ALEXANDER R. NININGER AWARD FOR VALOR
AT ARMS
In a ceremony in the Cadet Mess on September 27, the
Association of Graduates will present the first annual Alexander R. Nininger
Award for Valor at Arms. The objective
of the Award is to present to the Corps of Cadets an exemplar of heroic action
in battle--an annual representative of all of the Academy's valorous
graduates. To that end, the Association
and Academy have selected MAJ Ryan L. Worthan, USMA Class of 1997, as this
year's recipient. On 29 September 2003,
then-Captain Worthan displayed conspicuous valor while leading the fight
against anticoalition forces attacking Firebase Shikh in Afghanistan. The story of his actions on that day is a
story of extraordinary bravery, and for those actions, he was awarded the
Silver Star, an award that was richly deserved.
The Association of Graduates’ Award for Valor at Arms is
named in recognition of the heroic actions of another young graduate, Second
Lieutenant Alexander R. Nininger, USMA Class of 1941. After commissioning, Lieutenant Nininger was
sent to the Philippines, where he was attached to the 57th Infantry
Regiment of the Philippine Scouts.
During the first month of the Japanese invasion of the Philippines,
Nininger voluntarily joined another company because his unit was not yet
engaged in combat. He was posthumously
awarded the Medal of Honor for actions near Abucay, Bataan on January 12, 1942.
Mr. Doug Kenna '45 is generously providing the funding
for the Nininger Award.