For the second year in a row, a Brother Martin NJROTC Cadet won the Area 8 Top Junior Award. Cadet Emmanuel “Manny” Guillot, a senior in the NJROTC Program, was one of two Cadets in the NJROTC Area Eight selected for the award. This prestigious award selects top Cadets from the 49 NJROTC schools in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and the Florida panhandle. Every school is invited to submit the names of cadets who have completed their junior year of high school.The criteria for this award is based on academic excellence, performance in the NJROTC program, performance at school, community involvement, and leadership potential.
Cadet Guillot’s local recognition allowed his application to go to the national Legion of Valor organization. He was one of only 22 Cadets nationwide to win the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for Achievement. Retired Marine Corps Colonel Terry Ebbert presented the award in a ceremony attended by NJROTC Cadets, school officials and Cadet Guillot’s family. “The Legion of Valor recognizes upcoming leaders in our community. We need to find this level of dedication to continue to drive us to excellence,” said Colonel Ebbert. The Legion of Valor organization is comprised of members of the military who were awarded the highest recognition for bravery, the Medal of Honor or the Service Cross. He was the New Orleans Director of Homeland Security during Hurricane Katrina and currently runs a consulting company that trains and advises on Emergency Services. Colonel Ebbert was awarded the Navy Cross for bravery in Vietnam, but continues to serve the New Orleans community in Emergency Management.
Recognition of leadership from such a distinguished organization sets this award apart. There are over 69,000 high school Cadets in Navy Junior ROTC programs throughout the country. Only 22 are selected for this award annually. “Manny exemplifies this award,” said retired Commander Bruce Nolan ’90, the Senior Naval Science Instructor at Brother Martin NJROTC. “He is a leader in academics, physical fitness, extracurriculars and maturity.” Manny maintains a high grade point average in honors classes, but also sought out increasing levels of responsibility in the NJROTC program. The NJROTC Instructors selected him as the Commanding Officer of the NJROTC Company for the 2016-2017 school year. He continues to promote leadership, cooperation and excellence early in the year and looks forward to an exciting school year.
Manny desires to continue military service and is applying to the U.S. Naval Academy.
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