Chattanooga Navy Commander Returns Home to Speak with Local Students
The Coolidge National Medal of Honor Heritage Center recently welcomed U.S. Navy Commander Thelmar A. Rosarda back to Chattanooga—this time to speak with local students about leadership, service, and the path that brought him there.
A graduate of the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences (CSAS), Commander Rosarda met with JROTC students from Howard High School and Walker Valley High School, sharing not just his accomplishments, but the experiences that shaped him along the way.
He spoke about the opportunities the Navy gave him to see the world—standing on the deck of a ship in the open ocean, even jumping in and swimming in waters far from home. But his story also included the challenges that led him there.
U.S. Navy Commander Thelmar A. Rosarda stands inside the National Medal of Honor Heritage Center during an on-site interview, sharing his journey from Chattanooga student to military leader and his commitment to service.
Commander Rosarda shared that he chose the Navy in part to confront and overcome a traumatic experience involving a riptide earlier in his life. What could have remained a fear became a turning point—one that ultimately led him into a career defined by resilience and growth.
Since then, he has gone on to serve around the world, including efforts to combat piracy, and has risen through the ranks to become a Commander in the United States Navy.
His message to students was simple and direct: leadership is built over time, through the decisions you make and the challenges you’re willing to face.
For many of the students in the room, hearing that story from someone who once sat where they sit now made the idea of service feel less abstract, and their questions about what its like to experience basic training, to be on a deployment, and to see the world in a way only the Navy can give you made it obvious that many of them were considering military service as a future career path.
Visits like this are a core part of the mission at the National Medal of Honor Museum & Heritage Center—connecting the values of courage, commitment, and service to the next generation, not just through history, but through real people living those values in our communities today.
