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On Wednesday, Nov. 13, Cadet Ethan Crook was presented the Silver Valor Award from the Department of the Air Force, HQ JROTC Commander and Col. Matthew Tipton. (Reporter photo/Rachel Raiford)

By RACHEL RAIFORD | Staff Writer 

ALABASTER – On Sept. 13, Ethan Crook and his mother were headed home from a Thompson High School football game when they came across an automobile accident on Fulton Springs Road. The car was crushed on all sides with a passenger trapped inside. 

Crook sprung to action and pulled the victim from the vehicle and provided what life-saving care he could until emergency services arrived on the scene. Once paramedics arrived, he provided a detailed report and stayed at the scene to assist them with questions and continued to care for the victim. 

Crook is a junior at Thompson High School where he’s a cadet in the JROTC program, and on Wednesday, Nov. 13, he was presented the Silver Valor Award from the Department of the Air Force and HQ JROTC Commander, Col. Matthew Tipton. 

The Silver Valor Award is the second highest award in the nation for JROTC. 

“Cadet Airman First Class Ethan H. Crook distinguished himself by a heroic act,” said Tipton as he presented the award.  “Crook’s selfless action reflects well on himself, Thompson High School and the United States Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps.”

Applause erupted from the crowd following the presentation of the award to Crooks. Tipton expressed his gratitude to Crook for his heroic act along with other officials that accompanied him to the ceremony. 

“In the military, we talk about readiness and training all the time,” Tipton said. “Most of us, we don’t know what we’ll do when the time comes because we’re almost never put in that situation. It doesn’t happen that often, but in your case it did and you did everything right.” 

Crook’s family attended the presentation in support of him receiving the award and posed for photos and congratulated him after. 

Tipton, alongside a JROTC official, spoke to Crook and his peers about the Air Force JROTC program and what life could look like in the military. They took the time to answer questions from JROTC students and commended them for the strength of the THS program. 

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