Bernard William Rogers
Born: July 16, 1921, in Fairview. Married Ann Ellen Jones in 1944. Died: October 27, 2008, in Falls Church, Virginia.
Bernard William Rogers was born in Fairview, Brown County, on July 16, 1921, to William Henry and Lora Belle Haynes Rogers, where he grew up. Rogers attended high school in Fairview and spent a year at Kansas State University before receiving an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he gained the reputation as a "bright and promising young officer." He graduated in 1943 and went on to accept the position of aide to General Mark Clark, commander of the American forces in Austria in 1946.
In 1947 Rogers received a Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford University and by 1954 had received both a bachelor's and master's degree in philosophy, politics, and economics from that institution. Between periods of education and endeavor, Rogers served in Korea, earning a Bronze Star of Valor.
He married Ann Ellen Jones in 1944. Following World War II he taught economics, government, and history at West Point. He attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar from 1947 to 1950, and received his bachelor's and master's degrees in philosophy, politics, and economics.
In 1949 he was promoted to captain and led the Third Battalion, Ninth Infantry, in the Korean War. He served as temporary lieutenant colonel and as an aide to the commander in chief and staff intelligence officer of the United Nations and Far East Commands. Rogers graduated from the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth and commanded the First Battalion, 23rd Infantry from 1955 to 1956, then as senior aide to the army chief of staff from 1958 to 1959.
Advancements came swiftly for Rogers and, while serving in Vietnam with the First Infantry Division, he received his first general's star. In December 1966 the Army helicopter set down at Quan Loi, the First Infantry Division's outpost just 15 miles from the Cambodian border. The division's assistant commander stepped out to begin his tour of inspection and for two-and-one-half hours, the general circulated among the men, interviewing officers and sergeants, but especially privates, his most often asked question: "Is there anything I can do, for you?" Rogers' concern for the welfare of the common soldier was a hallmark of his career.
It was while serving as commander of the Fifth Infantry Division (Mechanized) at Fort Carson, Colorado, in 1969 that Rogers gained attention for his reform program to make army training more meaningful for the common soldier and improve communication between officers and enlisted personnel. He eliminated KP duties, early morning formations, and roll calls, and "G.I. parties" to scrub barracks for Saturday inspection. He established councils for junior officers and for enlisted personnel to air grievances and encourage suggestions, and worked toward resolution of race and drug problems on base. His liberal innovations were credited with stimulating substantial reenlistments at Fort Carson.
He was made a permanent major general in 1973 and served as deputy chief of staff for personnel of the army. In 1974 he was promoted to temporary general and commanded the U. S. Forces Command at Fort McPherson. He received his fourth star in 1974 and in 1976 was given command of Armed Forces Command at Fort McPherson, Georgia, where he had authority over all army units in the United States. In 1979 General Bernard Rogers became Supreme Allied Commander in Europe of the 16-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization, commanding four million troops and assuming the chief burden for determining under battlefield pressures what the allied military response toward a Soviet-sponsored invasion of Europe would be. General Rogers concentrated his efforts in developing a "Flexible Response" policy--decreasing NATO's dependence on nuclear armaments by building up conventional forces.
Rogers received many awards and recognitions of his service, including the Distinguished Service Cross and Silver Star. He has been variously described as "brilliant," "complex," "poised," "elitist," and dedicated to the West Point tradition. But General DeWitt Smith, commandant of the Army War College, described him this way: "Deep down, I think Bernie Rogers is still a small town boy from the Midwest. He still talks about Kansas, and Kansas is still with him. There's a directness, a frankness, an understanding that little people count as well as big people. He still has his feet in the dirt and he's proud of it."
He was named the Native Sons and Daughters' Kansan of the Year in 1984. In 1987 Rogers criticized the Reagan administration because he felt an arms control agreement was being rushed. In turn, he was strongly rebuked by Secretary of State George P. Shultz, provoking Rogers' resignation and retirement. He died in Falls Church, Virginia, on October 27, 2008.
Entry: Rogers, Bernard William
Author: Kansas Historical Society
Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.
Date Created: July 2015
Date Modified: July 2016
The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.
