Roger's new veterans council meets Thursday

Rep. Mike Rogers has created a Third Congressional District Veterans Advisory Council and it meets for the first time on Thursday.

The council will help Rogers stay plugged in on veterans issues and help him advocate those issues, he said in a release.

Last week, he added 31 East Alabama veterans and wants the council to include a diverse group of veterans.

Rogers is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a ranking member on the House Homeland Security Subcommittee and on the Agriculture Committee.

Tomorrow's meeting is at 2:30 p.m. at the Comer Library at 314 N. Broadway Ave. in Sylacauga.

The 31 veterans recently appointed are:

Calhoun County: John Hamilton, Claude "Sonny" Miller, Gerald Watson, Rick Freeman

Chambers County: Roy Hill, Ray Edwards

Cherokee County: Kirk Day, Don Tucker

Clay County: Melvin "Leon" Morrow, Gerald Dial

Cleburne County: Tommy Poore, Phillip Morris

Coosa County: Les Sellers, Larry Rayfield, Melvin Jackson

Lee County: Bill Jenrette, Jerry Bently, Lewis Wood

Macon County: Benjamin Rackley, Harold Louis Powell Sr.

Montgomery County: William Rumph III, Bowen Ballard, Steve Linder

Randolph County: Tom Staples, Frank Reaves

Russell County: William Raines, Harvey Stewart

Talladega County: Jim Heigl, Oliver "Wayne" Dial

Tallapoosa County: Bruce Champion, Robert Stone