Captain Charles David Rogers, Vietnam Veteran, Native of Monroe, NC.
Captain Charles David Rogers was a member of the Army Reserve, CPT Rogers served our country until March 11th, 1969 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. He was 29 years old and was not married. It was reported that Charles died from multiple fragmentation wounds from a mine. His body was recovered. Charles was born on March 25th, 1939 in Monroe, North Carolina. CPT Rogers is on panel 29W, line 014 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 4 years.
The '54 team was one of seniors and a few juniors. When James "Guts" McCauley died just before fall practice began, David "Bull" Rogers became the fullback and was the youngest of the regulars as a sophomore. "Bull" was around 5'11"and weighed 175 or so - big back then. He carried his weight and size in sort of a bull-like manner, but could he smile! Some have said that since our school was so small, our team could have only been closer if we had played for an orphanage. "Bull" Rogers' mother was a nurse and assisted Dr. J.J. Goudelock with my delivery at birth, and she was one of the very first to hear my voice which would later call signals for her son's team. Because he carried the ball like a loaf of bread, David had a tendency to fumble. He developed, in his fullback position, as he gained experience. Then came the Landis game. The fumbling stopped. He exploded into the line again and again, and when he broke through, he was on long runs. Just a terrific demonstration of his ability. For the rest for the season number 44 was a threat. "Bull" went on to play more "ball" in college, Army, advancement, and Viet Nam. I found his name on the Memorial Wall in Washington, DC - Charles David Rogers. That day I remembered his wide, wide smile. When the measure of a man is made by his sacrifice, David "Bull" Rogers was a big, big, man."
Faternity Brother, Sigma Nu, East Carolina University. Captain Charles David Rogers was known a "Bull" Rogers at the Sigma Nu house and on the football field at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He was a "Hail Fellow Well Met" and liked by all who knew him. Don't let the name "Bull" fool you. He was not a "bullish" individual, but on the football field he ran like a bull. Frankly, I never heard anyone say an unkind word about this man. He was a great guy and his passing in Vietnam was a significant loss to our state and nation because of his character. I still remember the way he would look back over his shoulder and grin at his friends and brothers. When I think of the Vietnam War, I think of the loss of two fraternity brothers David "Bull" Rogers and Dempsey Williams. They both would have been great men had they not been lost in that war. They were born leaders and that makes their loss even more tragic. Each walked in the way of honor and served in the light of truth! Jerry T Williams, 6900 Clear Sailing Lane, Raleigh,NC 27615-5200, [email protected].
Brother Bull, I am thinking of you on this Memorial Day 2004 and may you rest in peace. Brother Bob Church, [email protected].
Captain Charles David(Dave)Rogers was a school teacher in North Carolina, no longer subject to the draft, but volunteered for the infantry, airborne, flight school and duty in Vietnam(twice), the second time in hopes his younger brother, Danny, would not be sent to RVN. Dave was highly skilled, humorous, an entertaining guitar player and singer, a paratrooper, infantryman, and combat aviator. He died in the early days of his second tour while organizing less experienced, younger soldiers in a defense of their compound while under heavy mortar and rocket attack. Dave died saving others. His brother served voluntarily in Vietnam for 18 months after Dave"s death. Danny returned home safely, thank God. Dave is buried in his hometown, Monroe, NC. I was one of his pall bearers and shall forever miss his humor, wisdom, loving manner, and professional example. Rest in peace, Dave. Above the Best. Tribute rendered by Don L. Martin.
Written by: Victoria Mackey, Correspondent, Indian Trail Newpaper.
His friends from Monroe High School remember him as a fun and adventuresome guy. Craven Williams and David went on a summer trip out west and got work doing odds along the way to help pay for their trip. Frank Helms remembers him as one heck of a great athletic both in high school and at East Carolina University. Julie Williams Hendley remembers that David always wanted to travel the world and see things he had never seen. David went to Alaska twice and was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to fish and hunt. Frank said that David was very gung ho military, was an advocate of the Vietnam War, and was over there to do his duty.
He was born on March 25, 1939 to Charles B. and Alva May Westerlund Rogers of Monroe. His father, a barber, owned Rogers Barber Shop in downtown Monroe for decades. He had a brother John D. Rogers or Danny who was a Specialist Fifth Class in the Army. Danny was five years younger than him. Julie remembers that David's mother "Wes" never got over the loss of David. She said that the Rogers family was very close and the loss of David hit them hard. After he graduated from Monroe High School in 1957 and he played all four of his high school years on the football team, earning the nickname of "Bull". He also played football in college at East Carolina University. He coached football and baseball at Union High School in South Carolina four years before he joined the Army in 1965. David went to jump school to become a paratrooper and also took ranger training at Ft Benning in Columbus, Georgia. He then attended Officer Candidate School and after he graduated, he was assigned as Company Commander of an infantry troop at Ft Polk in Louisiana. He next attended flight school at Ft Rucker in Alabama.
His next assignment was to Vietnam where he was assigned to the 174th Assault Helicopter Company where he served as a rotary wing aviator and a unit commander. His call sign was Captain Lollypop. He flew a Huey UH-1C shark gunship with XM-21 minigun armament subsystem. Pete Harlem, who was crew chief of one of the shark gunships in Vietnam described the minigun armament system: each turret of the XM-21 minigun armament subsystem carried a single M-134 7.62 mm minigun which was fed ammo by a single flexible chute that led from the ammo box mounted against the aft bulkhead in the cabin. Each minigun was supplied by two rows of ammo boxes, which was a total of six boxes, via a continuous belt of linked ammo. The belt routed from one row of boxes to the other via a cross over chute and ammo drive motor assembly that attached to the end of the boxes. The XM-21 with seven shot pods was the most common weapon setup used on the UH-1C Hueys in Vietnam. David served two tours of duty in Vietnam; his first tour of duty was from October, 1967 to October, 1968 and his second tour was from February 19, 1969 to March 11, 1969.
Danny Rogers remembers his brother telling him that he rescued a lot of American soldiers who were trapped by the Viet Cong and would have been killed had it not been for assault helicopter pilots like David, who were able to fly in to pick up the soldiers under extreme fire and fly them back out through extreme fire. David was on R & R at a rest and relaxation camp, when he was killed in his quarters in the Quang Ngai Province of South Vietnam from an attack on the camp by the Viet Cong. He died of multiple fragment wounds when a French 75mm pack howitzer was fired into the camp and hit his hooch. His brother Danny stated that David had planned to leave the military after his second tour of duty was over in Vietnam. He was going to start a business flying helicopters around the ski areas in western North Carolina from different cities in North Carolina such as Asheville and Charlotte. Danny said that he was going to be his crew chief.
He was the Son of Mr Charles B and Mrs Alva May Westerlund Rogers of Monroe, NC.
He served with the 174th Assault Helicopter Company, "Sharks", 14th Aviation Battalion, 16th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, Americal Division, USARV.
He was awarded The Bronze Star Medal, The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Expert Rifleman's Badge and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters.
Captain Charles David Rogers was a member of the Army Reserve, CPT Rogers served our country until March 11th, 1969 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. He was 29 years old and was not married. It was reported that Charles died from multiple fragmentation wounds from a mine. His body was recovered. Charles was born on March 25th, 1939 in Monroe, North Carolina. CPT Rogers is on panel 29W, line 014 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 4 years.
The '54 team was one of seniors and a few juniors. When James "Guts" McCauley died just before fall practice began, David "Bull" Rogers became the fullback and was the youngest of the regulars as a sophomore. "Bull" was around 5'11"and weighed 175 or so - big back then. He carried his weight and size in sort of a bull-like manner, but could he smile! Some have said that since our school was so small, our team could have only been closer if we had played for an orphanage. "Bull" Rogers' mother was a nurse and assisted Dr. J.J. Goudelock with my delivery at birth, and she was one of the very first to hear my voice which would later call signals for her son's team. Because he carried the ball like a loaf of bread, David had a tendency to fumble. He developed, in his fullback position, as he gained experience. Then came the Landis game. The fumbling stopped. He exploded into the line again and again, and when he broke through, he was on long runs. Just a terrific demonstration of his ability. For the rest for the season number 44 was a threat. "Bull" went on to play more "ball" in college, Army, advancement, and Viet Nam. I found his name on the Memorial Wall in Washington, DC - Charles David Rogers. That day I remembered his wide, wide smile. When the measure of a man is made by his sacrifice, David "Bull" Rogers was a big, big, man."
Faternity Brother, Sigma Nu, East Carolina University. Captain Charles David Rogers was known a "Bull" Rogers at the Sigma Nu house and on the football field at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He was a "Hail Fellow Well Met" and liked by all who knew him. Don't let the name "Bull" fool you. He was not a "bullish" individual, but on the football field he ran like a bull. Frankly, I never heard anyone say an unkind word about this man. He was a great guy and his passing in Vietnam was a significant loss to our state and nation because of his character. I still remember the way he would look back over his shoulder and grin at his friends and brothers. When I think of the Vietnam War, I think of the loss of two fraternity brothers David "Bull" Rogers and Dempsey Williams. They both would have been great men had they not been lost in that war. They were born leaders and that makes their loss even more tragic. Each walked in the way of honor and served in the light of truth! Jerry T Williams, 6900 Clear Sailing Lane, Raleigh,NC 27615-5200, [email protected].
Brother Bull, I am thinking of you on this Memorial Day 2004 and may you rest in peace. Brother Bob Church, [email protected].
Captain Charles David(Dave)Rogers was a school teacher in North Carolina, no longer subject to the draft, but volunteered for the infantry, airborne, flight school and duty in Vietnam(twice), the second time in hopes his younger brother, Danny, would not be sent to RVN. Dave was highly skilled, humorous, an entertaining guitar player and singer, a paratrooper, infantryman, and combat aviator. He died in the early days of his second tour while organizing less experienced, younger soldiers in a defense of their compound while under heavy mortar and rocket attack. Dave died saving others. His brother served voluntarily in Vietnam for 18 months after Dave"s death. Danny returned home safely, thank God. Dave is buried in his hometown, Monroe, NC. I was one of his pall bearers and shall forever miss his humor, wisdom, loving manner, and professional example. Rest in peace, Dave. Above the Best. Tribute rendered by Don L. Martin.
Written by: Victoria Mackey, Correspondent, Indian Trail Newpaper.
His friends from Monroe High School remember him as a fun and adventuresome guy. Craven Williams and David went on a summer trip out west and got work doing odds along the way to help pay for their trip. Frank Helms remembers him as one heck of a great athletic both in high school and at East Carolina University. Julie Williams Hendley remembers that David always wanted to travel the world and see things he had never seen. David went to Alaska twice and was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to fish and hunt. Frank said that David was very gung ho military, was an advocate of the Vietnam War, and was over there to do his duty.
He was born on March 25, 1939 to Charles B. and Alva May Westerlund Rogers of Monroe. His father, a barber, owned Rogers Barber Shop in downtown Monroe for decades. He had a brother John D. Rogers or Danny who was a Specialist Fifth Class in the Army. Danny was five years younger than him. Julie remembers that David's mother "Wes" never got over the loss of David. She said that the Rogers family was very close and the loss of David hit them hard. After he graduated from Monroe High School in 1957 and he played all four of his high school years on the football team, earning the nickname of "Bull". He also played football in college at East Carolina University. He coached football and baseball at Union High School in South Carolina four years before he joined the Army in 1965. David went to jump school to become a paratrooper and also took ranger training at Ft Benning in Columbus, Georgia. He then attended Officer Candidate School and after he graduated, he was assigned as Company Commander of an infantry troop at Ft Polk in Louisiana. He next attended flight school at Ft Rucker in Alabama.
His next assignment was to Vietnam where he was assigned to the 174th Assault Helicopter Company where he served as a rotary wing aviator and a unit commander. His call sign was Captain Lollypop. He flew a Huey UH-1C shark gunship with XM-21 minigun armament subsystem. Pete Harlem, who was crew chief of one of the shark gunships in Vietnam described the minigun armament system: each turret of the XM-21 minigun armament subsystem carried a single M-134 7.62 mm minigun which was fed ammo by a single flexible chute that led from the ammo box mounted against the aft bulkhead in the cabin. Each minigun was supplied by two rows of ammo boxes, which was a total of six boxes, via a continuous belt of linked ammo. The belt routed from one row of boxes to the other via a cross over chute and ammo drive motor assembly that attached to the end of the boxes. The XM-21 with seven shot pods was the most common weapon setup used on the UH-1C Hueys in Vietnam. David served two tours of duty in Vietnam; his first tour of duty was from October, 1967 to October, 1968 and his second tour was from February 19, 1969 to March 11, 1969.
Danny Rogers remembers his brother telling him that he rescued a lot of American soldiers who were trapped by the Viet Cong and would have been killed had it not been for assault helicopter pilots like David, who were able to fly in to pick up the soldiers under extreme fire and fly them back out through extreme fire. David was on R & R at a rest and relaxation camp, when he was killed in his quarters in the Quang Ngai Province of South Vietnam from an attack on the camp by the Viet Cong. He died of multiple fragment wounds when a French 75mm pack howitzer was fired into the camp and hit his hooch. His brother Danny stated that David had planned to leave the military after his second tour of duty was over in Vietnam. He was going to start a business flying helicopters around the ski areas in western North Carolina from different cities in North Carolina such as Asheville and Charlotte. Danny said that he was going to be his crew chief.
He was the Son of Mr Charles B and Mrs Alva May Westerlund Rogers of Monroe, NC.
He served with the 174th Assault Helicopter Company, "Sharks", 14th Aviation Battalion, 16th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, Americal Division, USARV.
He was awarded The Bronze Star Medal, The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Expert Rifleman's Badge and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters.
Captain Charles David Rogers, Vietnam Veteran, Native of Monroe, NC.
Captain Charles David Rogers was a member of the Army Reserve, CPT Rogers served our country until March 11th, 1969 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. He was 29 years old and was not married. It was reported that Charles died from multiple fragmentation wounds from a mine. His body was recovered. Charles was born on March 25th, 1939 in Monroe, North Carolina. CPT Rogers is on panel 29W, line 014 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 4 years.
The '54 team was one of seniors and a few juniors. When James "Guts" McCauley died just before fall practice began, David "Bull" Rogers became the fullback and was the youngest of the regulars as a sophomore. "Bull" was around 5'11"and weighed 175 or so - big back then. He carried his weight and size in sort of a bull-like manner, but could he smile! Some have said that since our school was so small, our team could have only been closer if we had played for an orphanage. "Bull" Rogers' mother was a nurse and assisted Dr. J.J. Goudelock with my delivery at birth, and she was one of the very first to hear my voice which would later call signals for her son's team. Because he carried the ball like a loaf of bread, David had a tendency to fumble. He developed, in his fullback position, as he gained experience. Then came the Landis game. The fumbling stopped. He exploded into the line again and again, and when he broke through, he was on long runs. Just a terrific demonstration of his ability. For the rest for the season number 44 was a threat. "Bull" went on to play more "ball" in college, Army, advancement, and Viet Nam. I found his name on the Memorial Wall in Washington, DC - Charles David Rogers. That day I remembered his wide, wide smile. When the measure of a man is made by his sacrifice, David "Bull" Rogers was a big, big, man."
Faternity Brother, Sigma Nu, East Carolina University. Captain Charles David Rogers was known a "Bull" Rogers at the Sigma Nu house and on the football field at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He was a "Hail Fellow Well Met" and liked by all who knew him. Don't let the name "Bull" fool you. He was not a "bullish" individual, but on the football field he ran like a bull. Frankly, I never heard anyone say an unkind word about this man. He was a great guy and his passing in Vietnam was a significant loss to our state and nation because of his character. I still remember the way he would look back over his shoulder and grin at his friends and brothers. When I think of the Vietnam War, I think of the loss of two fraternity brothers David "Bull" Rogers and Dempsey Williams. They both would have been great men had they not been lost in that war. They were born leaders and that makes their loss even more tragic. Each walked in the way of honor and served in the light of truth! Jerry T Williams, 6900 Clear Sailing Lane, Raleigh,NC 27615-5200, [email protected].
Brother Bull, I am thinking of you on this Memorial Day 2004 and may you rest in peace. Brother Bob Church, [email protected].
Captain Charles David(Dave)Rogers was a school teacher in North Carolina, no longer subject to the draft, but volunteered for the infantry, airborne, flight school and duty in Vietnam(twice), the second time in hopes his younger brother, Danny, would not be sent to RVN. Dave was highly skilled, humorous, an entertaining guitar player and singer, a paratrooper, infantryman, and combat aviator. He died in the early days of his second tour while organizing less experienced, younger soldiers in a defense of their compound while under heavy mortar and rocket attack. Dave died saving others. His brother served voluntarily in Vietnam for 18 months after Dave"s death. Danny returned home safely, thank God. Dave is buried in his hometown, Monroe, NC. I was one of his pall bearers and shall forever miss his humor, wisdom, loving manner, and professional example. Rest in peace, Dave. Above the Best. Tribute rendered by Don L. Martin.
Written by: Victoria Mackey, Correspondent, Indian Trail Newpaper.
His friends from Monroe High School remember him as a fun and adventuresome guy. Craven Williams and David went on a summer trip out west and got work doing odds along the way to help pay for their trip. Frank Helms remembers him as one heck of a great athletic both in high school and at East Carolina University. Julie Williams Hendley remembers that David always wanted to travel the world and see things he had never seen. David went to Alaska twice and was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to fish and hunt. Frank said that David was very gung ho military, was an advocate of the Vietnam War, and was over there to do his duty.
He was born on March 25, 1939 to Charles B. and Alva May Westerlund Rogers of Monroe. His father, a barber, owned Rogers Barber Shop in downtown Monroe for decades. He had a brother John D. Rogers or Danny who was a Specialist Fifth Class in the Army. Danny was five years younger than him. Julie remembers that David's mother "Wes" never got over the loss of David. She said that the Rogers family was very close and the loss of David hit them hard. After he graduated from Monroe High School in 1957 and he played all four of his high school years on the football team, earning the nickname of "Bull". He also played football in college at East Carolina University. He coached football and baseball at Union High School in South Carolina four years before he joined the Army in 1965. David went to jump school to become a paratrooper and also took ranger training at Ft Benning in Columbus, Georgia. He then attended Officer Candidate School and after he graduated, he was assigned as Company Commander of an infantry troop at Ft Polk in Louisiana. He next attended flight school at Ft Rucker in Alabama.
His next assignment was to Vietnam where he was assigned to the 174th Assault Helicopter Company where he served as a rotary wing aviator and a unit commander. His call sign was Captain Lollypop. He flew a Huey UH-1C shark gunship with XM-21 minigun armament subsystem. Pete Harlem, who was crew chief of one of the shark gunships in Vietnam described the minigun armament system: each turret of the XM-21 minigun armament subsystem carried a single M-134 7.62 mm minigun which was fed ammo by a single flexible chute that led from the ammo box mounted against the aft bulkhead in the cabin. Each minigun was supplied by two rows of ammo boxes, which was a total of six boxes, via a continuous belt of linked ammo. The belt routed from one row of boxes to the other via a cross over chute and ammo drive motor assembly that attached to the end of the boxes. The XM-21 with seven shot pods was the most common weapon setup used on the UH-1C Hueys in Vietnam. David served two tours of duty in Vietnam; his first tour of duty was from October, 1967 to October, 1968 and his second tour was from February 19, 1969 to March 11, 1969.
Danny Rogers remembers his brother telling him that he rescued a lot of American soldiers who were trapped by the Viet Cong and would have been killed had it not been for assault helicopter pilots like David, who were able to fly in to pick up the soldiers under extreme fire and fly them back out through extreme fire. David was on R & R at a rest and relaxation camp, when he was killed in his quarters in the Quang Ngai Province of South Vietnam from an attack on the camp by the Viet Cong. He died of multiple fragment wounds when a French 75mm pack howitzer was fired into the camp and hit his hooch. His brother Danny stated that David had planned to leave the military after his second tour of duty was over in Vietnam. He was going to start a business flying helicopters around the ski areas in western North Carolina from different cities in North Carolina such as Asheville and Charlotte. Danny said that he was going to be his crew chief.
He was the Son of Mr Charles B and Mrs Alva May Westerlund Rogers of Monroe, NC.
He served with the 174th Assault Helicopter Company, "Sharks", 14th Aviation Battalion, 16th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, Americal Division, USARV.
He was awarded The Bronze Star Medal, The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Expert Rifleman's Badge and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters.
Captain Charles David Rogers was a member of the Army Reserve, CPT Rogers served our country until March 11th, 1969 in Quang Ngai, South Vietnam. He was 29 years old and was not married. It was reported that Charles died from multiple fragmentation wounds from a mine. His body was recovered. Charles was born on March 25th, 1939 in Monroe, North Carolina. CPT Rogers is on panel 29W, line 014 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country for 4 years.
The '54 team was one of seniors and a few juniors. When James "Guts" McCauley died just before fall practice began, David "Bull" Rogers became the fullback and was the youngest of the regulars as a sophomore. "Bull" was around 5'11"and weighed 175 or so - big back then. He carried his weight and size in sort of a bull-like manner, but could he smile! Some have said that since our school was so small, our team could have only been closer if we had played for an orphanage. "Bull" Rogers' mother was a nurse and assisted Dr. J.J. Goudelock with my delivery at birth, and she was one of the very first to hear my voice which would later call signals for her son's team. Because he carried the ball like a loaf of bread, David had a tendency to fumble. He developed, in his fullback position, as he gained experience. Then came the Landis game. The fumbling stopped. He exploded into the line again and again, and when he broke through, he was on long runs. Just a terrific demonstration of his ability. For the rest for the season number 44 was a threat. "Bull" went on to play more "ball" in college, Army, advancement, and Viet Nam. I found his name on the Memorial Wall in Washington, DC - Charles David Rogers. That day I remembered his wide, wide smile. When the measure of a man is made by his sacrifice, David "Bull" Rogers was a big, big, man."
Faternity Brother, Sigma Nu, East Carolina University. Captain Charles David Rogers was known a "Bull" Rogers at the Sigma Nu house and on the football field at East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He was a "Hail Fellow Well Met" and liked by all who knew him. Don't let the name "Bull" fool you. He was not a "bullish" individual, but on the football field he ran like a bull. Frankly, I never heard anyone say an unkind word about this man. He was a great guy and his passing in Vietnam was a significant loss to our state and nation because of his character. I still remember the way he would look back over his shoulder and grin at his friends and brothers. When I think of the Vietnam War, I think of the loss of two fraternity brothers David "Bull" Rogers and Dempsey Williams. They both would have been great men had they not been lost in that war. They were born leaders and that makes their loss even more tragic. Each walked in the way of honor and served in the light of truth! Jerry T Williams, 6900 Clear Sailing Lane, Raleigh,NC 27615-5200, [email protected].
Brother Bull, I am thinking of you on this Memorial Day 2004 and may you rest in peace. Brother Bob Church, [email protected].
Captain Charles David(Dave)Rogers was a school teacher in North Carolina, no longer subject to the draft, but volunteered for the infantry, airborne, flight school and duty in Vietnam(twice), the second time in hopes his younger brother, Danny, would not be sent to RVN. Dave was highly skilled, humorous, an entertaining guitar player and singer, a paratrooper, infantryman, and combat aviator. He died in the early days of his second tour while organizing less experienced, younger soldiers in a defense of their compound while under heavy mortar and rocket attack. Dave died saving others. His brother served voluntarily in Vietnam for 18 months after Dave"s death. Danny returned home safely, thank God. Dave is buried in his hometown, Monroe, NC. I was one of his pall bearers and shall forever miss his humor, wisdom, loving manner, and professional example. Rest in peace, Dave. Above the Best. Tribute rendered by Don L. Martin.
Written by: Victoria Mackey, Correspondent, Indian Trail Newpaper.
His friends from Monroe High School remember him as a fun and adventuresome guy. Craven Williams and David went on a summer trip out west and got work doing odds along the way to help pay for their trip. Frank Helms remembers him as one heck of a great athletic both in high school and at East Carolina University. Julie Williams Hendley remembers that David always wanted to travel the world and see things he had never seen. David went to Alaska twice and was an avid outdoorsman. He loved to fish and hunt. Frank said that David was very gung ho military, was an advocate of the Vietnam War, and was over there to do his duty.
He was born on March 25, 1939 to Charles B. and Alva May Westerlund Rogers of Monroe. His father, a barber, owned Rogers Barber Shop in downtown Monroe for decades. He had a brother John D. Rogers or Danny who was a Specialist Fifth Class in the Army. Danny was five years younger than him. Julie remembers that David's mother "Wes" never got over the loss of David. She said that the Rogers family was very close and the loss of David hit them hard. After he graduated from Monroe High School in 1957 and he played all four of his high school years on the football team, earning the nickname of "Bull". He also played football in college at East Carolina University. He coached football and baseball at Union High School in South Carolina four years before he joined the Army in 1965. David went to jump school to become a paratrooper and also took ranger training at Ft Benning in Columbus, Georgia. He then attended Officer Candidate School and after he graduated, he was assigned as Company Commander of an infantry troop at Ft Polk in Louisiana. He next attended flight school at Ft Rucker in Alabama.
His next assignment was to Vietnam where he was assigned to the 174th Assault Helicopter Company where he served as a rotary wing aviator and a unit commander. His call sign was Captain Lollypop. He flew a Huey UH-1C shark gunship with XM-21 minigun armament subsystem. Pete Harlem, who was crew chief of one of the shark gunships in Vietnam described the minigun armament system: each turret of the XM-21 minigun armament subsystem carried a single M-134 7.62 mm minigun which was fed ammo by a single flexible chute that led from the ammo box mounted against the aft bulkhead in the cabin. Each minigun was supplied by two rows of ammo boxes, which was a total of six boxes, via a continuous belt of linked ammo. The belt routed from one row of boxes to the other via a cross over chute and ammo drive motor assembly that attached to the end of the boxes. The XM-21 with seven shot pods was the most common weapon setup used on the UH-1C Hueys in Vietnam. David served two tours of duty in Vietnam; his first tour of duty was from October, 1967 to October, 1968 and his second tour was from February 19, 1969 to March 11, 1969.
Danny Rogers remembers his brother telling him that he rescued a lot of American soldiers who were trapped by the Viet Cong and would have been killed had it not been for assault helicopter pilots like David, who were able to fly in to pick up the soldiers under extreme fire and fly them back out through extreme fire. David was on R & R at a rest and relaxation camp, when he was killed in his quarters in the Quang Ngai Province of South Vietnam from an attack on the camp by the Viet Cong. He died of multiple fragment wounds when a French 75mm pack howitzer was fired into the camp and hit his hooch. His brother Danny stated that David had planned to leave the military after his second tour of duty was over in Vietnam. He was going to start a business flying helicopters around the ski areas in western North Carolina from different cities in North Carolina such as Asheville and Charlotte. Danny said that he was going to be his crew chief.
He was the Son of Mr Charles B and Mrs Alva May Westerlund Rogers of Monroe, NC.
He served with the 174th Assault Helicopter Company, "Sharks", 14th Aviation Battalion, 16th Aviation Group, 1st Aviation Brigade, Americal Division, USARV.
He was awarded The Bronze Star Medal, The Purple Heart Medal for his combat related wounds, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Republic of Vietnam Campaign Service Medal, The National Defense Service Medal, The Expert Rifleman's Badge and The Air Medal with Multiple Oak Leaf Clusters.
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