Honoring those who serve in the Whitewater Valley: Walker Lee Rogers
June 29, 2022 at 6:09 p.m.
Let us honor US Army E4 specialist Walker Lee Rogers.
Walker Lee Rogers is currently an active member of the Rushville Township Volunteer Fire Department and is raising his family in Rushville. Rogers came from a long line of heroes. Both of Rogers' grandfathers were in the armed forces, as well as his maternal uncle. He is also a third-generation firefighter.
Rogers was born and raised in Abington. From a very young age, Rogers was called to help those in need. He joined the Abington Volunteer Fire Department as a cadet at the age of 13. He knew in junior high that he wanted to join the armed forces, although his original dream of being an Air Force pilot was extinguished because of his height. His height of six-foot-eight is well above the cutoff, which is 64-77 inches when standing and 30-34 inches when sitting.
Rogers lost his sister Cara Lynn Gilmore in 2012 from a tragic motorcycle accident that left her braindead. This fueled his desire to help people even more. Rogers graduated from Centerville Jr./Sr. High School in 2014 and welcomed his first of three sons in November of that same year. He and his wife Tessia were married in 2017 and now raise Brently, Branson and Brindle.
Rogers enlisted in the army the following year, leaving for basic training Aug. 20, 2018. Rogers was stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. “I felt like the time was to either do it or I was never going to. I knew my life was stable enough for my wife and kids. The war in Afghanistan was still going on and I was called to help,” Rogers said.
Rogers described basic training as a “great equalizer.” “I was in basic training with people from all over the world. Some of the guys' families were from Africa or Mexico. The military is not for everyone but if you truly believe it is your passion, don't give up. It gets easier and remember when you are in the military, everyone you come across is equal. Those are your brothers and sisters. You are one family, all with one goal in mind,” Rogers described.
After basic training, Rogers continued at Fort Benning for One Station Unit Training (OSUT), which is advanced training for infantry personnel. “Basic was very challenging, physically demanding and mentally stressful,” Rogers described. Rogers said missing his family was the hardest part of training for him.
“We only got to use our phone once the whole time, so it was a lot of waiting for letters. I really relied on pictures of my family to get me through,” Rogers stated. Rogers said the biggest adjustment for him was learning to function on less sleep, but he's glad he did, because it helps him even to this day.
Rogers was one of the older members of his unit. Only one other person was married; he was one of four with children at home. Some of the younger recruits called him dad. “I still talk to many of my brothers from basic training on a daily basis. We even have a group chat to this day,” Rogers explained.
Unfortunately, Rogers' military career was cut much shorter than he had hoped as he was injured in training. Rogers suffered a fractured hip, which is a common injury to privates in training, especially those not used to running. But Rogers also suffered an injury to his firing hand. He had separated the nerves between his ring and pinky fingers when he fell during one of his courses.
Thankfully, Rogers was still able to graduate training before being medically discharged from the Army. A total of 265 soldiers started the training, with only 178 graduating. Rogers graduated the week before Christmas and was officially discharged on Jan. 3, 2019.
“While I didn't accomplish everything I had dreamed of when starting my military journey, I am still very proud of what I did accomplish, and it has taught me so much,” Rogers declared.
Rogers and his family moved to Rushville shortly after being discharged from the Army. Rogers took some time off from public service after that, but the call to help was too strong and he joined the Rushville Township Volunteer Fire Department in 2021.
“This is where I belong. This is my home way from home. Every call gives me purpose. I love fighting fires. While it is fun to fight the fires and respond to calls, it gives you both life lessons as well as trauma,” Rogers said. “My fire chief is my boss and one of my best friends. Being a firefighter is like the military, it isn't for everyone there is a lot of trauma and heartache. You always get to see your work and know you've made a difference. If one person on the planet could say that they are alive because of me, then my goal has been accomplished,” he continued.
This year Rogers lost his mother unexpectedly. “All it takes is one glance at her Facebook page or to recall any conversation I ever had with her to know how proud of her heroic son she was.” Her niece, Laura, said, “We are all so proud of Walker and I am so proud of the man he has become.”
In closing, the Whitewater Publications staff would like to say, "Thank you, E4 Specialist Rogers, for your service in the Army and your dedication to serving as a firefighter for our community. Thank you for doing your part to keep our country and community safe. We wish the best of luck to the Rogers family with all their future endeavors."
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Let us honor US Army E4 specialist Walker Lee Rogers.
Walker Lee Rogers is currently an active member of the Rushville Township Volunteer Fire Department and is raising his family in Rushville. Rogers came from a long line of heroes. Both of Rogers' grandfathers were in the armed forces, as well as his maternal uncle. He is also a third-generation firefighter.
Rogers was born and raised in Abington. From a very young age, Rogers was called to help those in need. He joined the Abington Volunteer Fire Department as a cadet at the age of 13. He knew in junior high that he wanted to join the armed forces, although his original dream of being an Air Force pilot was extinguished because of his height. His height of six-foot-eight is well above the cutoff, which is 64-77 inches when standing and 30-34 inches when sitting.
Rogers lost his sister Cara Lynn Gilmore in 2012 from a tragic motorcycle accident that left her braindead. This fueled his desire to help people even more. Rogers graduated from Centerville Jr./Sr. High School in 2014 and welcomed his first of three sons in November of that same year. He and his wife Tessia were married in 2017 and now raise Brently, Branson and Brindle.
Rogers enlisted in the army the following year, leaving for basic training Aug. 20, 2018. Rogers was stationed at Fort Benning in Georgia. “I felt like the time was to either do it or I was never going to. I knew my life was stable enough for my wife and kids. The war in Afghanistan was still going on and I was called to help,” Rogers said.
Rogers described basic training as a “great equalizer.” “I was in basic training with people from all over the world. Some of the guys' families were from Africa or Mexico. The military is not for everyone but if you truly believe it is your passion, don't give up. It gets easier and remember when you are in the military, everyone you come across is equal. Those are your brothers and sisters. You are one family, all with one goal in mind,” Rogers described.
After basic training, Rogers continued at Fort Benning for One Station Unit Training (OSUT), which is advanced training for infantry personnel. “Basic was very challenging, physically demanding and mentally stressful,” Rogers described. Rogers said missing his family was the hardest part of training for him.
“We only got to use our phone once the whole time, so it was a lot of waiting for letters. I really relied on pictures of my family to get me through,” Rogers stated. Rogers said the biggest adjustment for him was learning to function on less sleep, but he's glad he did, because it helps him even to this day.
Rogers was one of the older members of his unit. Only one other person was married; he was one of four with children at home. Some of the younger recruits called him dad. “I still talk to many of my brothers from basic training on a daily basis. We even have a group chat to this day,” Rogers explained.
Unfortunately, Rogers' military career was cut much shorter than he had hoped as he was injured in training. Rogers suffered a fractured hip, which is a common injury to privates in training, especially those not used to running. But Rogers also suffered an injury to his firing hand. He had separated the nerves between his ring and pinky fingers when he fell during one of his courses.
Thankfully, Rogers was still able to graduate training before being medically discharged from the Army. A total of 265 soldiers started the training, with only 178 graduating. Rogers graduated the week before Christmas and was officially discharged on Jan. 3, 2019.
“While I didn't accomplish everything I had dreamed of when starting my military journey, I am still very proud of what I did accomplish, and it has taught me so much,” Rogers declared.
Rogers and his family moved to Rushville shortly after being discharged from the Army. Rogers took some time off from public service after that, but the call to help was too strong and he joined the Rushville Township Volunteer Fire Department in 2021.
“This is where I belong. This is my home way from home. Every call gives me purpose. I love fighting fires. While it is fun to fight the fires and respond to calls, it gives you both life lessons as well as trauma,” Rogers said. “My fire chief is my boss and one of my best friends. Being a firefighter is like the military, it isn't for everyone there is a lot of trauma and heartache. You always get to see your work and know you've made a difference. If one person on the planet could say that they are alive because of me, then my goal has been accomplished,” he continued.
This year Rogers lost his mother unexpectedly. “All it takes is one glance at her Facebook page or to recall any conversation I ever had with her to know how proud of her heroic son she was.” Her niece, Laura, said, “We are all so proud of Walker and I am so proud of the man he has become.”
In closing, the Whitewater Publications staff would like to say, "Thank you, E4 Specialist Rogers, for your service in the Army and your dedication to serving as a firefighter for our community. Thank you for doing your part to keep our country and community safe. We wish the best of luck to the Rogers family with all their future endeavors."