During last week’s school shooting in Florida, a number of people sacrificed their lives in order to protect and save others. Three such people were junior ROTC cadets, to whom the U.S. Army will posthumously award medals.
According to a U.S. Army spokesman who spoke with Fox News, cadets Alaina Petty, Peter Wang, and Martin Duque have all been approved for Junior ROTC Heroism Medals. Both Wang and Petty’s families received the medals during their children’s funeral services earlier this week, and Duque’s family will receive his medal at his funeral on Saturday.
A number of survivors told the press that Wang was killed while wearing his junior ROTC uniform and helping others escape. An online petition had called for Wang to receive full military honors at his funeral. “His selfless and heroic actions have led to the survival of dozens in the area. Wang died a hero, and deserves to be treated as such, and deserves a full honors military burial,” the petition said.
The JROTC Heroism Medal is an official U.S. military honor awarded by the Department of the Army to cadets whose actions “involved the acceptance of danger and extraordinary responsibilities, exemplifying praiseworthy fortitude and courage.”