South Rowan High School Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Madeleine Lawyer received the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement in a ceremony at South Rowan High School on Oct. 7. This award is the most distinguished decoration a JROTC Cadet can receive. Lawyer was one of twenty Army JROTC Cadets in the nation to be selected for this honor.
The Legion of Valor is the oldest congressionally chartered veteran’s organization in the U.S. It is made up of veterans from all services who have received the Medal of Honor or their respective service’s highest award for gallantry. The award recognizes leadership, scholarship and community service.
Presenting the award was Legion of Valor member retired Col. John Edward Gray. Special guests included members of Lawyer’s family, Rowan County School Board Chairman Dr. James Emerson, Rowan-Salisbury Schools Assistant Superintendent for Administration Dr. Walter Hart, and Director for Secondary Education Kathy McDuffie.
Like its sponsoring organization, criteria for the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement are very high, and recipients become part of an exclusive fraternity. Lawyer will be featured with other recipients in the Legion of Valor journal “General Orders,” which will be maintained as a permanent record in the Library of Congress.
Lawyer is a senior at South Rowan High School. She is in the top 5 percent of her class and is a member of the National Honor Society. As a cadet, she has distinguished herself by attaining the highest rank within the Corps of Cadets and has been promoted to the top leadership position of Battalion Commander. Additionally, Lawyer is commander of South Rowan’s nationally recognized JROTC Drill Team. Upon graduation, Lawyer plans to attend Saint Andrews Presbyterian College in Laurinburg to major in psychology and law.