Playing the Vet card

[blas87]

We just finally were rid of a mainenance guy at work, that his entire being revolved around the fact that he's a Vietnam veteran. I mean, all over his vehicle, anytime he conversed with anyone.....

Not to sound disrespectful, but it just made me want to say, "So what?!"

[NoMoreRetail]

I totally agree with this. Don't get me wrong I have the respect for anyone who is willing to serve this country at the risk of their own lives. I have many family members who have served and friends that served or are still serving this country. Not once have I heard them demand for free stuff or discounts because of their status. Most just don't talk about it.

In my experience the demanding of discounts come from the military wives. I just think it is crappy when anyone just comes out and ask "do you give military discounts?"

[Tanasi]

JROTC= Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp . That's in high school and depending on the school is which branch you train for. My alma mater had the Army branch. I had a lot of friends in high school that were in JROTC.

ROTC = Reserve Officer Training Corp. Regardless if you do this or JROTC from what I was told it bumps your rank up a bit when you're in the military.

JROTC might help you in rank if you go in straight out of high school with a letter of rec from your JROTC leader. Most JROTC leaders are retired veterans that also teach. Various schools allow different programs, some here allow air-rifle teams but most if not all have close-order drill teams.

ROTC is college level and most participants are commissioned as officers in their respective branch. ROTC program leaders are active duty officers and senior enlisted their mission is to recruit and train a corp of officers. Of those that are commissioned (O-1) some go active duty, others become reserve officers and yet others national guard officers. Not everyone that completes ROTC become officers but enlisted usually around what is known as buck-SGT.

ROTC was very popular during the Vietnam era because if you were drafted you could get a deferment. After the draft lottery came about it's popularity dramtically dropped and in some places the ROTC buildings were burned.

I know of very very few veterans that been to see the elephant that will talk about it and especially so if things went real bad. Seeing someone die is bad seeing someone(s) that were closer to you than your brother is.... well it's not something to be talked about by those that haven't been there as you wouldn't understand (no disrespect meant.)