An Overview of the JROTC and CAP Awards

With a BS in business administration, Roy Bowser Jr. is an administrative professional with over two decades of experience. Retired Chief Master Seargent Roy Bowser Jr. is affiliated with the Air Force Sergeants Association (AFSA).

The Air Force Sergeants Association is a professional organization that educates and advocates for elected community and military leaders to improve the quality of life of military members and their families. The AFSA supports its members in various ways including educational programs, scholarship opportunities, and awards or medal recognition.

AFSA International presents two special awards to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of young military cadets who show exceeding qualities of leadership, discipline, and citizenship. These awards include the Air Force Junior ROTC Award (JROTC) and the Civil Air Patrol Award (CAP).

The JROTC award is an annual award that recognizes cadets enrolled in the Air Force Junior ROTC program at high schools in the United States and overseas. For this prize, the AFSA considers second, or third-year cadets enrolled in a three-year program and fourth-year cadets enrolled in a four-year program who are in the top 10% of their class.

The CAP award acknowledges the exceptionally meritorious service and outstanding achievement of enlisted cadets at the squadron level. Presented annually, both awards consist of a certificate with an inscription of the cadet’s name and a medal or ribbon placed in an AFSA Presentation Folder.

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The Meritorious Service Medal with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster

A decorated military veteran, Sergeant Roy Bowser Jr. performed a range of administrative duties as a chief master sergeant, the highest enlisted rank in the United States Air Force. Among his other honors and awards, Sergeant Roy Bowser Jr. has a Meritorious Service Medal with a silver oak leaf cluster.

In the late 1960s, military officials conceived of the Meritorious Service Medal as a noncombat equivalent to the Bronze Star Medal, which acknowledges the outstanding actions and achievements of U.S. military members on the battlefield. President Lyndon Johnson officially recognized the Meritorious Service Medal in 1969, and President Reagan expanded its purview in 1981 to include military members of friendly foreign countries.

In terms of prestige, the Meritorious Service Medal ranks just above the Air Medal and below the Purple Heart. The military denotes additional awards of the Meritorious Service Medal by augmenting it with one through five bronze oak leaf clusters. Service members who accumulate six awards receive a silver oak leaf cluster.