Roger Roskilly Is May Veteran Of The Month

By Doug KapkeRoger Roskilly was recognized as Jefferson County’s Veteran of the Month for May by County Commissioners the morning of Tuesday, May 6, 2025. In addition, he was presented with a patriotic artwork created by created by Rory Roesener. Roskilly was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, while his dad was in the Army. He attended grade school in Germany. While in high school in Edgewood, Maryland, he participated in cross country and baseball sports. Shortly after graduation from high school in 1966 he voluntarily found himself in Air Force Basic Training for eight weeks at San Antonio, Texas. His Advanced Individual Training was at Amarillo, Texas, for several months learning to be a Jet Engine Mechanic. After a 30 day leave, Roskilly’s next year and six months assignment was Clark Air Force Base (AFB) in the Philippines. (Clark AFB several years later was covered with several feet of volcanic ash). It was at Clark AFB that he was promoted from E-2 to E-3. Roskilly’s most interesting assignment using his jet engine mechanic skills was at Cannon AFB in Clovis, New Mexico. Here he worked with others using his “Top Secret Clearance” working on the new fighter bomber, the F111, nicknamed the Aardvark. Roskilly’s quick thinking and mechanical skill once saved the Air Force a ton of money and won him a ride in the experimental F111. Mach one is the speed of sound and the F111 was capable of flying at Mach 3.5 or approximately 2,700 miles per hour. Few people can say they traveled at those speeds. This top secret project was eventually declassified and abandoned and the F111 was sold to Australia. In 1978, E-5 Roskilly came to the realization that this was not a period of time where his skill set was ever likely to receive promotions and left the military. He moved his family to Denver, Colorado, and worked for an airline company as a “Service and Warranty Writer.” The company had a related oil field worldwide business and this job put food on the table until 1989.A move to Nebraska in 1989 resulted in several odd jobs around the Fairbury area. Roskilly married his current wife, Jayne, in August, 1994, and began working full time for Wells Implement in Plymouth from 1996 to 2009 as a “Service and Warranty Writer.” It was a job he enjoyed and he never had a warranty rejected. In 2009, Roskilly and his family were living on an acreage south of Endicott. One day, when finishing some roof maintenance, his ladder fell and he sustained multiple injuries. He has since healed, but it was not the recommended way to retire, nor was it the way to quit smoking so broken bones could heal.In 2010 the family moved to Deshler, and in 2022, Roskilly bought his mother’s home in Fairbury when she moved to assisted living. This is where Roskilly and Jayne currently enjoy their retirement years. Roskilly’s favorite hobby is collecting toy cars and air planes.

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