ROGER CARSON

1970

Prior to Active Duty service, Roger completed 4 years ROTC at Sam Houston State Teachers College in Huntsville, TX. (Now it is Sam Houston University) He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant upon graduation with a Bachelor of Science degree in August 1960.
During the 16 1/2 years Roger served his country in the US Army he was in a number of duty stations and completed several training schools. Two of these were Jungle Warfare (Survival) School in Panama where he received Jungle Expert certification, and another was Airborne training (Jump) school in Ft. Benning, GA, where he earned his Airborne wings. These two training schools helped to prepare him for his tour of duty in Viet Nam. He served there at LZ English as Provost Marshall for the 173rd Airborne Infantry Brigade. He was very proud to serve in such a prestigious unit, but also felt unworthy because he never made a combat jump.
Like so many of our soldiers who made it home safely, he felt a certain amount of guilt--Guilt that he had survived without injury when so many of his friends did not come home. A good friend and fellow officer "won" the one slot open for a transfer to Regular Army, Infantry, to go to Viet Nam over Roger. He was killed in a heroic effort that saved the lives of the rest of his squad. Roger always said that his friend had died in his place because he went first to serve in Viet Nam.
The reception the returning Viet Nam veterans were given broke his heart. As so many had to do, he bore this as he had to - a soldier doing his duty for his country. When he was discharged from active duty, he went about the business of making a living for his family and living a Christian, patriotic life.
When he heard of the organization of Viet Nam Veterans of America, he knew he had found a way to help other veterans. He was a charter member of the Rose Capital chapter of VVA in Tyler. He looked for ways to get the word out to more veterans. His efforts were soon noticed by the Texas State Council of VVA and he was honored with their Point Man of the Year award for Region 7 which includes the states of Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas. He became the Start Up Chairman for starting new VVA Chapters and began starting chapters in other cities in central and east Texas. Positive results from his efforts were several new chapters who began doing good in their communities for local veterans. This gave him a new sense of purpose. He had exceptional people skills, organizational skills, and management skills which he could now use to the highest degree in starting chapters and finding veterans to offer them help, and perhaps hope as well. He was able to put behind him (somewhat) the disappointment in the people who had fostered the bad reputation given to our military veterans.
(Former) Maj. Roger N. Carson, Sr. was a good man, good husband, good father, good friend and a truly good American soldier.

School. My first strong memories of who my Dad was and what he did are from Ft. Hood where he was Deputy Provost Marshal. I understood it was some type of law enforcement job. I remember one of the people there made a wooden pistol that Dad gave to me. We were close to our Grandparents, Ft. Hood was our backyard and there were deer everywhere! Heaven for a first and second grader! From Ft. Hood we were transferred to Frankfurt, West Germany. That was where I started to realize we were different. American schools. American housing. Foreign people. After our tour in Frankfurt and prior to Dads deployment to Viet Nam we moved back to Texas to be near Mom and Dad’s families. Then I really began to understand how Dad’s career choice affected me. I was the kid from Germany! That sort of gave me instant celebrity! It gave people a reason to talk to me and me a reason to talk back. I guess I was shy.

I knew Dad was in Viet Nam and that Viet Nam was a war zone and Mom was worried. At that age I really didn't understand what that meant. We watched the news every night. The war was the news most nights. I thought we were watching the news to maybe see Dad. Then one night it was reported that Dad’s base had been hit with a rocket attack. I shut down inside. Now I was starting to understand a little what war was. The next day at school I guess I was acting up and the teacher got on to me. She said she didn't know what was wrong with me but that I had better straighten up! In front of the whole class I stood up and told her that Dad’s base had been hit and I didn't even know if he was alive. Then I ran from the room. I don't remember her name but God bless her, she found me and comforted me.

I was very conscious of Dad’s military service after that. His service was something I was very proud of. It set him apart from all other dads. Years later I began to see how proud of that service he was. Everything about him said "military"! He was all about excellence and I was not excellent. I was the only thing worse than a "Preachers Kid"-- I was an "Officers Kid"! The grief I now know I must have put him through! But he loved me and through it all I loved him. I guess more importantly I respected him. Dad couldn't be idle. It wasn't in his nature. He always needed new challenges. He was always in the lead. They say the cream rises to the top and Dad rose many times. Sure he had bosses through the years but they came to him to get things done. He was a doer. Lead or follow he got things done! The VVA may have been his crowning achievement. He had the opportunity to work at a project he loved with people he respected. His pride in being a Viet Nam veteran and associating with other veterans knew no bounds. Marshalling the forces of veterans to the highest level was his goal. In the last years of his life he found a way to serve his Country and his fellow veterans. Long ago a writer wrote a line I'll paraphrase here. In effect it said that when a man dies his passing leaves no more effect than when you pull your finger from a pool of water. Only the ripples remain. Those ripples reach out in all directions though, ever expanding. Dad may be gone but the ripples of his life are still expanding and will for a long, long time.

Kathy on Dad:

Some of my fondest memories of Dad’s military service center around his uniforms. I have many old photos of Dad in various dress uniforms, as he proudly posed for the camera. Seems he stood a little taller and straighter in uniform, and very handsome, indeed. I remember him in the evenings sitting at his desk, polishing every piece of brass until it gleamed, as he cautioned his inquisitive little girl not to get fingerprints on anything. Sometimes he told me what various insignia meant, and I’m sad that I don’t recall them all. He spoke of each piece with such pride. Whether the uniform of that day required the black boots or the black shoes, rest assured they were polished to a shine, and when he came home and sat down, I knew he appreciated my willingness to untie them and take them off for him. That wasn’t always pleasant, but I had his full attention for that brief moment, so I didn’t really mind! With Mom’s help, Dad was always starched, creased and pressed to perfection when he left home for his day of service.

The old Army uniforms were long since put aside, to be replaced in recent years with his VVA vest. It was no surprise to us that he asked to be buried in his vest, proudly displaying the patches, pins and medals of a Vietnam Veteran. He dedicated so much time and energy to helping the VVA increase their numbers, by working to create new chapters in the communities around him. Dad never went anywhere (well, just to church) without wearing a Vietnam Veterans cap. This afforded him the opportunity to meet many other “brothers,” so he could spread the word about the VVA. As Kenny has stated, Dad’s home office is filled with his love and work for the VVA—photos, maps, memorabilia. Where once the walls were covered with evidence of his own accomplishments—his diplomas and military commendations—the space had become more of tribute to his brothers and the bond they share. In recent years, I began to see what he was experiencing. He was not alone. He had brothers who knew what it was like, how he felt. The diplomas and commendations found a new space in a drawer, and the walls are now covered with maps, inspirational art, photos of dear, old Army buddies, and other evidence of his service in the VVA. He had come full-circle. After nearly 40 years, he had made something positive and rewarding of his Vietnam experience.

His office hasn’t changed. I thought it would be hard to go in there, knowing it’s where he drew his last breath. Strangely, though, there is comfort in being surrounded by the things he held so dear. I can picture him now, no longer in uniform but robed in white, symbolizing the purity of a life renewed and cleansed of the old body’s burdens and sin. I can see his head, no longer adorned with his beloved veterans cap but with a crown, sparkling with a jewel for every life he touched while on this earth. I think he was surprised to see how many jewels there were, as he humbly never fully realized the impact he made during his time here. And I’m sure a tear ran down his cheek as he heard his Lord say, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” as he finally received the homecoming he had deserved for so long.

Kenny on Dad:

I just started writing and this is what came out. Look it over and see what you think. Not sure if it even makes sense, but it's what was on my heart.

I was born after my father's time in Viet Nam. His formal military career had ended and as I grew up, the military was no longer the focus of his life, but his patriotism was never in doubt. His will to serve the military community was as strong as ever. As he became active in the VVA, his commitment to service was evident to all who met him. One only had to walk into his office to see his level of dedication to his fellow veterans and to his country. I remember looking at the walls full of awards, photos of friends and fellow servicemen and a map of the great state of Texas. The map was covered with pins and hand-written numbers indicating VVA chapters. He would happily walk anyone through the significance of each pin: the officers of the chapters, its membership number, what fund raising activities they had performed and the friends he had made. He had a lot of friends at those sites. I knew he treasured them all. He spoke with such pride about those chapters.

They were more than pins. They were more than just groups. They were his comrades. He had the utmost respect for the VVA membership and the VVA reciprocated in kind. I looked at all my father's awards earned through the VVA with so much pride and I could see that he needed the VVA as much as it needed him. Both were born for service to their country. I believe my father changed many lives during his own. Many of which were changed through his work in the VVA. I am so very proud of my dad and the legacy he left in the VVA. And I'm proud of our Viet Nam veterans and thank them for their past and continued service to our country.

Kit on Dad:

Being the firstborn son of a career army officer in the 1960's and 1970's was at times the best thing in the world and at times the worst thing. When I was young changes in duty station didn't matter much. I was only vaguely aware of Dads different training assignments to Jungle Warfare School and Jump

ROGER N. CARSON, SR.
29 Apr 1937 - 1 March 2011

Dates of service in the United States Army:
2 Jan 1961 - 2 Aug 1977
Dates of service in Viet Nam:
December 1969 - December 1970

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