For dozens of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students, the opportunity to interview veterans was more than a chance to hear their stories — it was an opportunity to preserve history. 

Army ROTC student Roman Zalewski sat down with his 72-year-old grandfather, Ernie Brock, an Air Force veteran whose military career spanned two decades. “It felt like the project changed our relationship,” he said  

Zalewski, a senior studying Data Science, was among 60 students who recorded the stories of 57 veterans through Imprints of Honor, an Arizona-based organization dedicated to connecting students with veterans to chronicle their histories through one-on-one interviews. As part of the project, Imprints of Honor has published the interviews in a book and submitted the recordings to the Library of Congress Veterans History Project.  

“I am incredibly grateful for what [Imprints of Honor] were able to do,” Zalewski said.  

Imprints of Honor was Zalewski’s capstone assignment for his military history class. He spent several hours interviewing his grandfather, who served in the Air Force from 1972-1992. 

“My grandpa has always had this super hyper-optimistic outlook about his time in the service, and he always says it was his favorite thing ever,” Zalewski said. "There was definitely a lot more to his life and his journey that I didn’t know about.” 

A fixed-wing mechanic, Brock worked on four airframes, including a then-classified F-117 aircraft. He also deployed in Operation Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia. 

Brock said he was happy to share his story with his grandson and that he enjoyed spending time with him, participating in a project that was important to both of them.  

During the interview, he said it was hard for him to control his feelings and emotions. Though he previously shared his story with several high school students who were considering the military, this experience was different. 

Zalewski described Brock as an incredibly humble person and hard worker. During his service, he was given the nickname “Energizer Bunny,” because he never stopped moving. To this day, Zalewski said his grandfather still embodies this nickname. 

“It’s just my story, nothing more,” Brock said. “I’m just an average serviceman providing a life for his family well beyond what I ever thought I could have accomplished without my career in the military.” 

Still, Zalewski, 21, said he is very proud of his grandfather’s service.  

Russell Davis, an adjunct professor and retired Air Force colonel who has taken the lead on the project, said Prescott, home to Embry-Riddle’s campus in Arizona, has one of the largest veteran populations in the country. It is important for them to remember that their service does matter, he said.    

Three men in uniform look at Imprints of Honor book
Russel Davis, adjunct professor and retired Air Force colonel, Col. Randon Storms, commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 028 at the Prescott Campus, and student Roman Zalewski look through the Imprints of Honor edition made up of interviews by Embry-Riddle students. (Photo: Embry-Riddle/Connor McShane)

“If you don’t capture the history, the history is lost,” Davis said. “It’s too important to the fabric of our country. A lot of veterans in the book aren’t famous. They are your average veteran who has served the country and served it well. These are the folks behind the scenes making things happen.”  

Sharing veterans’ stories is something Zalewski thinks is important. He says the first step is just asking the question. 

“People think they are very different,” Zalewski said. “I don’t think they are. We all have a job. Their jobs are different, but they aren’t.” 

Col. Randon Storms, commander of Air Force ROTC Detachment 028 at the Prescott Campus, said capturing and preserving veterans’ stories is vital. He had two grandfathers who served in World War II, and the only record they have of their histories are old recordings. 

“This project seeks to build on getting to hear those incredible things that our service members have done and connecting it to this new generation of leaders that are now going to have the opportunity to complete their own service,” Storms said. “We are sending them out the door by having them learn about those who came before them.” 

On Friday, Nov. 13, from 3:00-4:30 p.m., the students and their veterans involved in the Imprints of Honor project will hold a signing in the Prescott Campus’ Lower Hangar.