Essay Winners
VMRC supports local youth, as well as honors our Military and Veterans.
Students wrote essays personally thanking U.S. veterans and personnel for their service.
2025 Scholarship Winners!
On May 29, the VMRC presented 2 Verona students with $500 scholarships. The winners, Yanniotis and Maher (pictured) wrote outstanding essays thanking our Veterans for their sacrifices for our country.
THANK YOU to our VMRC members and donors who support us in reaching out to our community in this positive way. Our Chairwoman of Scholarships and a Military mom herself, Deb Aldiero, thank YOU for making this event so special every year. You are a true Patriot and a GREAT AMERICAN.
THANK YOU to our veterans: James “JJ” Schroeder, Sargeant First Class U.S. Army, Retired and Al Rawding, Captain of the U.S. Marines, Retired.
And thank you to VHS and all the scholarship applicants for enabling us to participate in this wonderful night.
And thank you to VHS and all the scholarship applicants for enabling us to participate in this wonderful night.
Past Winners
May God Bless America.
2023 Scholarships Winners
May God Bless America.
Our Verona Veterans
Veteran Captain Albert Rawding
Veteran Captain Albert Rawding is a retired Captain in the US Marines who served active duty from 1988 to 1992. Captain Rawding started his service by completing Marine Officers Candidate School in Quantico, between his Junior and Senior year in college. Upon graduation from the University of Richmond he received commission as a 2nd Lieutenant and completed Marine Officer Basic School, also in Quantico Virginia.
His first duty station was Okinawa, Japan where he deployed to training operations in Japan, Korea and the Philippines. He then transferred to Camp Lejeune, North Carolina to begin preparations for deployment to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Storm. Captain Rawding served in combat, in Kuwait during the Gulf War. He then returned to Camp Lejeune before completing his service back in Okinawa, in March of 1992.
About Veteran Sergeant Leonard Andriuzzi: Leonard served in the US Army from 1968 through 1971 as a special agent. He was assigned to the 165th Military Intelligence Company, stationed in Bad Hersfeld, West Germany on the East German and West German border. Leonard was involved in interrogations of individuals escaping from East Germany to West Germany, background investigations, security clearances, border security and other classified duties
Private AJ Pengue
Private Pengue has been in the United States Army, for 6 and a half years, serving with the Vermont Army National Guard. He was in the Alpha Company 3rd Battalion, one seventy second infantry regimine Mountain, the officially designated Battalion for the Army which is specialized training in all types of Mountain and cold weather warfare. During his time at Alpha Company, he also served as a machine gunner and weapons team leader. Private Pengue also served as the weapons squad leader for his platoon during his rotation to Macedonia for Swift Response 22, the NATO combined forces mission. Private Pengue was deployed to Saudi Arabia and Qatar as a part of Task Force Avalanche in 2021. He has recently transferred to the NJ National Guard and we are excited to hear about his continued service missions.
thank you for your service!
