Old Dominion cadets receive medals

Sergeant Major of the Army Weimer and Secretary of the Army Driscoll honoring cadets

I’m really enjoying the new Department of Defense War policy of just giving people the medals they deserve without years of delay.

It’s not even been two weeks since that radical Islamic terrorist shot up a classroom full of ROTC cadets at Old Dominion University. The cadets (unarmed as it was a “gun free zone”) took the fight to the jihadi and “rendered him no longer alive.” Unfortunately, their instructor, Army Lieutenant Colonel Brandon Shah was mortally wounded by the enemy combatant.

The Secretary of the Army and the Sergeant Major of the Army were on hand 22 March to reward the cadets’ heroism. Two were given Purple Hearts and eight were given Meritorious Service Medals. I’m surprised there wasn’t enough here for a Soldier’s Medal. I’d argue if they’re giving out Purple Hearts, then this qualifies as a combat environment and the in-theater equivalent of the MSM would be appropriate, which is the Bronze Star Medal. In any case, an MSM is nothing to sneeze at. I watched many a SNCO get that as a departing gift at retirement.

Military Times has the report;

Army ROTC cadets attending Old Dominion University were awarded eight meritorious service medals and two Purple Hearts for their actions during a shooting incident that occurred in their classroom earlier this month.

In a private ceremony Sunday, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Weimer granted the cadets the honors for their “bravery and sacrifice” during the March 12 shooting on the Norfolk, Virginia, campus, U.S. Army Cadet Command said in a Facebook post Monday.

The cadets’ names have not been released for privacy reasons, the post says.

On March 12, a gunman yelled “Allahu Akbar” before opening fire in a university classroom and killing one individual and injuring two others. The ROTC students subdued the gunman and “rendered him no longer alive,” Dominique Evans, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Norfolk field office, said in a news conference following the shooting.

The gunman was identified as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former Army National Guard member who pleaded guilty in 2016 to attempting to aid the Islamic State. He was sentenced to 11 years in prison and was released from federal custody in 2024.

It is unclear how Jalloh died during the incident, but Evans said he was not shot.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a March 12 post on X that the ROTC students’ actions “undoubtedly saved lives along with the quick response of law enforcement.”

The deceased victim was identified as Lt. Col. Brandon Shah, who led the Army ROTC program at Old Dominion University since 2022.

Shah joined the Army in 2003 and received his Army commission in 2007 after graduating from the university.

“A devoted ROTC instructor, Lt. Col. Shah didn’t just lead a life of service to our country, he taught and led others to follow that path,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger said in a March 12 post on X after confirming Shah as the victim.

“I am grateful for his example, deeply saddened by his death, and praying for his family,” Spanberger continued.

Category: Army