OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) – Omaha Central High School is steeped in history. This story extends to the Central High Eagle Battalion.
“We are the second oldest JROTC organization in the country,” Army Senior Instructor Maj. Ryan Cripps told us.
130 years old to be exact, and still operating with over 160 cadets, making it the largest JROTC program in the state.
One of these cadets achieved national recognition for his accomplishments.
Alex (which translates to Sasha in Russian) Krasnoslobodtsev explained the many medals hanging from his jacket.
“This one is the senior cadet; it is awarded to a cadet each year. These are the American Veterans Medal; leadership in and out of the classroom. This last one here is the Sons of the American Revolution – also leadership.
All of this is impressive, but his newest addition, the Legion of Valor Bronze Cross for his achievements, is his greatest achievement to date.
“This year, only two were selected from the entire brigade out of ten states, and he is one of them,” Cripps said. “Then it goes to this council made up of all the Medal of Honor recipients. This year they only chose 25 nationally, so he’s one of 25 nationally to receive this award, so it’s a big deal.
Once you hear about Alex’s accomplishments, it’s not as difficult to understand why he was selected over hundreds of thousands of cadets.
“Calc 3, AP Physics, AP Lit, JROTC Drill Team Commander and Battalion Commander, golf as a sport, Jazz Band this year as a pianist, and for the last three years I was in a band as a violinist “, said the high school student. listed.
Cripps added: “You know, he didn’t mention that he was also a karate instructor outside of school, so he does other things.”
He also didn’t mention the 34 he scored on the ACT.
“None of this would have been possible without what Central gave me, what Major gave me, JROTC, just everything here in general,” Alex credits.
“When he came into my program, I knew he was something special,” Cripps said. “He became my drill commander in two and a half weeks, which is insane. Being able to get back into that routine and control it, I mean, it’s hard to do. Now he’s leading us to nationals, which is awesome.
This is their first time at the national championships in over 25 years.
Alex has had every success, but says it was this experience that made him the person he became.
“JROTC allowed me to get involved in the community – that’s the main thing. So I have a sense of service, I want to serve.
There’s still a lot left for Alex to accomplish at Central High, but he’s already setting the stage for what’s next.
“I’ve already applied to the Air Force and Navy academies, so that’s where I really want to go and this award, the Legion of Valor, is really going to help me get there .
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