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Major Alan Greg Rogers
AllegianceUnited States of America
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service1990-2008
RankMajor
UnitMilitary Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division (United States), Fort Riley, Kansas
Battles / warsOperation Iraqi Freedom
AwardsPurple Heart, Bronze Star (2)
Other workAmerican Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER)

Major Alan Greg Rogers (September 21, 1967 – January 27, 2008 was an ordained pastor, a US Army Major, a civil rights activist in the gay, lesbian and bisexual military community and the first known gay combat fatality of Operation Iraqi Freedom.[1] The subsequent coverage of his death in the media sparked a debate over the effect of the military's "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" (DADT) policy and what information should be included in the biography of a gay military person killed in action.

Early life and education

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At the age of 5, Rogers was adopted by George and Genny Rogers and was their only child. In 1977, the Rogers family moved from New York to Hampton, Florida, near Gainesville. Rogers joined Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church in Lincoln City, Florida, and, as a young man, was ordained a pastor. Rogers attended Hampton Elementary School, and ultimately graduated from Bradford County High School in Starke, Florida, in 1985. While in high school, Rogers was commander of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program and elected by his classmates as the "most intellectual."[2]

Military career and adult life

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Department of Defense photograph of Alan G. Rogers.

After high school, Rogers joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program at the University of Florida and then accepted a commission in the US Army in 1990.[2] From 1990 to 2001, Rogers served in the first Persian Gulf War.[3] Rogers earned his first master's degree from the University of Phoenix.[2] Rogers' father, George, died of a heart attack in 2000, and his mother, Genny, died of kidney-related problems two weeks later. Rogers preached at his mother's funeral.[2] In 2004, Rogers moved to Washington, D.C.. In 2005, Rogers earned a master's degree in public policy from Georgetown University. Only 25 Army officers were accepted into the program.[2] Rogers' thesis adviser was Mark Nadel, who described Rogers as "an officer with leadership qualities that made him think, 'This is a guy I'm going to hear from in 10 years, and he's going to be a general.'"[4] Rogers' thesis examined how the US military’s DADT policy affected recruitment and retention for military officers.[3] In recognition of his achievements at Georgetown, Rogers gained an internship at the Pentagon serving the deputy secretary of defense, Gordon R. England.[2]

Alan G. Rogers receiving award at AVER, January 16, 2005.

Beginning in October 2004, Rogers served as Treasurer of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER).[3] On January 16, 2005, Rogers received an award from the organization for his service at a ceremony held at Dupont Grill.[5] Rogers also attended events supporting the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), which works to end the DADT policy.[6]

In June 2006, Rogers provided the opening prayer for a same-sex wedding ceremony. Rogers reportedly expressed "an intensely deep loneliness that stemmed from his inability to have both a [same-sex] relationship ... and the military career he also loved so much. " [7]

In July 2007, Rogers was deployed to Iraq. Friends organized a send-off party in his honor on July 14, 2007, held at the Fabulous Bed & Breakfast in Northwest Washington, D.C. [8]

Rogers' commanding officer in Iraq was Col. Thomas Fernandez.[4] Rogers communicated via e-mail with many of his friends during his deployment, and two of his friends from AVER received e-mail from Rogers the day before he died.[3]

Death and afterward

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According to an Army report, Rogers was killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol in Baghdad, on January 27, 2008.[9] On January 30, 2008, friends of Rogers established the Alan G. Rogers Memorial Scholarship Fund.

A funeral service was held for Rogers at Ebenezer Baptist Church on February 8, 2008.[10] In honor of Rogers, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist ordered the Florida and U.S. flags be flown at half-staff at the Bradford County Courthouse, Hampton City Hall and the Florida State Capitol.[2] Family members later expressed that "we really didn't know about [Rogers being gay] until after his death. " [11] Rogers' beneficiary from Florida later stated that he knew Rogers was gay, but felt it had "no more relevance than I'm straight. " [11]

Rogers was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on March 14, 2008, in Section 50, at Gravesite 8558.[12] About 200 people attended the service, including Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, Army Lt. Gen. John F. Kimmons, active duty military, both enlisted and officers, Rogers' friends and family from Florida, and Rogers' friends in northern Virginia, and Washington, D.C.[13] Also in attendance were a dozen or more gay active duty military personnel.[14]

National media coverage of Rogers' funeral

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Rogers funeral gained national media publicity, initially on MSNBC, in the Washington Post and on National Public Radio's Morning Edition.[4][13][15] However, initial reports omitted Rogers' sexual orientation or anything related to the subject.

The Post and NPR reports coincided with the "grim milestone" that the US military death toll reached 4,000 dead.[13] Rogers' death and funeral gained further media attention when it was revealed that he was gay and worked to end the military's DADT policy.[3]

Initially, members of the national media were well aware of Rogers' sexual orientation,[11] yet it was widely reported that Rogers was not married and left no children.[4][13][15] While technically accurate, some members of the GLBT community viewed the statement as an intentional distortion and dodge of Rogers' sexual orientation.[6][14][16][17][18]

The Washington Post Ombudsman, Deborah Howell, stated that the editors of the Post deliberated the question of whether to disclose his sexual orientation and ultimately made a decision not to include such information.[11]

The Army asked that Rogers' sexual orientation not be disclosed, and the Army presented it as a concern of the family.[3]

The Washington Blade reported on the Post's decision to change the story and included more details about Rogers' activities and friends in the GLBT community.[3] Subsequently, Howell of the Washington Post, citing Rogers' apparent feelings on DADT, wrote a column admitting that the Post's article "would have been richer" had it disclosed his sexual orientation and activities in the GLBT community.[11]

On March 31, 2008, an anonymous attempt was made to remove information relating to Rogers' sexual orientation from the present Wikipedia article. The IP address associated with the attempt corresponds with the IP address for the office of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence (G-2) at the Pentagon, currently headed by Lt. Gen. John Kimmons.[19] Kimmons attended Rogers' funeral and presented the US flag from Rogers’ coffin to a family member.[13]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ Ralls, Steve (March 30, 2008), "Remembering Alan Rogers", The Bilerico Project, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Voyles, Karen (February 7, 2008), "One final homecoming", Gainesville Sun, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Johnson, Chris (March 27, 2008), "Media, military kept soldier in closet after death", Washington Blade, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d St. George, Donna (March 22, 2008), "Army Officer Remembered as Hero Army Officer Remembered as Hero", Washington Post, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ Pilaud, Robert (January 16, 2008), "Alan Rogers at AVER", flickr, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ a b Sarvis, Aubrey (March 29, 2008), "An American Hero, Alan Rogers, One of the 4,000", The Front Lines: SLDN News & Updates, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Cianciotto, Jason (March 29, 2008), "My letter to the Post Ombudsman", Pam’s House Blend: An Online Magazine in the Reality-Based Community, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Sadowski, Tami (July 14, 2007), "Alan Rogers is leaving DC", evite, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "DoD Identifies Army Casualty", DefenseLink News Release, January 29, 2008, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Finger, Doug (February 8, 2008), "Video: The Funeral of Major Rev. Alan G. Rogers", Gainesville Sun, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ a b c d e Howell, Deborah (March 30, 2008), "Public Death, Private Life", Washington Post, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ WikiMapia: USA / Virginia / Arlington, 3 km, retrieved 2008-04-03
  13. ^ a b c d e Inskeep, Steve (March 24, 2008), "Report: American Death Toll in Iraq War Hits 4,000", National Public Radio, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ a b Smith, Tony (March 14, 2008), "Our Whole Self And Whole Story: Honoring My Friend and Hero, Major Alan G. Rogers", Gay Military Times, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ a b Rutherford, John (March 14, 2008), "Army Officer Was a Best Man in All Senses", NBC Field Notes, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Sullivan, Andrew (March 28, 2008), "The Washington Post's Well-Meant Homophobia", The Atlantic, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ Spaulding, Pam (March 28, 2008), "Media and military closets gay soldier killed in Iraq", Pam’s House Blend: An Online Magazine in the Reality-Based Community, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Spaulding, Pam (March 31, 2008), "WaPo ombudsman: paper wrong to recloset deceased gay soldier", Pam’s House Blend: An Online Magazine in the Reality-Based Community, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ Johnson, Chris (April 3, 2008), "Edits to gay soldier's Wikipedia entry traced to Pentagon", Washington Blade, retrieved 2008-04-03 {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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