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Siloam Proud C2 n Wednesday, June 29, 2022 Siloam Springs Herald-Leader 3370 Hwy 412 E Siloam Springs, AR 72761 Mon-Thurs 9am-11pm Fri-Sat 9am-12am Stop in to see us. We are stocked and ready for summer parties. Honoring the ultimate sacrifice Editor's Note: The fol- lowing is a speech given by veteran and Siloam Springs resident Tim Rog- ers at the annual Memorial Day ceremony on May 30 at the American Legion Com- munity Building in Siloam Springs. Rogers was just recently named Service Of- ficer for American Legion Siloam Post 29 and serves as the executive director at the Genesis House. The opinions expressed are those of the author. By Tim Rogers Special to Siloam Proud Greetings, My name is Tim Rogers. I am a soldier who started out as an active-duty para- trooper, during peacetime, back in the late '80s and, after three deployments, retired from the Reserves in 2017. When I was approached about doing this, I was honored, but agonized over it for several days, not be - cause I would rather jump from a burning aircraft than give a speech, which is true, but because I wasn't sure I was worthy or that I could add anything to mark this solemn day. Ad - ditionally, I thought it may just be too painful to write. I decided that, at the least, I could offer my perspectives on Memo- rial Day and the events that impacted my view. I say "perspectives," plural, be- cause it has changed over the course of my 64 years. To my mind, the power of perspective is every- thing. It leads to an opin- ion, which, when powerful enough, may lead one to action. Perspective ac- cumulates, like layers of paint on an old farmhouse, from our earliest cogni- tion until our time is done. Experiences, both lived and learned, whether from trusted sages, from par- ents and peers, via movies or memoir, they craft our point of view, and color our opinions. Perspectives are tested by time, through feedback, after our actions and adventures, tempered by life's inevitable trials and triumphs, even by terror. Thus, through these tests, our perspectives are either proven flawed, or sus - tained to our satisfaction. One has only to turn to the daily news-feed to see the impact of perspectives on human behavior. As for me, things I will forever remember regard- ing Memorial Day began in my childhood. Every year, rain or shine, with- out fail, my little colonial hometown held a Memo- rial Day Parade, sometimes with only one firetruck, a half-dozen horses, our tiny high school band and a small contingent of Veter- ans, who always received a standing ovation as they marched by. Even as a boy, I intrinsically knew these people were special and would marvel at their uniforms, wondering what all the medals and insignia stood for, yet I could not fathom or truly grasp the sacrifice that their miss - ing comrades had made. "Taps" elicited tears among the silent crowd at the flag- pole, and it was haunting, even for a young boy. Back then, Memorial Day marked the end of the school year and the be- ginning of those precious summer months when my friends and I would play "Army" for hours, battling imaginary enemy that lurked behind each tree or stone wall, as we tried to be the day's action heroes, surviving every onslaught and engagement….. to fall, rise, and fight again, over and over. Later, as a teen, I would hear the stories of the Greatest Generation, my mother's generation, her classmates, and my uncles, who survived World War II battles in the Pacific and the "hedgerows" of Europe, and other stories which, combined with history classes and Hollywood, filled me with respect and admiration for what they had endured and what they had done for us. I looked proudly upon them as our heroes, and I felt sad for those who never returned. That is, I felt as sad as any naive teen in their "invin - cible" years could feel. So, still, there was no way I could comprehend the car- nage they had witnessed, or the losses the families of the fallen had endured. But gradually, being somewhat enlightened, taps on Me- morial Day had increased meaning for me. Later, still, in junior high, as older friends-of-friends and brothers-of-friends left my tiny town for Viet - nam, they became our hometown heroes. And, my friends and I fervently planned to join them, "soon as we graduated," never considering that we might not return from such an "adventure," clearly still unable to grasp the gravity of such an endeavor. But then, as some of our local boys fell on the field of battle, I witnessed, and will forever remember, the impact upon those small-town families, even upon their girlfriends, left behind in our high school hallways, and my under - standing grew. Yet, I still felt that youthful invincibility. Taps was now symbolic to me of both the thousands of compatriots we had all lost in all wars and the of faces I had actually known. Departing my hometown as a young man, I attended school and served a few years as a city police of - ficer, then, anxious to fol- low the path of my uncles, I enlisted in the Airborne Infantry, eventually mov- ing to Arkansas soon after my four-year enlistment ended. As a young police officer, I had seen, firsthand, the impact of lost loved ones upon parents, spouses, children, and friends. Decades later, this im - pact became deeply per- sonal after the phone call informing me that my beloved nephew had been killed while serving with Delta Force. Nothing could have prepared me for the anguish, the anger, the depth of sadness, and the spiritual challenge that hit me. After a 12-year break in service, I was a Delta Air - lines supervisor, at XNA, when 9/11 shocked and galvanized our nation and, at age 45, I returned to the military fold in earnest, this time in Psychological Operations. Subsequently, I had the distinct honor of training among, deploying with, and leading some incred - ibly fine young men and women. And, while I was able to bring all of my troops home from each tour, there were soldiers from other units, with whom we patrolled the streets of Baghdad, that succumbed to enemy at - tacks while we were among them — soldiers not yet in their 20s as well as some who were married, with young children of their own. I also experienced the heartbreak of soldier deaths from deployment suicides, and deployment accidents that claimed far too many precious lives. Philosophically, I have always looked upon each person as a walking novel, a book in progress, crafted by each of us each every day of our lives. That unique book of us is more intricate than any finger - print. Every person in this room is a writer, crafting a completely distinct story. From this old soldier's perspective, for those who never returned home, de - pending upon their age at the time of their sacrifice, I wonder…what chapter were they in? Perhaps they never knew the joy of a magical marriage, or purchasing a first home, or pondered the freedoms and frustrations of living in our young democracy, or lingered in the warm scent of their infant child's hair as they swayed them back to sleep, or prepared to take care of their par - ents as they all grew older, and perhaps even had the chance of savoring the sweetness of future grand- children. Their book, their story, was ended much, much too soon. Veteran shares speech from Memorial Day celebration Photo submitted Tim Rogers was recently installed as the new Service Officer for American Legion Siloam Post 29. Photo submitted Tim Rogers speaks about his military background at the Memorial Day ceremony on May 30. Marc Hayot/Siloam Proud Tim Rogers speaks at the Memorial Day ceremony on May 30 in Siloam Springs. See ROGERS on Page C4 PROUD TO BE PART OF SILOAM SPRINGS! 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