AVER is dedicated to the fair and equal treatment of all veterans and service
members, and to honoring the sacrifices of all who served past and present.
American Veterans for Equal Rights mourns loss of true
soldier and LGBT advocate in Iraq.
American Veterans for Equal Rights joins in mourning
with the family and friends of Major Alan G. Rogers
who gave the ultimate sacrifice in serving our nation
in Iraq.
Maj. Alan G. Rogers, 40, of Hampton, Fla., died Jan.
27, 2008 when an improvised explosive device detonated
while he was conducting a dismounted patrol in
Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to the Military
Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division,
and Fort Riley, Kansas. Major Rogers was in Iraq on
his second tour of duty as a military intelligence
officer. He had previously served at the Pentagon, in
the Persian Gulf War in 1991, and most recently at
Fort Riley, Kansas. In Iraq he was serving as part of
a team that was embedded with and trained Iraqi
soldiers.
In researching for this release, AVER personnel
visited Legacy.Com to read the remarks regarding this
true patriot. Of special note was the remark by D.
Sabocsik of Coatesville, PA, who stated "Maj. Rogers
was a stranger to me, but an obvious guardian of our
country and for that I thank him. God Bless all that
allow my children, my family, and this free country
that we live in sleep each and every night."
In all references to Major Rogers as well as our
personal association with him, he is identified as "a
friend to all he met!"
However, some he served with didn't know one side of Major Rogers. He was an untiring champion in the
battle for equal rights in addition to being a soldier who gave the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
Wikipedia states "Major Alan Greg Rogers was an ordained pastor, a US
Army Major and Intelligence Officer, a civil rights activist in the gay, lesbian, and bisexual (LGBT) military community and the first known gay combat
fatality of Operation Iraqi Freedom."
While in Washington, he was a firm supporter of his local chapter of AVER, serving as the Treasurer of the DC chapter
of American Veterans for Equal Rights in 2004. AVER's mission is to defeat the "Don't Ask
Don't Tell" policy and to serve the needs of America's
LGBT servicemembers and veterans.
Ray Allen, a military veteran, the AVER National Vice President stated "The loss of a soldier during war always saddens me; but it also saddens
me when a person will give their life to help a country progress,
and represents a country that still disregards
his sexual orientation, and legally discriminates
against him. Simply put, Major Rogers was
a true patriot – fighting for freedoms
he himself could not truly enjoy. Major Rogers
held true to his contract with the United States Military,
and he stood proud with all the other men and women serving,
just as he stood proud as an American Veteran for
Equal Rights member and chapter officer. His sacrifice
will not go unseen. Our fight at AVER is to end the discrimination
in our armed forces and our efforts will
continue until people like Major Rogers can serve openly
and be as proud of their country as any other man or women he served side by side with."
Ron Clarke, a military veteran and the AVER Regional Vice President for the Southwestern United States chapters, said "This is the first documented
case of an LGBT soldier falling in the line of duty,
but it isn't truly the first. Over one million
veterans through time have been LGBT. Major Rogers
was well-respected by all he met and even more respected by
his LGBT community for his sacrifice to serve two tours in Iraq and his military career as a soldier. Major
Rogers will be remembered by all as a true friend to those close to him, however
we at AVER know that he was the purest form of soldier – fighting
for equality, democracy and for rights
he never fully possessed! Now we must continue our
fight in Major Rogers honor and memory – our fight to
defeat "Don't Ask – Don't Tell!"
Major Alan Greg Rogers was interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on March 14, 2008. He rests with his fellow veterans
who gave their all to protect the rights of everyone. Please honor this sacrifice by e-mailing or calling your congressional representative and demand
that "Don't Ask – Don't Tell be repealed.
American Veterans for Equal Rights is a national organization, with local Chapters, advocating the defeat of the "Don't' Ask – Don't Tell" policy. For more
information visit the national site at WWW.AVER.US or contact the media relations representative
above. The December 2007 Forward Observer is complete. We
hope that it will be arriving in mailboxes very soon. In the
meantime, you can download the electronic version from our News&Press page.
If
you support the missions and goals of AVER, please consider making a donation to AVER! We can't reach our goals without you.
VA's Suicide Hot Line Begins
Operations
Regardless of whether or not a crisis is service-connected, veterans who have gone through military indoctrination can have very
different coping skills than their civilian counterparts. In a time of crisis, talking to someone who understands veterans might
make the difference between life and death. As
such, AVER applauds this step by the VA to take better care of America's veterans.
If you are a veteran and having trouble, or you know of a veteran who is having trouble, help is just a phone call away.
WARNING TO MILITARY PERSONNEL:
Computer
on-line services, including web sites and workplace email are not confidential.
Using work computers for personal use is against most base policies and, in general,
is a bad idea.
Help support AVER with GoodSearch:
select AVER as your favorite non-profit, make GoodSearch your default search
engine, and help raise money with every search! To use GoodSearch
to help support AVER, you must accept the cookie.
formerly Gay, Lesbian & Bisexual Veterans of America, Inc.
AVER is the only VA recognizednationwide Veterans Service
Organization created by and for LGBT veterans and service
members, and their supporting allies.
Please note: our website domain was changed in Sep 2004,
from GLBVA.org to AVER.us. If you still have GLBVA.org in
your bookmarks,
please be sure to update.
