World War II Veteran and Prisoner of War (POW), Ralph Rogers, was honored with a ceremony in Washington, D.C. and an Honor Flight on September 17. He was escorted by Benton County Mayor Brett Lashlee, who happens to also be Rogers’ nephew.
Rogers, a private in the United States Army, who was drafted when he was 18-years-old, survived German capture of more than three months in 1945. He along with other WWII Veterans were honored on the flight to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
While in Washington, the veterans visited the WWII, Vietnam and Korea War Memorials and were escorted to Arlington National Cemetery where they witnessed the “Changing of the Guard” at the Tomb of the Unknowns. Veterans were treated at Fort Meyer with dinner.
The Veterans then returned home on the same day.
It was a whirlwind trip. When they put him front and center stage during the 75th anniversary of the Operation Market Garden, Rogers reportedly was “all smiles” and felt the center of everything. The presenter said this man was part of the Battle of the Bulge. He was one of two that fought in the European Theatre.
Lashlee said at the end of the day, the veterans were all gathered together nearing the end of the festivities and handed their “letters from home.”
Weeks before, Benton County had put out a call for everyone possible to write a letter to the local hero. Unbeknownst to Rogers he had more than 100 letters waiting for him.
The excited Rogers exclaimed, “This is going to take me weeks to go through!” Lashlee said he had at least three more envelopes full of letters than the other Veterans. “He was like a young kid at Christmas and was touched by it. His favorite, of course, was from President Donald Trump,” Lashlee said.
