FATHER AND SON — Frank Rogers Sr. stood with his son, Frank Rogers Jr. Both served in the Navy, continuing their family’s legacy of military service. (Photo by Christopher Dacanay)

RICHMOND — Frank Rogers is among the seventh generation of his family to live in Jefferson County.

That family has an extensive military history, Rogers noted, such as one ancestor who served as a commissary officer under then-Gen. George Washington at Valley Forge.

“The sense of duty goes way back,” Rogers said.

By joining the Navy as a young man, Rogers upheld that legacy and sense of duty, something he’d later pass on to his son, who would also go on to join the Navy.

Serving during the Cold War, Rogers never actually stepped foot on a ship. Instead, he worked in construction but was liable to rapid deployment from whichever Air Force base he was stationed by at the time. In spite of being part of the so-called “Dirt Navy,” Rogers’ experience in the military was positive and filled with varied experiences.

Hearkening back to Rogers’ military family history, Rogers’ father couldn’t join the Navy because he was blind in one eye, and he subsequently joined the National Guard. Rogers’ father had three brothers who served in the Navy.

That familial example “kind of inspired me to want to be in the Navy,” Rogers recalled, adding later: “I had a desire to carry on that legacy.”

Being the eldest of five siblings, Rogers was the first to join the military in 1983. He was 23 years old when he enlisted, having graduated from Wintersville High School years before and not pursued college. He was the owner of his own auto body shop until he enlisted and closed the business, spurred on by a tough economy at the time.

Two of Rogers’ brothers also joined the military and were active duty at the same time.

When he joined, Rogers’ intent was to serve in active duty, but in the early 1980s, the military was in a bit of a lull in terms of activity. Thus, he said, the only way to join was to become a reservist.

Rogers subsequently went to boot camp and attended A school, where personnel learn the technical skills to carry out their occupations. In Rogers’ case, he was learning to become an equipment operator. A recruiter had told Rogers that good equipment operators were always being sought, and they were the most likely to be moved to active duty.

Rogers graduated first in his class but still couldn’t get on active duty, he recalled. He would ultimately stay in the reserves until 2000 for a total of 17 years of service.

In the reserves, Rogers got to travel extensively, from Guam and Japan to Hawaii and all over the Eastern U.S. He worked on construction projects at various Naval bases, many of them requiring top-secret clearance for high-security bases. The work was a “very good education,” lasting from layout stages until when the finished project was handed over to the base itself.

During his first time traveling to Guam, Rogers was sent to a rock quarry, where he learned how to drill and set dynamite to blast out the material. He also learned how to run the machines that would turn the boulders into slag for use in concrete and asphalt.

One aspect Rogers’ appreciated most about the military was the camaraderie, which he said persists till this day. Now 64 years old, Rogers has been out of the military for 24 years, but he still speaks with around a dozen of his military friends at least once per week. As of late August, Rogers had attended two different Navy veteran functions.

“The friendships that were developed 30-some years ago are still (going),” Rogers said. “I don’t have anybody who I went to high school with that I still interact with like that. They’re all military people that are my closest friends.”

While in the reserves, Rogers had a civilian job. After 2000, he came back to Richmond and went back to work for himself, running the automotive restoration business Frank’s Body Shop.

Rogers added that “somewhere along the way, the Lord called me into ministry,” and he’s now an ordained minister and pastor at Toronto Global Methodist Church. Rogers himself has 11 grandchildren and the 12th is on the way. Between ministry all of those grandchildren, Rogers stays very occupied in his day-to-day life.

Following in the footsteps of his ancestors, Rogers’ son, Frank Rogers Jr., also joined the military. Similar to his father, Rogers Jr. had a father and number of uncles who were in the military. Rogers Jr., who like his father is an Eagle Scout, would go on to serve in Naval intelligence and spend time in Afghanistan and Bahrain.

Seeing his son serve makes Rogers Sr. “feel extremely proud.”

“I was blessed to be a Cold War veteran,” Rogers said. “I never had to go to war, combat. That’s blessing. I look up to my son and his generation greatly. They have stepped up and defended us in a time when they didn’t have to, for sure. That sense of duty and patriotism is a good thing.”

To someone considering a career in the military, Rogers said, “Make sure that you do enough research to be sure you’re going to like what you’re doing. If you like what you’re doing, it’s a great experience. … I had lot of great experience that helped with the rest of my life outside the military.”