The Superior Cadet Decoration Award is the second highest
Department of the Army
The United States Department of the Army (DA) is one of the three military departments within the Department of Defense of the U.S. The Department of the Army is the federal government agency within which the United States Army (U.S.) is org ...
medal awarded exclusively to
Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC ( or )) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces.
Overview
While ROTC graduate officers serve in all ...
cadets. This award is presented annually to the outstanding cadet in each year of Military Science at each of the respective ROTC units. As with other
Department of the Army decorations, the award consists of a medal, ribbon, and lapel button with case, accompanied by DA Form 1773 ("Citation for the Superior Cadet Decoration Award") signed by the regimental commander on behalf of the
Secretary of the Army
The secretary of the Army (SA or SECARMY) is a senior civilian official within the United States Department of Defense, with statutory responsibility for all matters relating to the United States Army: manpower, personnel, reserve affairs, insta ...
. In the Army, this award is also known as the Superior Cadet Decoration
and the Superior Cadet Medal.
Criteria for award
To be awarded this decoration, a cadet must:
*Be a regularly enrolled ROTC cadet (MS IV cadets scheduled for midyear graduation will be considered)
*Be in the top 25% in ROTC and academic standing
*Demonstrate
officer potential
Design
The medal consists of a
lamp
Lamp, Lamps or LAMP may refer to:
Lighting
* Oil lamp, using an oil-based fuel source
* Kerosene lamp, using kerosene as a fuel
* Electric lamp, or light bulb, a replaceable component that produces light from electricity
* Light fixture, or ligh ...
, a
sword
A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
, and a
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
. The lamp denotes the pursuit of knowledge, higher learning, and partnership of Army
ROTC with American colleges and universities. The sword signifies the courage, gallantry, and self-sacrifice intrinsic to the profession of arms. On the reverse is inscribed: "Superior Cadet."
Superior Junior Cadet Decoration Award
There is also a Superior Junior Cadet Decoration Award with similar requirements issued to cadets in the
Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps
The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools across the United States and at US military ...
and
National Defense Cadet Corps. For the JROTC version, the only difference in appearance of the two awards is an inverse of the red and blue colors on the ribbon portion of the medal. Again for the NDCC version, the only design difference is the ribbon portion of the medal. Overlaying a gray background, there is a total of ten vertical red stripes, with five stripes on the left side and five stripes on the right side.
To be considered eligible for this award, an individual must be:
*A Junior ROTC or NDCC cadet
*In the top 10 percent of his or her class in Junior ROTC or NDCC academically and in the top 50 percent of his or her class in overall academic standing
*Recommended by the Senior Army Instructor and principal or head of the appropriate institution
See also
*
Awards and decorations of the United States army
*
Awards and decorations of the United States military
The United States Armed Forces awards and decorations are primarily the medals, service ribbons, and specific badges which recognize military service and personal accomplishments while a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. Such awards are a means t ...
*
List of military decorations
This list of military decorations is an index to articles about notable military decorations. It is organized by country in alphabetical order and in order of precedence.
Note that there are many pages which overlap the domain of this page, includi ...
References
{{United States Army ROTC
Awards and decorations of the United States Army
Reserve Officers' Training Corps