Bernard W. Rogers
Encyclopedia
Bernard William Rogers was an American general
who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army
, and later as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
and Commander in Chief, United States European Command
.
on July 16, 1921. He spent a year at Kansas State University
before receiving an appointment to the United States Military Academy
in 1940, where he was First Captain of the Corps of Cadets. He graduated in June 1943 as a second lieutenant of the Infantry assigned to the 275th Infantry, 70th Infantry Division, and attended the officer basic course at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning
. Rogers was promoted to temporary first lieutenant in December 1943, and returned to West Point as an instructor of economics, government, and history, from 1944 to 1946, receiving a promotion to temporary captain in February 1945. He next served as aide to the High Commissioner to Austria and to the commander of the Sixth Army from 1946 to 1947. In 1947 he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1950 (he was later awarded an MA
in the same subject). During his time at Oxford he was promoted to permanent captain.
in July 1951. He graduated from the Infantry School advanced course in 1952. Rogers was then deployed to the Korean War
where he commanded the 3d Battalion, 9th Infantry
from 1952 to 1953, being promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel
in August 1953. He next was aide to the commander in chief and staff intelligence officer of the United Nations
and Far East Commands from 1953 to 1954. Rogers returned stateside and graduated from the Command and General Staff College
at Fort Leavenworth
in 1955. He next commanded the 1st Battalion, 23d Infantry
from 1955 to 1956, the served in the Coordination Division, Office of the Chief of Staff from 1956 to 1958. This was followed by duty as executive and senior aide to the chief of staff from 1958 to 1959 and promotion to permanent major January, 1959 and temporary colonel
in September, 1959. He was selected to attend the Army War College and graduated in 1960, going on to command the 1st Battle Group, 19th Infantry
, 24th Infantry Division in Europe from 1960 to 1961. His next assignment in the division was as chief of staff and he also served as chief of the Troop Operation Branch, Operations Division, United States Army, Europe from 1961 to 1962. Rogers next duty was as military assistant and executive officer to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
from 1962 to 1966.
in October 1966, moving on to become the assistant division commander of the 1st Infantry Division
in Vietnam operations from 1966 to 1967. He again returned to West Point as commandant of cadets from 1967 to 1969, being promoted to permanent colonel in June 1968. He was chosen for division command, commanding the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), and he also commanded Fort Carson, Colorado
, from 1969 to 1970 and was promoted to temporary major general
in February 1970 and permanent brigadier general in August 1971. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant general
in November 1972, and permanent major general in June 1973 while serving as deputy chief of staff for personnel of the Army, from 1972 to 1974. He was promoted to temporary four-star General
in November 1974, and was chosen to command the United States Army Forces Command
at Fort McPherson
from 1974 to 1976. Following this assignment he was selected to be Chief of Staff of the United States Army
, a post he held from October 1, 1976, until June 21, 1979. Some highlights of his tenure include supervising the Army's move to a 24-division, all-component force; establishing priorities for near-term readiness, midterm modernization, and long-term sustainability; establishing a program to enhance the quality of life of Army personnel; and suggesting a limited draft to fill the Individual Ready Reserve
. He was appointed Supreme Allied Commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization in July 1979, and retired from active service in June 1987.
When the Reagan administration signed a treaty with the Soviet Union requiring each side to withdraw intermediate-range missiles from Europe, General Rogers called the agreement "foolish." He said the Warsaw Pact's superiority in foot soldiers and conventional weapons left NATO forces at risk of being quickly overrun.
His stance drew a pointed rebuke in 1987 from Secretary of State George P. Shultz, who called the general's comments "way out of line." General Rogers soon retired.
General Rogers, who spent 44 years in uniform, had an unusual combination of talents as a combat commander, intellectual and statesman. While addressing a NATO conference in 1979 the former Rhodes scholar said, "One cannot help but to be impressed -- perhaps depressed is the better word -- by the folly, futility and waste of war as a means of resolving man's problems."
After World War II, he was briefly an aide to General Mark Clark, the commander of U.S. forces in Austria. In 1947, General Rogers received a Rhodes scholarship to England's University of Oxford, from which he received bachelor's and master's degrees in economics and philosophy.
He was a decorated infantry commander in the Korean War and held intelligence positions before becoming executive officer to Maxwell D. Taylor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in 1962.
As assistant commander of the First Infantry Division in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967, General Rogers was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross—the Army's highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor—for leading a successful counterattack against a Vietcong raid on a South Vietnamese special forces camp. He rallied troops on the ground and personally scouted enemy positions from a low-flying helicopter under heavy fire.
After two years as Commandant of the Corps of Cadets at West Point, General Rogers took command of the Fifth Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colorado, in 1969. At a time of falling morale, he made sweeping changes in the daily routine of soldiers by abolishing kitchen duty (KP), reveille, roll call and Friday night "GI parties", in which soldiers scrubbed the barracks for Saturday inspections.
He established councils for junior officers, enlisted men and racial minorities to express their concerns and set up a Greenwich Village-style coffeehouse, complete with folk singers. Old-line officers were aghast, but enlistments soared, and General Rogers became known as one of the brightest thinkers in the Army. He continued the reforms as Army chief of staff from 1976 to 1979, improving training programs and developing plans for a modern "quick-strike" force. He also took steps to make the Army more friendly toward women and minorities, calling on commanders to "eliminate any discriminatory handling of soldiers."
Despite his charmed career, General Rogers was eager to leave the bureaucratic labyrinth of the Pentagon behind when he assumed his NATO post in Belgium.
"You've heard that phrase from a country song that goes: 'Happiness is Lubbock, Texas, in the rearview mirror'?" he said. "Well, for me, happiness is the Pentagon in the rearview mirror."
General Rogers could be "suave and poised and intimidating", Major General Dewitt C. Smith once said, but he was also known to break into song on occasion, with Frank Sinatra's "My Way" a particular favorite.
Besides the Distinguished Service Cross, General Rogers's decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, four awards of the Legion of Merit and three awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
After his retirement in 1987, he was a director of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Atlantic Council of the United States. He served on the boards of the USO and the Association of the U.S. Army and was a consultant and director to several companies, including Coca-Cola and General Dynamics.
He was an Honorary Director of The Atlantic Council of the United States, and sat on the Association of the United States Army
's Council of Trustees. He was also a supporter of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
. He was an Honorary Fellow of University College
, Oxford University, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
, of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, and a Patron Councilor of the Atlantic Council
of the U.S.
Gen Rogers died at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Virginia, after suffering a heart attack.Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Ann E. Rogers of McLean; three children, retired Army Colonel Michael W. Rogers of Manassas, Diane Opperman of Arlington and Susan Kroetch of Alexandria; a sister; a brother; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.Gen. Rogers was buried at West Point.
Other honors and awards he has received include:
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
who served as Chief of Staff of the United States Army
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The Chief of Staff of the Army is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Army, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army; and is in...
, and later as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander, Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe
Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe is the central command of NATO military forces. It is located at Casteau, north of the Belgian city of Mons...
and Commander in Chief, United States European Command
United States European Command
The United States European Command is one of ten Unified Combatant Commands of the United States military, headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Its area of focus covers and 51 countries and territories, including Europe, Russia, Iceland, Greenland, and Israel...
.
Early career
Rogers was born in Fairview, KansasFairview, Kansas
Fairview is a city in Brown County, Kansas, United States. The population was 271 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fairview is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
on July 16, 1921. He spent a year at Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
before receiving an appointment to the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in 1940, where he was First Captain of the Corps of Cadets. He graduated in June 1943 as a second lieutenant of the Infantry assigned to the 275th Infantry, 70th Infantry Division, and attended the officer basic course at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning
Fort Benning
Fort Benning is a United States Army post located southeast of the city of Columbus in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties in Georgia and Russell County, Alabama...
. Rogers was promoted to temporary first lieutenant in December 1943, and returned to West Point as an instructor of economics, government, and history, from 1944 to 1946, receiving a promotion to temporary captain in February 1945. He next served as aide to the High Commissioner to Austria and to the commander of the Sixth Army from 1946 to 1947. In 1947 he attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1950 (he was later awarded an MA
Master of Arts (Oxbridge)
In the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Dublin, Bachelors of Arts of these universities are admitted to the degree of Master of Arts or Master in Arts on application after six or seven years' seniority as members of the university .There is no examination or study required for the degree...
in the same subject). During his time at Oxford he was promoted to permanent captain.
Korean War era
Following graduation he was aide to the chief of Army Field Forces from 1950 from 1951, being promoted to temporary majorMajor (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, major is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel...
in July 1951. He graduated from the Infantry School advanced course in 1952. Rogers was then deployed to the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
where he commanded the 3d Battalion, 9th Infantry
U.S. 9th Infantry Regiment
The 9th Infantry Regiment is one of the oldest and most decorated active duty infantry units in the United States Army.- Early organizations :...
from 1952 to 1953, being promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
in August 1953. He next was aide to the commander in chief and staff intelligence officer of the United Nations
United Nations Command (Korea)
The United Nations Command is the unified command structure for the multinational military forces supporting the Republic of Korea during and after the Korean War...
and Far East Commands from 1953 to 1954. Rogers returned stateside and graduated from the Command and General Staff College
Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military officers. The college was established in 1881 by William Tecumseh Sherman as a...
at Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
in 1955. He next commanded the 1st Battalion, 23d Infantry
23rd Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 23rd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army originally formed on June 26th 1812. The 23rd saw action in 14 battles during the War of 1812...
from 1955 to 1956, the served in the Coordination Division, Office of the Chief of Staff from 1956 to 1958. This was followed by duty as executive and senior aide to the chief of staff from 1958 to 1959 and promotion to permanent major January, 1959 and temporary colonel
Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...
in September, 1959. He was selected to attend the Army War College and graduated in 1960, going on to command the 1st Battle Group, 19th Infantry
19th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 19th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry regiment which is assigned to the US Army Training and Doctrine Command, with the assignment of conducting Basic and Advanced Infantry Training.-Civil War:...
, 24th Infantry Division in Europe from 1960 to 1961. His next assignment in the division was as chief of staff and he also served as chief of the Troop Operation Branch, Operations Division, United States Army, Europe from 1961 to 1962. Rogers next duty was as military assistant and executive officer to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Joint Chiefs of Staff
The Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
from 1962 to 1966.
Vietnam War era and after
He was promoted to permanent lieutenant colonel in January 1964 and temporary brigadier generalBrigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
in October 1966, moving on to become the assistant division commander of the 1st Infantry Division
U.S. 1st Infantry Division
The 1st Infantry Division of the United States Army is the oldest division in the United States Army. It has seen continuous service since its organization in 1917...
in Vietnam operations from 1966 to 1967. He again returned to West Point as commandant of cadets from 1967 to 1969, being promoted to permanent colonel in June 1968. He was chosen for division command, commanding the 5th Infantry Division (Mechanized), and he also commanded Fort Carson, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, from 1969 to 1970 and was promoted to temporary major general
Major general (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Marine Corps, and United States Air Force, major general is a two-star general-officer rank, with the pay grade of O-8. Major general ranks above brigadier general and below lieutenant general...
in February 1970 and permanent brigadier general in August 1971. He was promoted to temporary lieutenant general
Lieutenant General (United States)
In the United States Army, the United States Air Force and the United States Marine Corps, lieutenant general is a three-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-9. Lieutenant general ranks above major general and below general...
in November 1972, and permanent major general in June 1973 while serving as deputy chief of staff for personnel of the Army, from 1972 to 1974. He was promoted to temporary four-star General
General (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, general is a four-star general officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. General ranks above lieutenant general and below General of the Army or General of the Air Force; the Marine Corps does not have an...
in November 1974, and was chosen to command the United States Army Forces Command
United States Army Forces Command
United States Army Forces Command is the largest Army Command and the preeminent provider of expeditionary, campaign-capable land forces to Combatant Commanders. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, FORSCOM consists of more than 750,000 Active Army, U.S. Army Reserve, and Army National...
at Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson
Fort McPherson was a U.S. Army military base located in East Point, Georgia, on the southwest edge of the City of Atlanta, Ga. It was the headquarters for the U.S. Army Installation Management Command, Southeast Region; the U.S. Army Forces Command; the U.S. Army Reserve Command; the U.S...
from 1974 to 1976. Following this assignment he was selected to be Chief of Staff of the United States Army
Chief of Staff of the United States Army
The Chief of Staff of the Army is a statutory office held by a four-star general in the United States Army, and is the most senior uniformed officer assigned to serve in the Department of the Army, and as such is the principal military advisor and a deputy to the Secretary of the Army; and is in...
, a post he held from October 1, 1976, until June 21, 1979. Some highlights of his tenure include supervising the Army's move to a 24-division, all-component force; establishing priorities for near-term readiness, midterm modernization, and long-term sustainability; establishing a program to enhance the quality of life of Army personnel; and suggesting a limited draft to fill the Individual Ready Reserve
Individual Ready Reserve
The Individual Ready Reserve is a category of the Ready Reserve of the Reserve Component of the Armed Forces of the United States composed of former active duty or reserve military personnel, and is authorized under...
. He was appointed Supreme Allied Commander, North Atlantic Treaty Organization in July 1979, and retired from active service in June 1987.
When the Reagan administration signed a treaty with the Soviet Union requiring each side to withdraw intermediate-range missiles from Europe, General Rogers called the agreement "foolish." He said the Warsaw Pact's superiority in foot soldiers and conventional weapons left NATO forces at risk of being quickly overrun.
His stance drew a pointed rebuke in 1987 from Secretary of State George P. Shultz, who called the general's comments "way out of line." General Rogers soon retired.
General Rogers, who spent 44 years in uniform, had an unusual combination of talents as a combat commander, intellectual and statesman. While addressing a NATO conference in 1979 the former Rhodes scholar said, "One cannot help but to be impressed -- perhaps depressed is the better word -- by the folly, futility and waste of war as a means of resolving man's problems."
After World War II, he was briefly an aide to General Mark Clark, the commander of U.S. forces in Austria. In 1947, General Rogers received a Rhodes scholarship to England's University of Oxford, from which he received bachelor's and master's degrees in economics and philosophy.
He was a decorated infantry commander in the Korean War and held intelligence positions before becoming executive officer to Maxwell D. Taylor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in 1962.
As assistant commander of the First Infantry Division in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967, General Rogers was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross—the Army's highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor—for leading a successful counterattack against a Vietcong raid on a South Vietnamese special forces camp. He rallied troops on the ground and personally scouted enemy positions from a low-flying helicopter under heavy fire.
After two years as Commandant of the Corps of Cadets at West Point, General Rogers took command of the Fifth Infantry Division in Fort Carson, Colorado, in 1969. At a time of falling morale, he made sweeping changes in the daily routine of soldiers by abolishing kitchen duty (KP), reveille, roll call and Friday night "GI parties", in which soldiers scrubbed the barracks for Saturday inspections.
He established councils for junior officers, enlisted men and racial minorities to express their concerns and set up a Greenwich Village-style coffeehouse, complete with folk singers. Old-line officers were aghast, but enlistments soared, and General Rogers became known as one of the brightest thinkers in the Army. He continued the reforms as Army chief of staff from 1976 to 1979, improving training programs and developing plans for a modern "quick-strike" force. He also took steps to make the Army more friendly toward women and minorities, calling on commanders to "eliminate any discriminatory handling of soldiers."
Despite his charmed career, General Rogers was eager to leave the bureaucratic labyrinth of the Pentagon behind when he assumed his NATO post in Belgium.
"You've heard that phrase from a country song that goes: 'Happiness is Lubbock, Texas, in the rearview mirror'?" he said. "Well, for me, happiness is the Pentagon in the rearview mirror."
General Rogers could be "suave and poised and intimidating", Major General Dewitt C. Smith once said, but he was also known to break into song on occasion, with Frank Sinatra's "My Way" a particular favorite.
Besides the Distinguished Service Cross, General Rogers's decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, four awards of the Legion of Merit and three awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
After his retirement in 1987, he was a director of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Atlantic Council of the United States. He served on the boards of the USO and the Association of the U.S. Army and was a consultant and director to several companies, including Coca-Cola and General Dynamics.
Civilian life and honors
Rogers married Ann Ellen Jones in 1944.He was an Honorary Director of The Atlantic Council of the United States, and sat on the Association of the United States Army
Association of the United States Army
The Association of the United States Army is a private, non-profit organization that acts primarily as an advocacy group for the United States Army. Founded in 1950, it has 125 chapters worldwide. Membership is open to everyone, not just Army personnel, nor is membership mandatory for soldiers,...
's Council of Trustees. He was also a supporter of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty
The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty bans all nuclear explosions in all environments, for military or civilian purposes. It was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 September 1996 but it has not entered into force.-Status:...
. He was an Honorary Fellow of University College
University College, Oxford
.University College , is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2009 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £110m...
, Oxford University, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations is an American nonprofit nonpartisan membership organization, publisher, and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and international affairs...
, of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity, and a Patron Councilor of the Atlantic Council
Atlantic Council
The Atlantic Council is a Washington, D.C. think tank and public policy group whose mission is to "promote constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st...
of the U.S.
Gen Rogers died at Inova Fairfax Hospital, Virginia, after suffering a heart attack.Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Ann E. Rogers of McLean; three children, retired Army Colonel Michael W. Rogers of Manassas, Diane Opperman of Arlington and Susan Kroetch of Alexandria; a sister; a brother; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.Gen. Rogers was buried at West Point.
Other honors and awards he has received include:
- Distinguished Service Citation, Honorary Alumni Citees, University of Kansas Alumni Association, 1984
- H.H. Arnold Award, Air Force AssociationAir Force AssociationThe Air Force Association is an independent, 501 non-profit, civilian education organization, headquartered in Arlington, Virginia...
, 1985 - Distinguished Graduate Award, USMA Association of Graduates, 1995
- George C. Marshall Medal, United States Army Association, 1999