Posted on Jan 4, 2018
If you are in a High School ROTC Unit and routinely wear uniform items out in the public and receive free comps, are you stealing valor?
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My Brother is in an JNROTC Unit at his High School and commonly wears his boots and jackets in public and receives free food and discounts at restaurants. He never asks for these things, but he doesn’t change his wardrobe. I tell him that he is committing Stolen Valor, but what is y’all’s opinion?
Posted in these groups: 
Stolen Valor
JROTC
Stolen Valor JROTC
Posted 8 y ago
Responses: 48
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No. Everyone thinks wearing a uniform is stolen valor. It’s not. If you actually read the law of Stolen Valor Act of 2013, you will see that Stolen Valor is a crime committed by those who would impersonate having received an award in an attempt to obtain money, properly, or other tangible items.
Therefore the ROTC cadet or anyone wearing a uniform is NOT a Stolen Valor case. ONLY those who claim to be awarded MoH, Bronze/Silver Stars, Purple Hearts, etc.
Therefore the ROTC cadet or anyone wearing a uniform is NOT a Stolen Valor case. ONLY those who claim to be awarded MoH, Bronze/Silver Stars, Purple Hearts, etc.
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Pretty close and just as wrong...sure would hate it for him if an actual Veteran busted him out
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Suspended Profile
Ehh.....it's pathetic and ghetto.....but HS kids do dumb shit. It is when he starts receiving free healthcare benefits or access to good jobs reserved for honorably dischsrged vets that it will really be offensive....and illegal.
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First off He better check his 6 because if his Naval Science Instructor ever sees him wearing any part of his Uniform while not in School or at a School Function he will get a foot up his ass! AND He is NOT supposed to be wearing his jacket unless in FULL UNIFORM anyway. He knows that because he has been told that at the start of every semester! He is lucky he has not been caught and kicked out of the Unit! I work with Navy, Air Force and Army JROTC units locally and I know the regulations they expect their students to adhere to. IS he stealing Honor? No because all the Uniforms are distinctly marked with devices and patches identifying them as Junior ROTC but he is deceiving the merchants and stealing from them, Not a good start for a prospective service member.
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The real question should be are the restaurants in question aware of his status. If they are then it's their choice to give the discounts. If not the the cadet is wrong to take advantage.
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Ok, if it happened unintentionally once in awhile sure no issue there. Sometimes JROTC does public things and sometimes they go to a restaurant as a group or individually before returning to school or going home. I get that and that's ok. He may not be misrepresenting himself by going out and saying he's a Sailor directly but by wearing the uniform items in public he's indirectly misrepresenting himself and he probably knows it at this point.
If he is receiving discounts, first he's not owed them. None of us are owed a discount for serving, we should be humbled to receive them if at all. Second if he's doing this action repeatedly then yes he is stealing valor by misrepresenting himself as a service member.
It's great that he's in the JNROTC, that's awesome and he should be proud to do it. Maybe he joins the Naval Academy or maybe he enlists, or maybe not. Until he signs the dotted line though, he might want to reevaluate what he's doing in public and why. He might end up coming across a salty vet who will chew him out in public.
If he is receiving discounts, first he's not owed them. None of us are owed a discount for serving, we should be humbled to receive them if at all. Second if he's doing this action repeatedly then yes he is stealing valor by misrepresenting himself as a service member.
It's great that he's in the JNROTC, that's awesome and he should be proud to do it. Maybe he joins the Naval Academy or maybe he enlists, or maybe not. Until he signs the dotted line though, he might want to reevaluate what he's doing in public and why. He might end up coming across a salty vet who will chew him out in public.
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I was not allowed to wear my uniform outside of military events and school when I was in NJROTC. What I would say is ask you brother this: If a Wounded Warrior sat across from him, would he feel comfortable telling him or her about this? Probably not... Kacee Howell
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Stolen valor is a big thing for me because my father spent twenty-four years in the navy and had an extensive fruit salad and he earned every one of them. I served in the navy for six years and earned several medals the one I'm most proud of is my national defence and my good conduct. The only ribbon I wear on my chest I did not earn is my Viet nam medal and it because my dad gave it to me because he said I should to honor my friend and family we lost thier
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Not exactly the most thrilling of ideas, at least to me, though thst's obviously just my personal opinion, of course...I mean, it just opens up so many questions, kind of unlocking a whole Pandora's Box, if you will...I'll admit I never heard one quite like that, certainly...
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I would say no, not stolen valor. If he is in JNROTC then he probably looks too young to be in the military yet. Some restaurants might have very liberal policy on those discounts. It's on him to accept or not accept the offer.
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I am not familiar with the rules and rules of JNRTC but I would hope they are the same as RC/NG you only wear your uniform at Drills or military activities. If this young man is wearing his Utilities or dress uniform any other time he is asking for trouble which may end up with him being booted from his unit. Worse yet he will run into an Officer or SRNCO that will eat him alive. By being eaten alive that will not be pleasant. Younger Soldiers or NCO may do something old school if they run across him doing this.
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PO2 . Lancaster
The uniforms are VERY clearly not the same as the military ones. If you are in the service, see a high school kid wearing a JNROTC uniform, and give them a hard time, you're just a ignorant jerk. I can see how the 'public' might be fooled, but not someone who is serving.
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1SG Dennis Hicks
Ok I will explain this clearly, If you are in a JNROTC or ROTC uniform outside of an authorized function or event not even counting getting discounts on food and services from civilians who don't know better then YOU are wrong. While many in uniform regardless of the service can easily see what they really are the public will take it for what they see and the behavior they see which will be damaging to the service. These kids and young men and women are supposed to learn the customs and courtesies of the service officer training course they are enrolled in. This includes uniform wear and activities. I work with Civil Air Patrol Cadets that wear the old BDU uniform with certain differences. Yet they still get thanked for their service and called Army guys even though the name tapes say Civil Air Patrol. They all know never to wear their uniforms except for authorized activities. Anyone seeing anyone wearing a uniform incorrectly or at an unauthorized activity and says something are doing their job. As NCO's we are the keepers of the standards. According to you its perfectly OK for young future troops to screw around without being corrected. That is not developing and training them to actually follow rules and regulations. Now if I ran into a rugrat wearing a uniform pretending to be something he or she is not I will educate them real fast.
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I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily stolen valor but if he plans on joining the service (which I assume he does being in ROTC) he should know most branches don’t let you wear uniform in public.
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Getting a discount and not asking for it? I don't see it hurting anything. If he asked for it that's a different story! Hooah
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Hmm, 1. He should not be wearing parts of his uniform outside JROTC functions. Regular service, someone would be on his case. It's not stolen valor, because he's not asking for the discounts. But it is unethical conduct, to accept these discounts which are for active duty, retired and past service members. Tell him desist at once, or you will report him to his senior JROTC Instructor.
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im saying NO not stolen valour. you say hes wearing his tops okay the top says JROTC(instead of army) and says the name of the highschool instead of unit patch. i will say he shouldnt be wearing jsut the boots and jacket if hes gonna wear it wear full uniform.
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Kacee Howell I would say no.
I am in my 6th year as a JROTC instructor, and we travel a lot to various competitions.
Our kids, who travel in uniform many times, are often "thanked" for their service and the like, as most folks have no idea who they are. Several times folks have bought their food. Rather than them telling everyone (every time) the real deal, which would be confusing to most, we just tell the kids to say thank you and move on.
The kids, by the way, many of whom are military family members here (80% are), are very embarrassed too, and don't know what to do.
Since we live in an Initial Entry training community, at times they are also stopped by Drill Sergeants... who jack them up about the differences on their uniforms, before they realize they HS kids. That to me is funny.
Now, if a kid were working this to their advantage, that is trying get things free, I would say that was wrong. The examples I have cited above are accidental and of no intentional malice of forethought by the Cadets.
I am in my 6th year as a JROTC instructor, and we travel a lot to various competitions.
Our kids, who travel in uniform many times, are often "thanked" for their service and the like, as most folks have no idea who they are. Several times folks have bought their food. Rather than them telling everyone (every time) the real deal, which would be confusing to most, we just tell the kids to say thank you and move on.
The kids, by the way, many of whom are military family members here (80% are), are very embarrassed too, and don't know what to do.
Since we live in an Initial Entry training community, at times they are also stopped by Drill Sergeants... who jack them up about the differences on their uniforms, before they realize they HS kids. That to me is funny.
Now, if a kid were working this to their advantage, that is trying get things free, I would say that was wrong. The examples I have cited above are accidental and of no intentional malice of forethought by the Cadets.
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Having served in combat, my opinion is as long as he clarifies that he is a ROTC cadet and wears his uniform according to standards, it's nice of the restaurants to discount food. We don't differentiate between us combat veterans and rear detachment veterans. This young man my be training for basic training. This young man is our future. We veterans should lift him up and maybe one day he will be the killer that deserves a free latte. Remember he was issued that uniform with specific guidelines to follow. Support our civic minded civilians.
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Okay, the unit should already have rules that should prevent this kind of stuff from ever happening. I was an AFJROTC Cadet throughout high school and it was commonly known that we were NEVER authorized to wear our issued uniforms unless it was a designated occasion for it. If you were going to wear your Dress uniform or Bs then it better be a uniform inspection day at school or an event that has been designated as requiring wear of the uniform. Now, there is nothing wrong with grabbing a bite to eat at lunch or after school while still in uniform, but the discounts should never be gotten. The businesses should be able to tell that they aren't really in the service. I would probably just have a conversation with the Instructor. I'm sure that the issue will be completely taken care of by the unit's instructors.
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I am the wife of a retired Marine and I have been the Manager in both a sit down restaurant and a fast food restaurant in which we gave military discounts and free meals on Veterans Day. My policy was that my employees were to NEVER ask to see a military ID my thoughts were either they truely are/were military or they were hungry enough to lie about it and in that case they could have the discount/free meal.... Just my thoughts
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I think that the JROTC should have different uniforms so that they can be differentiated from active duty personnel. If establishments still want to reward their early commitment to service, so be it. But there will be no more mistaken identity. They should stop with the ribbons also. Ribbons are for service merit, not training.
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I was in JROTC in high school. Wore my uniform to school on Wednesdays (that was the designated uniform day) and sometimes I would have things to do after school. I would go into town and grab a bite to eat, never offered a discount or anything. But I would reject the discount if offered. I've also had people walk up and thank me for my service. I never really knew how to respond to that so I kept quiet (I'm quiet anyways).
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No. The patches on their uniform clearly show they are JROTC, not in the military.
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Kacee, I believe the actions of your brother is less than honest and of integrity. There are designated days during the school week to wear the uniform and, in my opinion, remnants of the uniform should remain with the complete uniform at home. Receiving discounts in restaurants and elsewhere for wearing parts of his uniform is certainly not right in all aspects. Only you can convince him otherwise.
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I think you are reaching hard to find issues.
If people are giving courtesies and free meals/discounts to high school kids who are involved in JROTC, that’s nice. If they (the students) are taking steps to pretend they are combat hardened veteran 16-17 y/o’s, that’s a different, and hard to believe, issue.
If people are giving courtesies and free meals/discounts to high school kids who are involved in JROTC, that’s nice. If they (the students) are taking steps to pretend they are combat hardened veteran 16-17 y/o’s, that’s a different, and hard to believe, issue.
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In my mind, this is not a case of Stolen Valor. The young man is evidently proud that he's a part of JROTC and he rightfully should be. However, to accept the gifts is a foul. He should respectfully decline the offer and explain that he is not a veteran and that he would be doing a disservice to those who are if he were to accept. I'm pretty sure that those who are offering the item would understand and have a much greater respect for him. Just my 2C worth.
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He's not asking. People are making assumptions.
Maybe we should Chase him down and video bash him.
(Why does it bother y'all so much that wanna b's get what you don't ask for. )
Maybe we should Chase him down and video bash him.
(Why does it bother y'all so much that wanna b's get what you don't ask for. )
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Probably if he accepts it. As a cadet it's fine if he publicly wears the uniform but cannot present himself as a service member.
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Hmmm... My local high schools all wear their uni's "out and about" several days during each week. Normally Fridays and Mondays. Never heard of it being illegal to do so. Kids walking home from school may stop at a McDonalds or two on their way home. I see them in stores as well.
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