A May 2026 roadside rescue in South Jersey led to a rare Air Force Junior ROTC honor for Joshua Haddad, then a cadet lieutenant colonel preparing to graduate from Salem County Vocational Technical High School.
Nearly five months later, that roadside decision has made Haddad the first person in New Jersey history to receive the Air Force Junior ROTC Gold Valor Award, according to Salem County Vocational Technical School. The school says he is also only the sixth cadet nationwide to earn the honor in the past ten years, a distinction that places him among a strikingly small group given that fewer than ten of the awards are given out nationwide per decade.
According to 6abc Philadelphia, Haddad lived in Pilesgrove and was returning from church with his family when they came upon a crash near Kings Highway and Auburn Road. Two people were trapped in the vehicle, and Haddad and his parents helped pull them free.
A Decoration Reserved for Life-Threatening Risk
The Gold Valor Award is described by Salem Tech as the highest decoration an AFJROTC cadet can earn, reserved for cadets who voluntarily accept a life-threatening risk to save another person. The station's report similarly describes the award as the highest national honor given by Air Force Junior ROTC, one set aside for people who risk their lives to help others in danger.
The award is not automatic: Salem Tech says Haddad’s nomination underwent a thorough investigation before Headquarters AFJROTC endorsed and approved it.
How the award process fits the cadet program
A May 2022 Clovis AFJROTC unit guide says valor-award recommendations should be submitted within six months of an incident. It calls for a detailed account and supporting materials, such as statements from victims and observers, when available, and says the Director of Headquarters AFJROTC gives final approval. A NJ.com community bulletin submitted by Salem County Vocational-Technical High School described the unit’s objectives as including citizenship and life skills, community service, responsibility, character and self-discipline, and instruction in air and space fundamentals. That description outlines the program’s broader goals; it does not specify emergency-response instruction.
Honored on the Salem Tech Campus
Salem Tech announced that Haddad would be honored with a formal ceremony on its campus on Friday, October 23, marking the occasion for a graduate who had been preparing to finish his coursework there just months after the rescue. The school's announcement frames the recognition as both a personal milestone for Haddad and a first for the state of New Jersey.
The school’s account places the recognition in the context of a formal nomination review and approval process, distinguishing the award from routine completion of the cadet program.
