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SLDN Statement on the Death of Major Alan G. Rogers
WASHINGTON, DC – Aubrey Sarvis, executive director of Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN), issued the following statement today in response to the death of Army Major Alan Rogers, who was killed on January 27th when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated while he was conducting a dismounted patrol in Baghdad.
“The SLDN family sends our heartfelt condolences to Alan’s extended family, friends and loved ones. He was an American patriot and hero; he was also a supporter of our cause and a friend to many of us within the organization. We mourn his untimely passing.”
“I did not know Major Alan Rogers, nor did I know his sexual orientation. However, an estimated 65,000 brave gay American men and women are included among the ranks of those who put their lives on the line for our country in this time of war. Each of those service members is a beloved son or daughter of this country, deserving of better than a law that requires them to lie every day as a condition of serving our country. Dying on the field of battle has nothing to do with being gay or being straight. A dead soldier is a dead soldier, deserving of our highest respect, and we honor each one of them. It does not matter if ten, one hundred, or two hundred of those honored dead were lesbian, gay, or bisexual. But for those who did fall under one of those categories, it matters that even in death the United States government can respect and honor only a part of who these brave and patriotic men and women were — the heroic military part.”
Rogers was assigned to the Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas. He was awarded a Purple Heart posthumously, and his second Bronze Star, before being laid to rest on Friday March 14th at Arlington Cemetery. Hundreds of mourners gathered at Rogers’ funeral to honor his life and service. Members of the public who are interested in helping remember and celebrate his life of are urged to visit www.thealangrogersfund.org to learn about the Alan G. Rogers Memorial Scholarship Fund.
