Editing Alan G. Rogers (section)

==Military career and adult life==
[[File:Agrogers-photo-02.jpg|thumb|left|Department of Defense photograph of Alan G. Rogers]]
After high school, Rogers joined the [[Reserve Officers' Training Corps]] program at the [[University of Florida]] and then accepted a [[Commissioned officer|commission]] in the [[United States Army]] upon graduation with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[religion]] in 1995. Rogers later completed a [[Master of Arts]] degree in [[Organizational leadership|organizational management]] from the [[University of Phoenix]] through [[distance learning]].<ref name="gsun"/>
Rogers's father, George, died of a [[heart attack]] in 2000, and his mother, Genny, died of [[kidney]]-related problems two weeks later. Rogers preached at his mother's funeral.<ref name="gsun"/>
[[File:Alan G Rogers AVER.jpg|thumb|right|Alan G. Rogers receiving award at AVER, January 16, 2005.]] In 2001, Rogers commanded a military intelligence company based out of Waegwan, South Korea. During his tenure as company commander, Rogers emphasized unit morale and cohesiveness, often organizing company wide get togethers and functions.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

In 2004, Rogers moved to [[Washington, D.C.]] and, in 2005, earned a [[Master of Public Policy]] degree from [[Georgetown University]]. Only 25 Army officers were accepted into the program.<ref name="gsun"/> Rogers's thesis adviser was Mark Nadel, who described Rogers as "an officer with leadership qualities that made him think, 'This is a guy I'm going to hear from in 10 years, and he's going to be a general.'"<ref name="stgeorge">{{citation |first=Donna |last=St. George |url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/21/AR2008032103036.html |title=Army Officer Remembered as Hero Army Officer Remembered as Hero |periodical=[[The Washington Post]] |date=March 22, 2008 |access-date=2008-04-03 }}</ref> Rogers's thesis examined how the US military's DADT policy affected recruitment and retention for military officers.<ref name="cjohnson">{{citation|first=Chris |last=Johnson |url=http://www.washingtonblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17404 |title=Media, military kept soldier in closet after death |periodical=[[Washington Blade]] |date=March 27, 2008 |access-date=2008-04-03 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408163049/http://washingtonblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=17404 |archive-date=2008-04-08 }}</ref> In recognition of his achievements at Georgetown, Rogers gained an internship at the Pentagon serving the deputy secretary of defense, [[Gordon R. England]].<ref name="gsun"/>

Beginning in October 2004, Rogers served as Treasurer of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the American Veterans for Equal Rights (AVER).<ref name="cjohnson"/> On January 16, 2005, Rogers received an award from the organization for his service at a ceremony held at Dupont Grill.  Rogers also attended events supporting the [[Servicemembers Legal Defense Network]] (SLDN), which works to end the DADT policy.<ref name="sldn">{{citation |first=Aubrey |last=Sarvis |url= http://freedomtoserve.blogspot.com/2008/03/american-hero-alan-rogers-one-of-4000.html |title=An American Hero, Alan Rogers, One of the 4,000 |periodical=The Front Lines: SLDN News & Updates |date=March 29, 2008 |access-date=2008-04-03 }}</ref>

Rogers expressed his opinion on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy in his Master's thesis, written in 2005 shortly before he was deployed to Iraq and reportedly killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) while on foot patrol: "Today’s current policy on gays in the military seems to rest on many faulty assumptions – namely that homosexuals will jeopardize unit cohesiveness. My research has been unable to justify that position and has found that the opposite is more true. Denying service members the right to serve freely and openly violates basic dignity and respect of the human experience and puts our national security at risk."<ref name="rogersthesis">{{citation|first=Alan G. |last=Rogers |url=http://home.comcast.net/~rpilaud/DADT%20Policy%20Analysis%20Alan%20Rogers.pdf |title=Policy Management Project - Analysis of Department of Defense "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" |periodical=Georgetown University Master Policy Management (MPM) Capstone |date=May 6, 2005 |access-date=2010-09-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025202305/http://home.comcast.net/~rpilaud/DADT%20Policy%20Analysis%20Alan%20Rogers.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2012 }}</ref>

[[File:Major Alan G. Roger at Same-Sex Wedding Ceremony.jpg|thumb|right|Major Alan G. Rogers (top left) holding hands with his date during same-sex wedding ceremony on June 28, 2006]]
In June 2006, Rogers provided the opening prayer for a [[Same-sex marriage|same-sex wedding ceremony]]. Rogers reportedly expressed "an intensely deep loneliness that stemmed from his inability to have both a [same-sex] relationship ... and the military career he also loved so much."<ref name="cianciotto">{{citation|first=Jason |last=Cianciotto |url=http://www.pamshouseblend.com/viewRating.do?rateCommentId=53535 |title=My letter to the Post Ombudsman |periodical=Pam's House Blend: an Online Magazine in the Reality-Based Community |date=March 29, 2008 |access-date=2008-04-03 }}{{dead link|date=October 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In July 2007, Rogers was deployed to Iraq. Friends organized a send-off party in his honor on July 14, 2007, held at the Fabulous Bed & Breakfast in Northwest Washington, D.C.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}}

Rogers's commanding officer in Iraq was Col. Thomas Fernandez.<ref name="stgeorge"/> Rogers communicated via e-mail with many of his friends during his deployment, and two of his friends from AVER received e-mail from Rogers the day before he died.<ref name="cjohnson"/>