Roger Gibson

Pvt. Roger Gibson is an aide to Capt. Jim Benedict, a driver for the captain, and radioman for Able Company. He is portrayed by Roger Davis.

Gibson is from Tennessee, and speaks with an Appalachian accent. A letter from Gibson's mother mentions an old friend in Knoxville, possibly Gibson's hometown ("And the End of Evil Things"). He is usually quiet and reserved, and flashes of anger are rare.

His job as aide to Benedict does not keep him out of danger. He participates in patrols, and is often seen with fellow soldiers checking villages for snipers, booby traps and other dangers. In those instances, he carries his heavy portable backpack radio gear in addition to his rifle. When on the radio, he uses the call sign "Apache Six," six being the number reserved for a company commander.

Roger is also technologically adept with the Motorola field radios the Army uses. His skills are pressed into service to repair damaged backpack radio sets and other radio equipment.

Gibson's role as a radioman also means he's a key conduit for information. He notifies Conley Wright that Wright's brother is missing in action in the Pacific theater ("The Leathernecks"), and he tells the company that Capt. Benedict will not immediately return to action in "A Taste of Peace." He frequently connects Capt. Benedict with his superior, Maj. Jergens, or passes information and requests between the two officers.

Gibson's spotlight comes in "One Moderately Peaceful Sunday," in which, to the company's surprise, he is the sole survivor of a patrol into a German-occupied tavern and captures a commanding officer. He also flashes some heroics in "The Warriors," in which he disables a German Tiger tank with a bazooka round.

He is the subject of homophobic remarks from Pete D'Angelo ("Some Tears Fall Dry," "Tommy"), and is shown to be awkward around women. Gibson expresses a surficial interest in the opposite sex, but is never shown in a romantic encounter. It is not clear whether D'Angelo truly believes Gibson is gay, or whether he is deploying casual homophobia to insult Gibson's relative lack of interest in women. Gibson seems not to take it too personally, and he considers himself “pretty good friends” with Pete (“Next of Kin”). Hanson also teased Gibson about "staying away from the girls" when Gibson was set to take R&R in Naples ("The Warriors").