Last spring, Ohio State decided to do something a bit different for this November's Veterans Day. Rather than merely wishing a "Happy Veterans Day," the team elected to reach out to a number of Ohio families who had lost loved ones. All in all, the football team produced over 100 hundred letters that were sent out to the fallen soldiers' families.
On Saturday, ESPN ran the story on the team's letter-writing assignment. The story – which is narrated by Tom Rinaldi – features comments from the likes of wide receiver Terry McLaurin and linebacker Nick Conner. The Buckeyes discussed how the project came about and what it meant to them to connect with the families of the fallen soldiers.
The redshirt freshman linebacker penned a letter to a fellow Dublin family. Nick Rozanski, a captain in the Ohio National Guard, was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2012. The 36-year old Ohio State alum left behind a wife and two young daughters.
Conner indicated that the act wasn't really an assignment to him. Rather, it was something that he deep down wanted to do. The letter definitely left its mark on the family, especially Jenny Rozanski, the wife of the fallen soldier.
“For him to have taken just a few minutes and to have thought about our family – and meant it from his heart – really means a lot,” Jenny said.
The Nick Rozanski Memorial Foundation was established to benefit students and families within the Dublin community through scholarships and other charitable foundations.
