Tuesday, five members of the Bainbridge High School JROTC program received public recognition during the meeting of the Decatur County Board of Commissioners.

Those five students represented the 121 cadets who participate in the program at BHS. Anybody who has been at a recent city or county event has likely seen members of the BHS color guard performing a military-style ceremonial opening with the presentation of the colors, and the JROTC cadets are also regularly active in community service.

In addition these young men and women have used their JROTC service to earn additional accolades later in life. Many have gone to college at military academies, and gone on to become officers in the armed forces. But even the JROTC cadets who never join the military still learn important skills and character traits from their participation in the program at BHS.

Too often, the media focuses on young people who break the law or are disrespectful to their elders. It is wonderful to see BHS students in the JROTC who are the exact opposite — young people of whom we should all be proud.