FAIRBURY - A 12-year career in the military helped him lead a well-traveled life, taking him from the east coast to the Philippines and, now, ultimately, to Southeast Nebraska. May's Jefferson County Veteran of the Month is Roger Roskilly.

The son of an Army veteran, Roger spent his youth in Kentucky, Germany and Maryland before he enlisted in the Air Force in 1966. After a few months in Texas where he trained to be a jet engine mechanic, Roskilly spent a year and a half at Clark Air Force base in the Philippines.


His skills and knowledge brought him to New Mexico, where he gained top secret clearance to work on and eventually ride an F-111 fighter bomber nicknamed the Aardvark, a jet that flew at Mach 3.5 speeds, close to 2,700 miles per hour.


After 12 years in the Air Force, Roskilly realized there would be no further heights he could reach in his military career, and moved to Denver in 1978. He found work as a service and warranty writer before a move to Nebraska in 1989, where he has called home ever since.

Roskilly has spent time in many different places in Southeast Nebraska since moving to the area, including Plymouth, Endicott and Deshler, where he and his family - who were with him for Tuesday's ceremony - lived from 2010 to 2021, when they moved into Roger's mother's former home in Fairbury, where they reside today.