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Four Troup High cadets stood at attention in the school’s old gym on Wednesday, as their families, school administrators, and fellow cadets looked on.

The director of the entire Air Force JROTC program, Lt. Col. Matt Tipton, came from Maxwell Air Force Base to recognize the Troup students for their efforts on Aug. 10.

“The director stopped what he was doing. He’s over 800 units, but he wanted to stop and recognize these four kids,” said SMSgt. Kevin Jefferson, commander of Troup High School’s JROTC program.

The cadets recognized were Caleb Bailey, Addison Bartlett, Ashlyn Williams and Michael Lewis.

On Aug. 9, Jefferson received a call that a two-star general was retiring without an honor guard the next day. The honor guard from Maxwell Air Force Base that was supposed to perform the duties at the ceremony in Dadeville, Alabama had to cancel less than 24 hours before.

The closest color/honor guard were the junior officers at Troup High, almost 60 miles away.

While the buses were loading up on Friday, Jefferson and his cadets answered the call. They drove across the border into Alabama and served as the Major General’s detail.

The students performed their duties, and according to a statement from the retiring Major General Michael Rawls said, “They absolutely killed it.”

Jefferson said the praises from high up in the ranks have not stopped for the kids.

Tipton and Rob Atkins, the region supervisor for AFJROTC, presented the students with coins. These coins are carried by some commanders and given to other soldiers as a sign of respect or a job well done.

“They are respectful and dutiful. I think the highest compliment you could give anybody is that, if we were in war, you would go to war with them. I would go to war with [them],” Jefferson said.

Tipton and  Adkins also gave their coins and certificates to Jefferson for his leadership.

“[Jefferson] didn’t waver, and he didn’t complain at all when he got called at the last minute to do this, and then for these [students] to just be ready, just to step forward and do it, that’s amazing,” said Adkins, “That’s what we’re trying to do in our program, is to make citizens with character, and I think they’ve displayed that with what they’ve done.”

Tipton echoed, “Programs don’t happen because the Air Force wants them, they happen because the community wants them…You’re helping us build a better America one cadet at a time.”