Senator Rogers is the daughter of a long line of Army officers; in 1976, she was commissioned as a 5th-generation military officer into the Air Force. She began her career treating patients in the Air Force mental health clinic and, in 1981, became one of the first 100 women pilots in the Air Force. She piloted worldwide airlift and humanitarian missions, served as a flight instructor at the US Air Force Academy, and piloted Air Force C-21 Learjets in Europe. She led three different operational divisions at Headquarters US Air Forces Europe and ran the Bosnian Airlift. She finished her 20-year career with over 3,000 hours of jet time and numerous commendations, including the Defense Meritorious Service Medal. After retiring from the Air Force in 1996, she and her husband started a home inspection business. She has also served as a development director of an Arizona charter school, a foster parent, and an Arizona substitute teacher. She and her husband are officers in the Civil Air Patrol.
