Hudson Valley Veteran Surprised With $10,000

New Year's is a time of reflection. We look back on the previous year, reflecting on our successes and challenges. For Adam Roche, 2019 will always be remembered as the year he won $10,000 because of his outstanding service in support of his fellow veterans.

Adam was the recipient of WPDH's Vets Who Rock program, which sought nominations for Hudson Valley veterans deserving of extra recognition. Each month, a veteran was selected and given $500 thanks to the generosity of Tompkins-Mahopac Bank, Ruge's Automotive, Mirabito Energy and the Retired Public Employees Association. The program culminated with the announcement of the program's $10,000 winner on Veteran's Day.

Adam, a former Marine who served tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq, thought he was coming on WPDH's Boris & Robyn Show to talk about his work with Mental Health America of Dutchess County's Vet2Vet program.

"We meet them when they're at the lowest of the lows," Adam said. "One thing I always say is where you are right now doesn't define the person that you are. It's okay to be not okay."

At that point in the broadcast, Boris reminded listeners that Adam was one of WPDH's Vets Who Rock nominees.

"At the end of this thing, we wanted to award one vet with a grand prize. And Adam for all of your work that you do with vets throughout the year, you've been chosen as our Vet Who Rocks. You have one the $10,000 grand prize," Boris said.

Adam was shocked by the announcement. Reality still hadn't set in a month later when it was time to accept the $10,000 check at Tompkins-Mahopac Bank.

Listen to the Boris & Robyn Show weekday mornings from 6AM to 10AM on 101.5 WPDH. Stream us live through the website, Alexa-enabled device, Google Home or the WPDH mobile app.