Veteran's Corner: The Rodgers

COLFAX - William (Bill) Rodgers, 84, and his wife Julia met in the Navy.

Born in Colfax, Mr. Rodgers went into the service in 1957, serving for four years in the Navy in Japan, China, and the Philipines as a mechanic.

"My dad was Navy, and it looked to me like a good deal," he said, "I didn't have to get out and wade around in the mud you know."

Rodgers said his job was to work on the ship, "What would you call it mother?" he asked Julia, "She does more of the memories than I do," he said.

"I thought you did engineering work in the Navy," she said, which he responded.

"Some," he said.

The first ship that Rodgers went on was the USS Koiner, were he spent a year and a half, "Maybe two, and I was in the Navy on the USS Bridget for a year and a half," he said, "I don't remember squat," he laughed.

Rodgers said he can't remember a lot, but that from what he can remember of it, "It was quite a deal, I enjoyed the Navy, except when I made a couple more stripes on my sleeve they took the idea of me going on, and I said no."

Rodgers said that when he went from the USS Koiner to the USS Bridget, "They asked if I wanted to transfer, I said 'hell yes,' and they sent me to the other ship."

He became a second class petty officer, "Most of the guys couldn't make second class in two years, and I made it in two and a half," he said, adding that it was more than he wanted, but he did not realize it was more than he wanted, "but here was the part that I really wanted," he said, motioning towards Julia.

Julia joined in 1959 right out of high school, "I went just to get a husband," she said, "back in those days, the fellas would get drafted, unless you were in college."

"I was clerical," Julia said, adding that back then women did either clerical work or they worked in the kitchen or janitorial.

"So anyway, I joined the Navy to get a guy in the Navy," she said, "he was already in the Navy, and I got him," she said, adding that they will be married for 64 years in November.

The Rodgers met, and married in Treasure Island, San Francisco, in Calif. "He went to Japan on the USS Brigett and I went home to Florida, because I was pregnant with our oldest son."

Rodger finished his service in 1961.

After he returned from Japan, "We were still in the Navy in California, in San Diego, when he got out," said Julia, "We moved here to Colfax, and we have have lived here ever since."

Rodgers would go on to be in a partnership owning a lumberyard in Colfax and worked at the Whitman County Sheriff's Office.

"I got a belly full of police work and went to work here as a contractor," he said.

Julia said there were many roofs that he put on still in town, "We did work together to, we put roofing on a house and siding on a house," she said, "we did it together."

The Rodgers have four children, three joined the Army.

"Our oldest was in for 24 and a half years," Julia said, "he was a helicopter pilot."

During their time in the service, Bill and Julia Rodgers said they didn't see any major war.

"Nobody shooting nobody, and I won't cry," Rodgers said.

For the Rodgers the best part of their time in the service was finding one another, they live at the Courtyard in Colfax.