October 18, 2023
Military veteran and State Representative Monty Fritts will be the keynote speaker at Roane State’s Veterans Day Observance on November 10, 2023. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET in front of the college’s O’Brien Building on the Roane County Campus.
Rep. Fritts is a U.S. Army Veteran of the Iraq War, having served from 1983 until 1993 and again in 2003. He is a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion.
A life-long resident of Roane County, most of Fritts’ civilian career was spent in the nuclear manufacturing industry. Fritts is just completing his first year representing House District 32, which encompasses parts of Roane and Loudon counties.
As part of the Veterans Day ceremony, sponsored American flags will be on display at the campus thanks to the “Veteran WAVE” project. It’s a collaborative effort by Roane State and its Office of Veterans Affairs. Each of the flags represents a veteran and will be displayed periodically for two years.
The displays are scheduled for the week around Veterans Day as well as Memorial Day through the 4th of July. Flags displayed as part of the project can be placed at any of Roane State’s nine campuses, with the location chosen by the sponsor.
Sponsorship of a 3-foot by 5-foot flag is $75 and includes a 10-foot-tall display pole and a dog tag style marker to identify the veteran and sponsor. Corporate sponsorships are also available.
Roane State President Dr. Chris Whaley called the project “a way for the college to show support for veterans who are members of our campus community as well as other local heroes who have served in the military.”
“We are proud to help honor veterans for their service,” said Dr. Diane Ward, Roane State’s vice president of student learning and one of the project’s organizers. “We hope our community will continue to support the Veteran WAVE effort, either through flag sponsorships, volunteered time or by helping us spread the word.”
Veterans, their family and friends, and the public are invited to attend the Veterans Day ceremony on November 10. Lunch will be provided. In the event of rain, the ceremony will move indoors to the Vann Student Center in the Dunbar Building.
For more information, contact Tamsin Miller, special assistant to President Whaley, at miller@aifengcai.com or (865) 882-4640.
Project details are also available online at aifengcai.com/veteranwave.
Roane State Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ethnicity or national origin, sex, disability, age, status as protected veteran or any other class protected by Federal or State laws and regulation and by Tennessee board of Regents policies with respect to employment, programs, and activities. View full non-discrimination policy.
