By Philip and Megan Way
The MOAA award is presented to JROTC/ROTC cadets that are in their junior year of the program, and have demonstrated exceptional potential in military leadership. To qualify for this award, the recipient must be in their next to last year in the program, must be in good academic standing, must demonstrate a high degree of loyalty to their unit and school, and demonstrate exceptional potential in military leadership. The Marine Corps requirements, however, are that you must be in the upper 10% in your school class, have an A average in the Marine ROTC’s academic standards, be nominated in their junior year, and be assigned an officer’s billet. Only 1 cadet per school may be nominated for this award, and that nominee may not be nominated again.
On October 18th, the MOAA hosted their annual banquet – for JROTC/ROTC cadets that were nominated and received their award – at the Palace Station casino. 24 cadets along with their instructors and their guests were invited to this dinner; along with them, representatives from Senator Dean Heller, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Congresswoman Jacky Rosen, and Congressman Ruben Kihuen attended to congratulate the cadets on their successes. The dinner kicked off with a representative from Sierra Vista HS singing the national anthem, and proceeded to awarding WWII Veteran Kenneth V. Hill with an award for his dedication to helping the veteran’s community, and his service to the public after retiring from the Armed forces. After everyone finished their dinner, LTC McKenna from Las Vegas HS gave a short speech about his journey into the Army, and how it affected his life. His speech motivated and inspired many cadets in the room, about their thoughts for the next chapter in their lives, and their future in the path of serving in the US military.
School | Instructor | Awardees
1. UNLV-Army | LTC N Oscarson | Christopher Craveiro
2. UNLV-USAF | Lt Col C. Jewell | Christopher Thibeaux-Moore
3. Bonanza HS |SGM David Oberg | Megan Perada
4. Cheyenne HS | SGM Schoolfield | Froilan Luna
5. Las Vegas HS | LTC McKenna | Amanda Carballea-Lopez
6. Mohave HS | LTC A. Addison | Deanna Ribarsky
7. Pahrump Valley HS | LTC D Elder | Christopher Ryhal
8. Sierra Vista HS | CW4 Crathers | Phillip Perkins
9. Silverado HS | SGM Ben Valdez | N/A
10. Valley HS | LTC P Nary | Frieda Ochoa
11. Centennial HS | CDR Pokropski | Gabriel Pence
12. Chaparral HS | MGySgt Belford II | Daniel Diaz
13. Clark HS | CDR Dan Jorvig | Eva Fiero
14. Eldorado HS | MAJ Todd Hook | Angel Esparza
15. Basic HS | 1stSgt Jay Foote | Tiffany Day
16. Desert Pines HS | MGySgt Bearden | Jazmin Sandavol
17. Canyon Springs HS | Lt Col B Brown | Paola Piedra
18. Cimarron Memorial HS | Maj J Williams | Taida Morales
19. Durango HS | Maj Jeff Baumgart | Angelika Gallo
20. Liberty HS | Col Arthur Chin | Anela Badua
21. Palo Verde HS | Capt Doughty | Sofia Sayson
22. Rancho HS | Lt Col Richmond | Peter Shin
23. Shadow Ridge HS | Lt Col J Cooper | Kolton Turner
24. Western HS | Lt Col Rowland | Steve Villaneuva
25. Sunrise Mountain HS | Lt Col Coleman | Xochilt Rodriguez Ahumada
