Ellington

Red Bank High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet Staff Sgt. Josey Janow now wears the H.L. Hunley Medal on his lapel as the first person from Tennessee to receive the distinguished award.

“Honor, courage and commitment are the criteria for the award,” said Maj. Gen. William McCain Tennessee Chapter of the Sons of Confederate Veterans member Ken Brown, who bestowed the honor on Janow. “The H.L. Hunley is the first submarine ever invented that successfully sank a ship. The men on the H.L. Hunley mission could have quit but did not. They knew the risk involved but chose to go anyway.”

The award, which originated in Charleston, S.C., was originally only awarded to Naval JROTC in South Carolina but recently expanded its reach to include all JROTC programs. Brown said there is an exhaustive screening process to select the winner.

“To my knowledge, no one has been awarded the H.L. Hunley Award west of the Appalachians,” he said.

He said Janow was chosen because he lives and breathes military. Janow is applying to the Citadel in Charleston. Brown said winning the award basically makes him a shoe-in for the prestigious and selective military school.

“I joined JROTC because it gives me a sense of discipline,” said Janow, a sophomore. “Overall, I enjoy it a lot. I plan to enter the Naval Academy and enter the Marines as an officer after that. My grandfather and father were Marines.”

He said his grandfather, the late Charles Kenneth Janow, was a member of the 11th Airborne. He also served as one of the first motorcycle police officers for the Chattanooga Police Department.

“I have learned to become a better citizen through JROTC,” said Janow. “It teaches you to be a leader among your peers.”

He said his spiritual life is also a key to his success. He attends Red Bank Baptist Church each week.

“It’s very reassuring to know that there’s youth out there like Josey,” said Brown. “To see the degree of discipline instilled through Red Bank High School JROTC, it is good to see.”

Aside from being a cadet in JROTC for the second year, Janow plays football for the Red Bank Lions.