Dusty Johnson: “today I pay tribute to my very close friend, Roger Andal. Last month, Roger died following a long battle with Crohn's…”

“today I pay tribute to my very close friend, Roger Andal. Last month, Roger died following a long battle with Crohn's disease. His passing is a tremendous loss to our veterans, as well as a personal loss for my family and me. His friendship will be terribly missed. Roger began his extraordinary service to our country as a combat medic with the Army's Fourth Infantry Division during the war in Vietnam. It was Roger's duty to help his fallen comrades and tend to their wounds, and it was a responsibility that came naturally to him. He braved enemy fire to ensure the injured were safely evacuated from the battlefield. Roger often did so with little regard to his own personal safety and was ultimately wounded in battle. He received the Purple Heart, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Campaign Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal for his service to his country. But for Roger what mattered most were not the commendations, but the knowledge that he had helped his fellow soldiers. After returning stateside, Roger dedicated himself to working on behalf of our Nation's veterans. For the next 30 years, he was active in various veterans' causes, and at the time of his death he was completing his service as the South Dakota commander of the Disabled American Veterans.…”