Sergeant Major of the Army Recognizes Teenage Army Cadet

For 15-year-old Colin Harper, the Army Cadet Corps of the American Cadet Alliance has taken him places he'd never imagined. The Cadet Sergeant, and acting First Sergeant of the Military Cadets of New England which drills monthly at Camp Fogarty, RI, has traveled to Puerto Rico, presented anti-drug presentations in the Pentagon, completed the ACA's NCO Leadership Development Academy, and stood side-by-side with Generals and Sergeants Major, all while wearing his uniform as an Army Cadet.

It was that uniform - worn to exacting standards - that caught the eye of Sergeant Major of the Army (SMA) Kenneth O. Preston, last October. He came across Cadet SGT Harper during the annual convention of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), in Washington, DC. Upon learning that the teenager was as "Hooah" as most any Solider, and had a clear focus on a future in the Army, the Army's senior enlisted solider recognized him with a coveted SMA "Challenge Coin."

Eight months later, Cadet SGT Harper led a team of five Cadets, escorted by three members of the ACA Officer's Corps, as they traveled to Washington, DC to attend the 230th Army Birthday Ball, rubbing elbow with such dignitaries as Vice President Cheney, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace, and country music star - and former Army Ranger - Keni Thomas.

Cadet SGT found that he had a chance to recognize - in turn - the Sergeant Major of the Army. Shown is SMA Preston receiving an American Cadet Alliance challenge coin from Cadet SGT Harper. The ACA's challenge coin is carried only by young men and women who have earned the title "Cadet" by completing 16 days of Basic Training, as well as members of the ACA's Officers Corps and other leaders who have supported the oldest and longest-serving Cadet program in the United States.