The Office of Veterans & Military Programs (VAMP) at UConn is pleased to recognize Alex Sayre as UConn’s Veteran of the Month.  Alex has recently arrived to campus as an Active-Duty Infantry Officer serving as the new Department Head and Professor of Military Science for the Army ROTC Program at UConn.  Throughout his 16-year career, he has served in a variety of assignments, largely focused on preparing for an leading soldiers in combat.  He has also served as an advisor to foreign militaries, and experience that has given him a deep appreciation for the unique and challenging positions the Army provides.

Through his career, Alex has been amazed at the unique and challenging positions the Army puts soldiers in. Whether leading combat patrols in Afghanistan, advising our partners in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, or liaising with government agencies in D.C., the Army demands excellence and trusts its leaders to succeed. This is why ROTC training is so important.  Through ROTC, we are selecting and educating our future lieutenants in this academic setting, which is paramount to the success of our military and our nation.

Alex specifically sought this position at UConn because of the unique opportunity it provides to mentor the future leaders of our military.  The ROTC environment offers excellent training and leadership opportunities for our cadets, allowing them to grow and develop as students and leaders within the university setting.  As a former ROTC Cadet himself, Alex looks forward to seeing our cadets learn and grow through daily physical training, leadership labs, and field training exercises.

First, Alex conveys his appreciation for everyone at UConn who served/is serving in the military, since only a small fraction of our population service in the military and their contributions do not go unnoticed.  Next, he encourages all military and veteran students at UConn to use the skills and knowledge gained through their service for good across campus.  Whether that means serving in student organizations or simply helping other students in need, they can continue to make a positive impact.  Lastly, he says, “if you see me around campus, please stop and say hello!”

If you would like to nominate a student, faculty, or staff member for “Veteran of the Month,” please contact Nikki Eberly with the name of the person and reasons for your nomination.

Roger Nadeau

The Office of Veterans & Military Programs (VAMP) at UConn is pleased to recognize Roger Nadeau as UConn’s Employee Veteran of the Month.  Roger served as an Aviation Electronics Technician, 2^nd Class (AT2) from 2001-2006.  During his time in the military, he got to work on some of the most notable military aircraft in the world, F-14 Tomcats with squadron VF-101 Grim Reaper’s, F/A-18 Super Hornets with squadron VFA-106 Gladiator’s, and SH-60B Seahawk Helicopters with squadron HSL-44 Swamp Fox.  He was honored as VF-101 Plane Captain of the year and got to fly a T-34 plane. 

Roger was hired at UConn as a Power Plant Operator, and soon after as an Electronics Technician at the Cogeneration Plant.  He says that he has been able to do what he loves for nearly 20 years:  working with electronics, troubleshooting, programming, calibrating.  Nearly 8 years ago, Roger and one of his co-workers started UConn’s Metering Department where they design and build electronics that help monitor energy usage and collect data UConn.  Roger also programs graphical interfaces to allow us to see the data and report it so that everyone can see how efficient the university is doing, helping to achieve the University’s goals.

Roger’s advice to his colleagues and students on-campus, and in recognition of the recent Mental Health awareness month, and his own struggles through life, he says “that one way or another, we are all here, together, striving to make the best of our futures;  we all experience highs and lows in life, and at times we may need a helping hand to get back up.  Mental health can be debilitating at times, and sometimes we need to talk to someone about our struggles.  The tools you’ll get to help yourself, can very well lead you to helping someone else in need.”   

If you would like to nominate a student, faculty, or staff member for “Veteran of the Month,” please contact Nikki Eberly at with the name of the person and reasons for your nomination.