CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — "It never goes away. It's with you all the time," said Rogers.
These are the feelings that retired Corpus Christi firefighter Lee Rogers feels when the 9/11 day of remembrance comes around. Lee is just one of three CCFD members that were a part of the Texas Task Force that was deployed during the attack.
"What is probably the most important take away for me from the trade center, was about relationships" said Rogers.
And not just the bonds that he formed with firefighters from around the country but even the relationships that Lee is continuing to make in our community with the newest cadets.
"You know, it's always Captain Lee Rogers, he's a big name here in CCFD. Just to have him be able to come and take the time to talk to us and let us know about some of the things that happened with Task Force 1 and with the state of Texas, going up there representing," said CCFD Cadet Class Captain Zack LaRoe.
Lee's message was not only informational to the cadets but also sparked an interest to be a part of the deployment team.
"Task Force, getting deployed, you know, there's nothing more meaningful than that. Then going to other places, other districts and helping out in anyway that we can" said LaRoe.
But LaRoe said his number one takeaway was how inspiring it was meeting and talking to Rogers.
"The motivational aspect of it. Being able to have him come in at his age and his experience and tell us it's the happiest job you'll ever have. You know you're not going to get rich, but you will be happy" said LaRoe.
And that is Roger's number one goal when he goes out and speaks to the future generation.
"Lives are now changed forever through generations and multi-generations. So, that's one of the most important things about it is make sure we maintain relationships with our friends and our family along the way, support each other, and never forget" said Rogers.