Joshua Drywater, United States Army, 2009-2013: Joshua is the Director of Native Initiatives at VCU-RRTC. Joshua comes from a family of military veterans, including his ancestors, grandfather, uncle, and brother. He graduated from Officer Candidate School (OCS) and Army Reconnaissance Course (ARC) in 2009. He served as a Commissioned Officer and Platoon Leader under 1st Battalion, 63rd Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One) in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation New Dawn. As the Platoon Leader for “Green Platoon,” Bravo Company, 1/63 AR, Joshua commanded a combined arms platoon of 35 Soldiers, including infantrymen, tankers, and cavalry scouts, as well as a detail of criminal investigator and explosive ordnance Soldiers, in combat, counter-IED/IDF, quick reaction force, and advise and assist operations throughout Baghdad, Iraq and surrounding areas. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal. Joshua works within the RRTC on activities geared toward Indigenous inclusivity and Native Initiatives throughout the country.

Lucian Friel, United States Marine Corps, 2003-2007: Lucian is VCU-RRTC’s Educational Technologies and Communications Manager. He served as a combat correspondent in the 2nd Marine Division, deploying to Iraq with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. As a military photojournalist, Lucian was responsible for writing feature and news stories with accompanying photos of Marines during training and combat operations for release to the public. He also was responsible for escorting civilian journalists on bases. He was awarded two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals during his service. Lucian has continued his work in the communications field here at RRTC, writing and editing feature stories and producing videos for training and marketing; he is also the administrator of our online courses.

We salute Joshua, Lucian, and all our veterans on Veterans Day! Thank you for your service!