09/05/2026
As I reflect on my past 2 years, one of the hardest things for me as a JROTC instructor is watching a kid leave the program—not because they can't do it, but because someone keeps making it easier for them not to.
They show up late because they're dropped off late. They don't want to march because it's hot or tiring. They don't want to work out because PT is hard. Sometimes a parent steps in and protects them from the very things that are trying to teach them discipline, responsibility, and perseverance.
And too many times, I see those same kids later—not in JROTC, but in lunch detention, in-school suspension, out-of-school suspension, or eventually barely coming to school at all.
It doesn't happen overnight. It snowballs.
Missing formation becomes being okay with being late. Avoiding PT becomes avoiding anything uncomfortable. Quitting when something gets hard becomes a habit.
And then, almost full circle, I get the phone call:
“Can you please take my child back into JROTC? He/she was doing good as your student.”
Of course I want them back. I care about these kids. But that's also the heartbreaking part—because many times, what the parent is looking for now is exactly what JROTC was trying to give them in the first place: structure, accountability, discipline, belonging, and people who refuse to give up on them.
Parents, let your child come home and tell you, “JROTC was hard today.”
Let them tell you their legs hurt from marching. Let them complain that PT was tough. Listen to them. Love them. But encourage them to go back tomorrow.
Don't remove every obstacle from their path. Help them learn how to get over it.
Because a tough day won't hurt them. Learning to quit every time life gets tough might.
- Captain (RET) Charqueño
