Copyright Santa Rosa Press Democrat
When Aundray Rogers, an Army veteran and longtime community advocate, traveled to Los Angeles in September, he didn’t expect to return with an award – or a guitar signed by John Mayer. Rogers and his wife, Natalie Rogers, a Santa Rosa councilmember and former mayor, were attending a private concert and fundraiser at Henson Studios for Mayer’s nonprofit, the Heart and Armor Foundation, a cause close to Rogers’ heart. Standing at the back of the room, the couple listened as Mayer and the organization’s executive director, Gerard Choucroun, described their work supporting veterans’ mental health. Then, suddenly, Mayer went off-script. ‘We’re going to do something special here tonight,'” Rogers recalled Mayer saying. “John pulled out a piece of paper and began to read. Once he said my name, everybody went crazy.” Moments later, Choucroun invited Rogers, a senior Veteran Ambassador for the foundation, to the stage. There, he received the foundation’s first annual William H. Greason Service Award, named for the 101-year-old Marine Corps veteran and former Negro Leagues pitcher who once played alongside Willie Mays. Mayer also presented him with an autographed electric guitar, which now holds a place of honor in Rogers’ Santa Rosa home. “I said, ‘Wow, I’m never going to play this,'” Rogers laughed. “Maybe I’ll learn how to play, but not this guitar.” Finding purpose after military life A Mississippi native, Rogers enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2000, serving on active duty for four years and in the reserves for four more years. During this time, he participated in both combat and peacekeeping missions, including efforts to rebuild telecommunications infrastructure in communities worldwide. Returning to civilian life in Mississippi proved far harder. He had gained significant skills in the military, but still struggled to find employment, let alone housing. Seeking a fresh start, Rogers relocated to the Bay Area to attend the City College of San Francisco, where he pursued a degree in information technology. There, he co-founded the Walter S. Newman Veterans Resource Center in 2010, one of the first on-campus programs in the country to connect veterans with employment opportunities, housing and VA resources. “What we did there was extraordinary,” Rogers said, adding that the organization gave him a renewed sense of purpose as he became more involved in the veteran community. Through that work, Rogers met Gerard Choucroun, then the executive director for the Northern California Institute for Research and Education, which works to advance veterans’ health research. Together, they created a speakers series to help veterans navigate everything from career development to quitting smoking. “He understood how we wanted veterans to be treated, and not experience some of the things we did when we returned,” Rogers said of Choucroun. In 2012, Choucroun introduced Rogers to Mayer, who had become interested in advancing health care for veterans after a trip to a Marine Corps base five years earlier. “I am not from a military family. I grew up far outside of military life and culture,” Mayer said in a statement shared with The Press Democrat Oct. 27. “It was a trip to Camp Lejeune in 2007 that opened my eyes and sparked a conversation with the broader veteran community that continues to this day.” Mayer said that the visit inspired him to expand his understanding of traumatic stress and other “bruises of military service,” leading him and Choucroun to establish Heart and Armor to fund research into “a lot of solvable problems going unaddressed.” Rogers joined the foundation as its first Veterans Ambassador, overseeing community events that connected civilians and service members – gatherings that helped the community learn more about veterans and reduced their isolation. Mayer said he is grateful to veterans like Rogers who have helped guide the foundation. “This work has been evolving for over a decade, and I love how deep and connected we all are,” Mayer said. “It’s family, with research publications as well as photo albums to show for it.” “We have shown that we can accelerate the good work of some of the best minds on earth to advance health care for a generation of veterans,” he added. Around 2017, Rogers launched ATR Active Military and Veteran Consultant, LLC, initially a management consulting firm that quickly grew into something broader. “What I noticed is that people always came to me for a lot of different things and projects,” Rogers said. “I just became this person that people come to, and I solve problems. That’s what it came to be.” From bookkeeping help to installing a hand sanitizer machine, Rogers said he gladly serves his community in any way he can. “I always had this model that service is my medicine, because that is what saved me,” Rogers said. “A branch of this is community service, and with Heart and Armor, I get to do a lot of community service.” An honor and an inspiration Even with his long record of service, Rogers said he had no idea Heart and Armor would be recognizing him at the September fundraiser. Receiving an award named for Reverend William Greason made it even more meaningful. Greason, who joined Heart and Armor as a consultant in 2021, was one of the first Black men to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps and was a star pitcher in the Negro Leagues, playing alongside lifelong friend Willie Mays on the Birmingham Black Barons. At 101, he continues to preach at Bethel Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. Rogers, who has met Greason twice through his work with Heart and Armor, described the reverend as an inspiring character full of wit and charisma. “It’s amazing to see,” Rogers said. “To actually know him and know what he’s been through, how much he has given to this world, it was an honor.” In a statement to The Press Democrat, Choucroun said Rogers was chosen for the award because he is “a huge asset to fellow veterans all over the country.” “Aundray is part of a special class of veterans who transform their military wounds into service, patience, gratitude, and kindness,” Choucroun said. “It’s nice when someone who does things quietly and humbly gets recognized.” Natalie Rogers said her husband’s award reflects both his resilience and compassion. “Through Heart and Armor, he continues to create spaces where veterans are supported, heard, and empowered to lead,” she said in a statement. “This recognition is deeply deserved, and I couldn’t be prouder of the example he sets for all of us.” The award, Rogers said, has only deepened his commitment to serving the veteran community. As a board member of Keeping Veterans Local, a Santa Rosa nonprofit, he has been working to address food insecurity and housing challenges among active-duty service members affected by the ongoing government shutdown. Rogers and his wife are also preparing for Santa Rosa’s annual Veterans Day flag-raising ceremony and organizing a holiday food and toy drive for local veterans’ families. “I will use this award as motivation to continue the work that I do,” Rogers said. “I will make sure that I uphold my duty to the veterans community and their families.”
