The Unsung Heroes of Our Generation
Mar 31st 2026
By Jose Alejandro Barreto, CEO, Glendale Parade Store, U.S. Air Force Reserve Major
They wore the uniform for 20 or more years. They deployed, they sacrificed, they led. And then, when most would have walked away, they stepped into a high school classroom and chose to serve again.
— On JROTC Instructors Across America
At Glendale Parade Store, we have spent 77 years supplying the ceremonial products, uniforms, and equipment that make Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) programs run. We know the materials. We know the programs. And after decades of serving this community, we have developed a deep respect for the people at the heart of it all: the instructors.
This post is for them.
A Program Built on Half a Million Students
JROTC was established by the National Defense Act of 1916, over a century ago, as a citizenship and leadership program. Today, it stands as one of the largest youth development programs in the United States. The numbers are staggering.
500K+ Students served annually
3,400+ High schools with JROTC programs
$390M Annual federal investment (DoD)
A 2023 RAND Corporation study, one of the most rigorous examinations of JROTC outcomes ever conducted, found meaningful, positive results for cadets who commit to the program. Students who participate in all four years of high school are more likely to graduate on time, less likely to be absent or suspended, and if they go on to enlist in the military, they serve longer and are less likely to leave before completing their first term.
Source: Zaber, M.A., Lewis, M.W., et al. The Impact of Army JROTC Participation on School and Career Outcomes. RAND Corporation, RRA1577-1, 2023. rand.org/t/RRA1577-1
The mission, as codified in federal law, is to "instill in students the values of citizenship, service to the United States, personal responsibility, and a sense of accomplishment." That is a tall order. And it falls squarely on the shoulders of the instructor corps.
The Long Pole in the Tent
The RAND researchers found something that those of us who work alongside JROTC programs already know intuitively: the data, the curriculum, and the funding all matter, but none of it works without exceptional instructors.
"Sourcing high-quality instructors for JROTC units, particularly in hard-to-staff areas, is the 'long pole in the tent' that can make or break a JROTC unit's success."
— RAND Corporation, RRA1577-1 (2023), citing USACC leadership
That phrase, the long pole in the tent, says everything. Strip away the resources, the buildings, the gear we supply, and what you have left, what actually determines whether a young person's life is changed, is the instructor standing at the front of that room.
Who are these instructors? They are retired military veterans, Senior NCOs, Warrant Officers, and commissioned officers who have given decades to their country in uniform. They have served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, and bases around the world. They have held commands, led soldiers through combat, and earned their retirement with honor.
And then they went back to work, for our kids.
Serving Students Who Need Them Most
The RAND study also highlights something important about where JROTC programs are concentrated: schools serving economically disadvantaged communities. These are students who may not have access to the mentorship networks, the professional role models, or the structured environments that more affluent students take for granted.
JROTC instructors walk into those schools, often under-resourced, often in hard-to-staff areas, and bring with them something that cannot be purchased: lived experience, moral authority, and genuine care.
They adapt their programs to local needs. The RAND interviews found instructors tailoring curricula, standing up robotics teams, organizing cybersecurity competitions, and running drill practice before school starts. They are not simply delivering a syllabus. They are building human beings.
Approximately 40% of AJROTC cadets are female, far outpacing the gender diversity of the active military itself. JROTC instructors are shaping a generation that looks like America, giving young women and men from all backgrounds their first real experience with leadership, accountability, and service.
A Note from Our Founder
As a veteran myself, nearing the end of a military career that has been the honor of my life, I feel this subject personally. I know what it means to wear the uniform. I know the deployments away from family, the weight of command, and the responsibility you carry for those under your charge. So when I see a retired Sergeant Major or Lieutenant Colonel walk into a high school and pour that same dedication into a 15-year-old who needs direction, I am genuinely moved.
Their passion to serve does not stop when they take off the uniform. It simply finds a new mission. And I admire them more than words can fully express.
At Glendale, we are proud to support JROTC programs across this country, supplying the uniforms, the flags, and the ceremonial equipment that make these programs come to life. But we know that the equipment is just the frame. The instructors are the portrait.
To every JROTC instructor reading this: thank you for your continued service. You didn't have to keep going. You chose to. And America is better for it.
— Jose Alejandro Barreto, CEO · Glendale Parade Store · U.S. Air Force Reserve Major
Two Missions. One Life of Service.
We often talk about veterans as people who have served, past tense. JROTC instructors challenge that framing. For them, service is not a chapter that closed. It is the throughline of their entire lives.
First, they served as soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, protecting this nation abroad and at home. Then, they took on perhaps the harder mission: standing in front of teenagers, day after day, and making the case for discipline, citizenship, and purpose.
They are mentors, coaches, counselors, and commanding officers all at once. They notice the kid in the back who hasn't been eating. They push the one who doesn't believe in herself. They model what it looks like to show up with integrity, every single day, because that's all they've ever known.
These are the unsung heroes of our generation. They rarely make headlines. They do not seek recognition. They simply serve, because that is who they are.
Glendale Proudly Serves Those Who Serve
For 77 years, we have been the trusted supplier for JROTC programs, honor guards, and ceremonial units across America. From uniforms to flags to drill equipment, we are here to support every program, every instructor, every cadet.