JROTC Hero Killed in School Shooting Posthumously Accepted to West Point

by | Feb 20, 2018


Peter Wang, the 15-year-old JROTC cadet who was killed during the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last week as he helped hold open a door so his classmates could escape before him, will be posthumously admitted to the United States Military Academy, popularly known as West Point.

The Sun Sentinel broke the story, noting that Wang dreamed of attending West Point and would have been in the Class of 2025.

Local West Point alumnus Chad Maxey told the Sun Sentinelthat West Point has sent a letter of admission, along with honorarium tokens, to Wang’s family, personally delivered by Captain Shahin Uddin, who flew down to South Florida for this purpose.

Wang is only the second high school student in history to have received this honor. “This story…has kindled so many hearts for action in a time when things have felt so hopeless,” said Maxey.

As I reported earlier for RedState, JROTC participation is not official military service, and Wang therefore would not be eligible for a full military burial, but his heroism will not go unrecognized. The Stoneman Douglas JROTC will conduct the funeral service and provide an honor guard. Military members on the r/military forum on Reddit organized an effort to attend Wang’s funeral in uniform to show their respects, as well as sending military patches and challenge coins to Wang’s family.

Two other members of the Stoneman Douglas JROTC were among those killed in the shooting: Alaina Petty, a 14-year-old whose funeral was Monday, and Martin Duque, also 14, whose funeral will be Saturday. Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL) has directed the Florida National Guard to attend all three funerals to honor the cadets.

Each of them will be awarded the Army’s Medal of Heroism, the highest honor available for ROTC cadets, according to Michael Maddox, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Cadet Command.

Follow Sarah Rumpf on Twitter: @rumpfshaker

[Cross-posted at RedState.]

3 Comments

  1. Jeremy Carr

    I’m reading this commentary from England, and I’m extremely moved. Ignore the fact that gun control is contoversial in the US but accepted in the UK; this is about heroism in the face of a child with an assault rifle in a school. Mr Wang is being honoured by both his peers and by military veterans for doing what many adults would have found very difficult, if not impossible. Many people in both countries may hope that this is a tipping point: let’s see.

  2. Fccsm

    Alaina Petty, Peter Wang and Martin Duque, all students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, were also cadets in the school’s Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program and will receive the Medal of Heroism for their actions in last Wednesday’s shooting. Petty’s family was presented with her medal at her funeral service Monday, and Wang’s family was due to receive his medal at his service Tuesday morning, where Wang was to be buried in his JROTC uniform, according to Army spokesman Michael Maddox. “The JROTC Heroism medal will be on his uniform, but a second ‘keepsake’ medal,” will be given to the Wang family, Maddox said.

  3. kpcc

    Not defending abuse but, “ex-wives? Wasn”t all this taken care of in the divorce proceedings? Why on earth should it be coming up now? I view this as just another way the anti-Trumpers are throwing shit at President Trump to try and destroy his presidency and thus America. Obama didn”t even have it this bad. There is even an incredibly stupid article over on RedState this morning about DT”s scalp. Obviously the author has way too much time on his hands and not enough intellect to write pap like this.