On April 17th, 2014, Cookeville High school’s Army Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) Cavalier Battalion hosted its annual awards ceremony. Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Cole Brown, the Battalion commander of the program, which stretches across the county, received several prestigious awards.
The first award he received was a Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarship, which completely covers tuition for the first two years to Tennessee Technological University, as well as a dorm scholarship that will cover living costs. At Tennessee Tech Cole plans to major in Mechanical engineering, and to pursue a commission as an officer into the United States Army, through the colleges Army ROTC program.
Secondly he was presented with the Sergeant Alex Van Aalten scholarship. This is only a small scholarship but the meaning behind it is immense. Sergeant Alex Van Aalten was a Cookeville High School student and a JROTC battalion commander, as well as an American soldier serving over seas. One of Alex’s comrades was wounded in a minefield and Alex volunteered to go rescue him. On his way back, with his comrade, Alex stepped on a land mine and both were killed. This award is presented in his honor to those who show the highest dedication to the ideals and standards of a JROTC cadet.
Cole Brown was then awarded a Superior Cadet award for being in the top ten percent of his JROTC class and excelling in his leadership position.
The final award presented at the ceremony, which also went to Cole, is the Sabre Award. The Sabre Award is voted by the other seniors in JROTC and presented to the one who the seniors decide, best fits the core leadership principles of JROTC. Loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage.
Cole graduates with honor, on May 17th from Cookeville High School. He is the son of Harold & Sari Brown, Cookeville, TN (formerly of West Unity) and the grandson of George L. Beatty and the late Corrin Beatty (West Unity, Ohio) His paternal grandparents are Cindy Creek of Montpelier, Ohio and Harold Brown, Sr. of Wauseon, Ohio.