ROGERS, Thomas B. died 1945

ROGERS, ECKLES, COYLE

Posted By: S. Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 11/13/2012 at 16:55:44

Lt. Tom Rogers, Polio Victim, Dies in India
Word of the death of First Lt. Thomas B. (Tom) Rogers in an Army hospital in Calcutta, India, has been received by an aunt here, Mrs. R.S. Eckles, 724 West Rollins street. the 24-year-old infantry officer, well-known to many Moberlyans, died August 27 of infantile paralysis contracted in India.

A 2-year veteran of the China-Burma-India theater of Operations, with Merrills' Marauders, Lt. Rogers was married in July, 1943, and left for that theater the following September. His wife is with her parents in Wilmette, Ill.

Lt. Rogers, who had visited here extensively in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Eckles, was a son of Mrs. Eckles' sister, Mrs. Eva Rogers of Elkader, Ia. A brother is Cpl William E. (Bill) Rogers of Moberly, now stationed at the Lincoln, Neb. Army Air Base.

Mrs. Rogers and Mrs. Eckles had received previous official announcement of Lt. Rogers' serious illness and a letter written to his mother by the young officer's nurse told that he was paralyzed in both legs and arms and was in an iron lung, but indicated Lt. Rogers' hope of being able to soon to be removed from the lung device.

~Moberly Monitor-Index, Moberly, Missouri, Wed., Sept 5, 1945

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Elkader, Ia. - A new chapel at the replacement depot No 5, Chabua, India, has been dedicated to the memory of the late Lt. Thomas B. Rogers, of Elkader, according to a letter received by his mother, Mrs. Eva Rogers, from Capt. C.L. Salmon, of the medical corps of the replacement depot.

Lt. Rogers died of polio on Aug. 27, 1945, at a hospital in Calcutta, India after spending two years in the China-Burma-India theater of war. After combat with the 475th infantry in north Burma, Rogers was stationed at Chabua until he died.

Rogers is a graduate of Elkader high school in June, 1939, and entered Coe college in September of the same year. There he was active in intramural sports and was president of the sophomore class. He was a member of the Lau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Scabbard and Blade. As an advanced military student, he served as cadet major and executive officer of the ROTC unit during his senior year.

Following his graduation from Coe in March, 1943, he entered officers' candidate school at Ft. Benning, Ga., where he was commissioned a second lieutenant in July. He was married that month to Mary Coyle, of Wilmette, Ill.

After he was sent to the CBI theater, he was stationed in China for six months, with a group training Chinese officers, and was commissioned a first lieutenant. He then took part in the north Burma campaign, and was later stationed in the Ledo road area in India.

He is survived by his mother; his wife, of Willmette; two brother, Corp. William E. Rogers, with the air corps in Lincoln, Neb., and Jack, at home.

~Dubuque Telegraph-Herald, Wednesday Evening edition, November 28, 1945

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The body of 1st Lt. Thomas B. Rogers, 23, 1943 Coe graduate and son of Mrs. Eva Rogers, Elkader, has been returned to the United States from India. Lieutenant Rogers died of poliomyelitis in Calcutta on August 27, 1945. He was serving with the infantry at the time of his death. During his career at Coe, Rogers was president of his sophomore class, a member of the track squad, a member of Scabbard and Blade and Tau Kappa Epsilon.

~Coe College Cosmos, Wednesday, May 26, 1948