Unit NY-095 Newburgh Free Academy has been selected as one of 387 units to receive the 2019-2020 Air Force JROTC Distinguished Unit Award. This award recognizes Air Force JROTC units that have performed well above and beyond normal expectations, and that have distinguished themselves through outstanding service to their school and community while meeting the Air Force JROTC citizen development mission for America.

The objectives of the Air Force JROTC program are to educate and train high school cadets in citizenship and life skills; promote community service; instill responsibility, character, and self-discipline through character education, and to provide instruction in air and space fundamentals. Enrollment is open to high school students who are in the 9th to 12th grades.

Last year, the Newburgh Free Academy JROTC program received two prestigious awards this year. NFA’s JROTC program received the Distinguished Unit with Merit and the “Silver Star” Community Service with Excellence awards this year.

Last year, the cadets of NFA AFJROTC conducted over 7,300 community service hours! This is an incredible accomplishment for our scholars. They were on their way to meet, if not exceed this same amount this year, but the public health emergency of COVID-19 has not made that possible.

Newburgh Free Academy’s JROTC is led by Master Sergeant Christian Granda and Colonel Edward Seward. 

Air Force JROTC is located in close to 890 high schools across the United States and at selected schools in Europe, in the Pacific, and in Puerto Rico. Air Force JROTC enrollment includes more than 125,000 cadets who do over 1.5 million hours of community service each year.