VFW Post 4931 near Hilliard will be renamed in memory of Dublin soldier Nicholas J. Rozanski
Nearly 10 years after 36-year-old Ohio National Guard Capt. Nicholas J. Rozanski was killed while on active duty in Afghanistan, a central Ohio Veterans of Foreign Wars post will be renamed in his memory.
The Hilliard Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4931, 2436 Walcutt Road in Columbus, just south of Hilliard, will become the Capt. Nicholas J. Rozanski Veterans of Foreign Wars Memorial Post 4931 at a renaming and dedication ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 25.
Rozanski, Master Sgt. Shawn T. Hannon, 44, of Grove City, and Master Sgt. Jeffrey J. Rieck, 46, of northwest Columbus, were part of the Ohio National Guard’s 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, deployed to help train Afghan security forces.
Rozanski grew up in Dublin and graduated from Dublin High School – now Dublin Coffman High School – in 1994 and was the son of former Dublin mayor Jan Rozanski.
“We thought it a fitting tribute to honor him this way,” said Eric Tarbox, commander of Post 4931.
The name change memorializes Rozanski but also removes a geographic name from Memorial VFW Post 4931 as it absorbs members from posts that have closed in the recent past, including those in Dublin and Upper Arlington.
“We are the only VFW Post in northwest (Columbus) now,” Tarbox said.
Tarbox said VFW members decided in early 2020, just before the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, to rename the post in memory of Rozanski and approached his family about it.
“On behalf of our family, we are honored that the VFW chose to honor (Rozanski) this way. It would mean so much to him,” said his wife, Jenny Rozanski.
Rozanski’s daughters, Emma and Anna, were 4 years and 18 months old, respectively, when their father was killed.
The name change also required the ascent from the national headquarters of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Tarbox said.
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