Maroon and white have been the branch colors of the Army Medical Department since October 1916. While the U.S. Army authorizes only two types of shoulder cords, Infantry blue for Infantry personnel and a blue cord with red and white markings as a Marksmanship award, local Commanders have the authority to prescribe the wear of shoulder cords in the unit’s branch color for specific ceremonies (although in such cases the cords are to be purchased using unit funds and used for the specific event).
Often, a Commander that authorizes the wear of a specialty item such as a branch-colored shoulder cord will authorize it for wear at unit-wide social events, but is not under obligation to do so.
Regulations for organizations such as the ROTC/JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, and others give Commanders of local chapters great leeway in the wear and specifications regarding shoulder cords, so maroon and white cords are not necessarily worn only by Army personnel.