- Video shows Jeffery Rogers, Vice President of the Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Valor.
- The annual event recognizes contributions of local veterans and inducts them into the Hall of Valor.
- This year's inductee is Deputy Bill Butler Jr., who served in the Army National Guard, and locally as a sheriff's deputy.
- The event is on Veterans Day at 7pm at the Howard Music Building at Hillsdale College.
Jeffery Rogers served in the U.S. Navy for 26 years. He says, "(I) enjoyed every minute of it, and would do it again." Today, he's Vice President of the Hillsdale County Veterans Hall of Valor. This organization of veterans recognizes the contributions of local veterans in the neighborhood. For Veterans Day, they will be hosting their annual awards ceremony.
"A fun event to have people come out (to), but also a solemn event to recognize a fallen hero," says Rogers. This year's inductee is a name the neighborhood knows well: Deputy Bill Butler Jr. Rogers shares, "It's been said that you can learn a lot about a community in how it recognizes its fallen heroes. Deputy Butler epitomizes what we value in a leader. He's a soldier."
WATCH: Hillsdale remembers Deputy Butler
Deputy Butler was killed in the line of duty earlier this year. Rogers says the Hall of Valor has recognized about 500 Hillsdale veterans, heroes, like Deputy Butler. "He's the kind of guy we want students and young people to recognize as a hero. He is a hero. It was a no-brainer for us to recognize his service. He gave the ultimate sacrifice."
"We wouldn't have our freedoms if it wasn't for veterans. We've been blessed as a county and a nation, so let's come together and celebrate," says Rogers.
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