Elevation of rank in the shadow of Admiral Farragut
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Holding his Promotion Ceremony in Admiral Farragut Plaza late Saturday morning, Aug. 24, then U.S. Army Maj. Dr. Nicholas K. Roland, right — a 2003 Farragut High graduate and Red Team Chief of 29th Infantry Division of Virginia National Guard — takes the Oath of Office to be promoted to lieutenant colonel as administered by Brig. Gen. Christopher J. Samulski, Deputy Commanding General - Operations, of 29th Division. Serving as ceremony emcee, left, was former USMC Cpl. Jonathan Roland, Dr. Roland’s younger brother and a 2006 FHS graduate. - Alan Sloan
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As part of his Promotion Ceremony in Admiral Farragut Plaza late Saturday morning, Aug. 24, newly honored U.S. Army Lt. Col. Dr. Nicholas K. Roland — a 2003 Farragut High graduate — hands flowers to his fianceé, Erin Emory, foreground, and his mother, Ingrid Roland (sunglasses), who were among more than a dozen family members on hand. - Alan Sloan
Coming full circle more than 20 years after graduating from Farragut High School, U.S. Army Maj. Dr. Nicholas Keefauver Roland and his family came to Admiral Farragut Plaza for a Promotion Ceremony, as soon-to-be Lt. Col. Roland was about to take the Oath of Office late Saturday morning, Aug. 24.
Administered by Brig. Gen. Christopher J. Samulski, Deputy Commanding General - Operations, of the 29th Infantry Division of Virginia National Guard, Roland was joined by several family members, including his brother, ceremony emcee Jonathan Roland, a former USMC corporal and 2006 FHS graduate.
Also joined by his fianceé, Erin Emory, and his parents, David and Ingrid Roland, now Lt. Col. Roland is Red Team Chief for the 29th Infantry Division of VNG. He also is a graduate of Airborne School, Army Ranger School, the Sniper Employment Leader’s Course and Basic Military Mountaineer Course.
Roland was deployed to Iraq in 2009 and 2010 for Operation Iraqi Freedom, and to the Horn of Africa in 2022.
His awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal.
Roland’s civilian education includes earning a doctorate degree in U.S. History at the University of Texas, Austin, in 2017, after earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in history, with Honors, from Virginia Tech in 2007, where he was a Distinguished Military Graduate of the VPI Corps of Cadets. A history teacher at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Roland resides in Nelson County, Virginia.
