NRCC to hold 2026 Veterans Day Ceremony

New River Community College Veterans Office will host a Veterans Day Ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. The event will be held on NRCC’s campus in Dublin in Edwards Hall, Room 117.

The program will include presentation of the colors and retiring of the flags by members of the Radford University Army ROTC Color Guard. Music will be provided by the Radford High School Concert Choir under the direction of Darren Goad. Ryan Adams, NRCC veterans and dependents student services advisor and U.S. Air Force Veteran; Staff Sergeant Liam Viet, NRCC veteran student and U.S. Marine Corps Reserve; Dr. Robert Brandon, NRCC president; and Dr. Deborah Kennedy, executive director of NRCC Educational Foundation, will represent the college during the ceremony.

Col. Richard S. “Rock” Roszak, retired U.S. Air Force Veteran, will serve as the keynote speaker. Roszak served on active duty for 27 years before joining the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets staff. Roszak has a bachelor’s degree in business management from Virginia Tech and a master’s degree in general studies from Texas Christian University. His professional military education credentials include Air Force Squadron Officer School in 1977, Air Command and Staff College in 1985, and the National War College in 1990. While at Virginia Tech, Roszak was a member of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets and later became the first alumni director for the corps and held that role until his retirement in 2012. He received his navigator wings in 1972 and achieved a final rating of combat-ready Master Navigator, accumulating over 2,000 flight hours in a variety of aircraft, most notably in the B-52D/F/G, B-1B, and KC/C-135.

His assignments included several staff tours, where he served as special assistant to the U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff and as the liaison officer for strategic aircraft programs to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. In 1991, Roszak entered the arms control arena in Washington, D.C. and spent two years leading technical negotiations. He spent his final four years of active duty as the commander of the Air Force ROTC Detachment 875 at Virginia Tech.  During his command tour, the Virginia Tech AFROTC became the sixth largest AFROTC detachment in the country and led the nation in scholarships awarded to Air Force cadets.

His decorations include the Legion of Merit, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters.

Since his retirement, he has authored, co-authored, illustrated, and published a total of 40 books, all dealing with American military aviation subjects.

The ceremony is free and open to NRCC students, faculty, staff and the public.  A reception catered by Kirstin Leonard Personal Chef & Caterer will be provided at the conclusion of the ceremony.

For more information about the event, contact the NRCC Veterans Office at (540)674-3693 or email veterans@nr.edu.