Army Ranger Sgt. Josh Rodgers of Normal was on his third tour of Afghanistan before he turned 22. He died in a raid of an ISIS headquarters in Afghanistan two years ago this weekend.
The post office in Uptown Normal was dedicated to Rodgers at a ceremony Thursday.The post office was renamed in Rodgers' honor and a plaque displayed in the main lobby.
Rodgers’ childhood friend Nick Rohde spoke at the renaming ceremony.
“The older I get, the more I realize that life isn’t necessarily about the duration you live. You’d be a fool to think a mere 20 or 30 years is any less than 100 in the life of eternity,” Rohde said. “Simply put, life isn’t about the duration you live, but rather the impact you leave. And when I think about an impact left, Josh is the first that comes to mind.”
Capt. Michael Broussard served alongside Rodgers the night of the raid as his primary care physician and was with him when he died. Broussard said Rodgers lived an extraordinary life serving his country.
“By evidence of this naming ceremony because of all of your efforts and support, his life is still ongoing,” Broussard said. “His life is, present tense, extraordinary. Because of all of you, all of our names will be long forgotten before Joshua Rodgers.”
Rodgers graduated from Normal Community High School in 2013 where he played football and ran track before enlisting in the U.S. Army.
The Army Rangers are a special operations unit of the U.S. Army.
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