Hello, my name is Jordan Ashley. I am a student of Franklin County High School as well as an active cadet of the NDCC program. NDCC is a smaller version of JROTC. Our unit, TN-20061, was forced to change from JROTC to NDCC because we couldn't retain 100 cadets. However, we were told that we could continue with our program if we dropped down to a maximum of 50 cadets with one instructor, as well as funding ourselves without government involvement. Therefore, to keep our program, we chose to become a NDCC unit and have been for the past three years. We have won many awards and passed our Air Force inspection with 'Exceeds Expectations with Merit,' which is the highest honor which can be awarded. We have also held many community events such as, but not limited to: Ride for Reading, Teens for Jeans, collecting used cooking oil to turn into biodiesel fuel, organizing a school wide recycling program, volunteering at multiple Warrior Dashes, school energy audits, flag raising and lowering ceremonies for many events, help with checking passes and tickets for basketball games, donated to the Wounded Warrior Project, traveling to D.C. for the Need Convention, sending Christmas care packages to children in Honduras and deployed airmen, as well as so much more.   Unfortunately, even after all of these great things, this past week we have received our orders to deactivate. According to recently changed regulations of U.S. Code Title 10, of which we were not informed about, a JROTC/NDCC unit must have had at least 100 cadets and two instructors in the past two to three years to remain and not be shut down. In other words, the government is shutting us down for following the rules that they gave us. With half the amount of people of other units, we have done just as much, if not more. Yet, they want to shut us down because of our lack of manpower without first looking at our accomplishments. Our unit fosters all kinds of students, some with great home lives and some with not so great lives. The unit offers a safe haven for these people, a place where they can be themselves and not worry. I myself know of many of the cadets whose parents have abandoned them and they now suffer from depression because of it. However, when they step into the class, I see something that is rare to see from them: Hope. They see that people do care and that they can find help, as well as peace, in their time of need. I have seen these brothers and sisters of mine on the brink of suicide brought back from the edge just from being in this program. Yet, the government does not see this, nor would they care if they did. They do not realize that by shutting us down, they are tearing apart a family and taking away several of our homes. In conclusion, I ask, no I beg, all of you that see and read this to please support us in our time of need. Help us rise up against this uncaring law and change it back to the way it was. The ones in charge of this think they can do whatever they want without repercussion. Help my unit and me show them they there are consequences to their decisions. I thank all of you for reading this and hope all of can find it in your heart to support us and spread the word of this injustice. Again, thank all of you and have a blessed day.