South Rowan High School

LANDIS — JROTC Cadet Lt. Col. Devin Gay received the Legion of Valor, Bronze Cross for Achievement in a ceremony at South Rowan High School on Oct. 25.

Gay is a senior at Jesse Carson High School who is cross-enrolled in the South Rowan JROTC program. The award is the most distinguished nonlifesaving decoration a JROTC cadet can receive.

The Legion of Valor is the oldest congressionally chartered veterans organization in the United States. It is made up of veterans from all services who have received either the Medal of Honor or their respective service’s highest award for gallantry — the Navy Cross, Army Distinguished Service Cross or Air Force Cross.

The award recognizes leadership, scholarship and community service. Presenting the award was Legion of Valor member retired Col. John Edward Gray. Guests included members of Cadet Gay’s family, Carson High School Principal Angelo DelliSanti, selected Carson teachers and Kelly Withers, principal of South Rowan High School.

Like its sponsoring organization, selection criteria for the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement are high, and recipients become part of an exclusive fraternity. Gay will be featured (along with other recipients) in the Legion of Valor journal “General Orders,” which will be maintained as a permanent record in the Library of Congress.

Gay is in the top 5 percent of his graduating class and a member of the National Honor Society. As a cadet, Gay has distinguished himself by attaining the highest rank within the Corps of Cadets and has been promoted to the top leadership position of battalion commander.

Additionally, Gay is a member of the Carson football and baseball teams. He plans to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and upon graduation begin service as a second lieutenant in the infantry.