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?

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.

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.

Yes. It is.

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

Yes because he hasn’t earned it yet!

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.

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).

No. The patches on their uniform clearly show they are JROTC, not in the military.

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.

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.