Roger Polhemus was born in November 1926 in Greenfield, Massachusetts. He volunteered in 1944 after graduation from high school and joined the Army. After basic training, Roger took the Specialized Training Reserve Project to become an engineer. But this wasn’t the career for him, so he requested to go on active duty. His first tour was in the Philippines in 1945. Roger then did occupation duty in Japan until his discharge in March 1946. He reentered the service in October 1949 and retired from the Pentagon in 1967.

Roger had many jobs after retiring including working at the HON Company, which provides metal office furniture. He came to the home in June 2012 and has been an active resident, always ready for an upbeat comment.