UNC Hero To Get Military Burial

Categories: Military, News, Opinion

He’s a hero for sure. I may be the bad guy here when I say this so I’ll write it from the first person so as not to incriminate anyone else. I don’t think he should get a full military burial with honors. I think he should definitely get a hero’s funeral, for that is what he is.

“Those who are eligible for military funerals and full honors in the United States include the following:^[3]

• Active duty or Selected Reserve in the United States Armed Forces.
• Former active duty or Selected Reserve who departed under conditions other than dishonorable in the United States Armed Forces.
• Former enlisted servicemen or servicewomen who completed at least one term or period of initial obligated service in the Selected Reserve and departed under conditions other than dishonorable.
• Former servicemen or servicewomen who were discharged due to a disability incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.”

He doesn’t fit the criteria. I know we want to bring honor to this young man, and so I ask the question…what is so horrible about recognizing him as the hero he was? Why must we force something that he is not eligible for? Is being a civilian and hero who will be remembered forever as such, not enough?

Taken from the United States Army’s own Frequently Asked Questions page on ROTC.

“Enrolling in Army ROTC is not, strictly speaking, joining the Army. You will not be sent to boot camp. However, the primary purpose of the Army ROTC program is to produce its Officers, so you must agree to serve as Officers in the Army after graduation in order to go through the entire program, or if you have received an ROTC scholarship. Enrolling in the ROTC Basic Course (the first two years of college) does NOT obligate you to serve unless you have also received a scholarship.”

To us, this young man who is no doubt a hero, is in a similar circumstance as a Poolee/someone in the Delayed Entry Program. You may have an interest, you may be willing, but you haven’t become a part of the fraternity yet. Even if he had committed to join after college…he hadn’t completed the necessary steps.

From the University of Alabama at Birmingham and their FAQ page,

“Q. By enrolling in ROTC, are you joining the Army? 
A. No. Students who enroll in ROTC don’t join the Army. They take an ROTC class for which they receive credit. It’s considered a college elective.
Q: If I enroll in Army ROTC, won’t I have a service obligation?
A: No. You can enroll in all ROTC classes with no service obligation. The obligation comes when you decide to contract into the ROTC program to become an Army Officer.”

Look, he’s a hero no doubt. I wouldn’t want to cheapen that in any way shape or form, but the fact is, he was a college student, not a soldier, airman, sailor or Marine. I know it’s unpopular as hell. I know that 25,000 people signed a petition at whitehouse.gov to get to where we are today. I know I may be castigated, but the pure and simple fact was he was not in the military and therefore he should get a hero’s funeral, but not a military one.