Sgt. Patrick Rogers, a wounded vet, recently received a mortgage free home from Operation FINALLY HOME. Operation FINALLY HOME provides custom-built, mortgage-free homes to America’s military heroes and the widows of the fallen, those who have worn America’s uniform and sacrificed so much to defend our freedoms and values. Operation FINALLY HOME partners with corporate sponsors, builder associations, builders, developers, individual contributors, and volunteers to help America’s military heroes and their families transition to the home front by addressing one of their most pressing needs—a home to call their own.
Staff Sgt. Patrick Rogers joined the Texas Army National Guard in 1994, following his high school graduation. Rogers served as a medic and was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. On June 1, 2012, a suicide bomber carrying close to a ton of explosives crashed into the perimeter of the base, collapsing the mess hall where Rogers and his fellow soldiers were eating. Unaware of his own injuries, Rogers began evacuating the wounded soldiers around him. Following the blast, more than a dozen insurgents heavily armed with guns and explosives entered the area. Uncovered and surrounded by heavy fire, Rogers rode in the back of a truck, gathering the wounded and transporting them to the hospital. It wasn’t until he was ordered to stop tending to other wounded soldiers that he finally allowed other medics to take care of his own injuries. By early July, Rogers had recovered enough to return to duty. On Independence Day found himself back under enemy fire in the mountains of Afghanistan. Dangling by a wire beneath a Blackhawk helicopter, Rogers rescued a wounded soldier before being lifted onto a two-foot ledge on the side of a cliff to help rescue two more soldiers.
Rogers’ heroism resulted in him being presented with numerous awards, including a Combat Medal Badge, an Air Medal with Valor Citation, and a Purple Heart. Rogers currently suffers from multiple injuries, including a traumatic brain injury (TBI), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), shoulder and knee tears, spinal injuries and loss of hearing.
Rogers retired from the military in July 2013 and currently lives in Flint, Texas with his wife, Shelby, and their three sons, they were recently presented with a brand new, mortgage free home from Operation FINALLY HOME.