shooting at Douglas High might also receive medals for the help they gave to others as the attack was underway; Zackary Walls and Colton Haab helped to build a makeshift shield out of sheets of Kevlar for students who fled to the JROTC classroom, and Jude Lenamon helped panicked students to safely and quickly leave campus after he recognized the sound of gunshots and realized that the incident was not a fire drill.

"Awards for other possible cadets are going through a review process," Maddox said.

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The families of the three slain JROTC cadets either have been or are to be presented with medals at the funerals for their children. Wang was buried in his uniform Tuesday, with his medal pinned to it. His family received a keepsake medal, Maddox said.

Petty's family received the medal at her service Monday, and Duque's family is to receive the medal at his funeral Saturday.

Wang is credited with saving lives by holding open a door for others to escape and was in his cadet uniform when he was killed. His family and friends said he loved being part of JROTC and had dreams of attending the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y.

"Peter Wang, an Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadet at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, had a lifetime goal to attend USMA and was posthumously offered admission for his heroic actions on Feb. 14," a statement from the academy said. "It was an appropriate way for USMA to honor this brave young man."

The statement said the honor is given "in very rare instances for those candidates or potential candidates whose actions exemplified the tenets of Duty, Honor and Country."

A spokeswoman said the honor is so rare that the academy is unaware of the last time a posthumous admission was granted.

Petty was a member of the unit's color guard and was anticipating her first competition in the coming weeks. Her brother, Patrick Petty, who also is in JROTC, survived the shooting. He was in a front office with other members of the unit, as well as adults and special-needs students whom he helped usher into the room.

Cadet Capt. Madison Geller, 17, was in the same room, and she remembers Patrick Petty trying to reach his sister as the attack was taking place. "He kept texting and texting her," she said.

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About 1,500 people, including Florida Gov. Rick Scott, R, attended Petty's funeral. Duque, like Wang and Petty, was proud to be a cadet, his friends said.

Cruz, the alleged shooter, trained with the Douglas JROTC marksmanship team when he was in JROTC in 2016.

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Rozsa is a Florida-based freelance reporter and frequent contributor to The Washington Post.