It is with the heaviest of hearts that I announce the passing of my Brother and my friend Pat Rogers.
Pat embodied the warrior spirit. And like all great warriors he had a big heart and it was full of love. Love for his country, love for his Brothers, and love for his family and friends.
We are definitely diminished and I will miss him greatly.
I will miss his energy. Pat would bring energy to every room he walked in with his magnetic personality. Folks would just gravitate toward him. They would come to hear a colorful story told in a way only Pat could tell, or maybe to hear a lesson from his lifetime of experience in the USMC, NYPD, or any number of his other billets. I have lost track of how many times his enthusiasm and stories would keep everyone in stiches. I have lost track of how many lessons he has taught me.
I will miss his passion. “Life is good.” Countless times he would say that to me. Whether we were at the range together in one of his classes, or on the phone when he was talking about some place Ellen and him visited together, or giving me an AAR of the last class he just finished teaching… he would close with “Life is good”. And he meant it. He made you feel better about your day just from hearing how much he enjoyed his. Pat loved life, every day of it.
I will miss his friendship. Good times or bad times Pat would always be the one to reach out to you. Whether it was to celebrate with you or lend a helping hand, he would be there. If a man is known by the company he keeps it becomes easy to see why so many loved Pat. I have been so very fortunate to meet many of Pat’s good friends and honored to call them mine as well. You would be hard pressed to find a group of higher quality individuals with the same sense of integrity, loyalty, and love that Pat displayed. A testament to our friend Pat. It has been said that- Friends are the siblings God never gave us.
I will miss my Brother.
We were recently working on a project together and I needed an expanded bio. I am going to include it below.
Semper Fidelis my Brother,
Paul Buffoni
Bravo Company
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