701 AS Turtle runs with the dogs, plays ball Published June 6, 2016 By Staff Sgt. Bobby Pilch 315th Airlift Wing Public Affairs JOINT BASE CHARLESTON, S.C. -- It is said all dogs form packs and only a few will emerge as pack leaders. Such is true for a Bulldog transformed RiverDog, who has established himself as a leader within the Charleston community and as an Air Force Reservist.Staff Sgt. Alfonso Rogers, a 701st Airlift Squadron loadmaster at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, was recently hired as a sales representative by the Charleston River Dogs baseball team, a Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees.His new role has been a long time in the making as he began his journey in the sports arena prior to joining the military in 2006."I started my sports management degree prior to joining the Air Force in 2006 at Georgia Southern University," said Rogers. "I always knew I wanted to work in professional or collegiate sports."Rogers transitioned to the Air Force Reserve after his active duty commitment allowing him to complete his education at The Citadel and firmly place roots in the ground within the community."I chose The Citadel because a lot of fellow Airmen at the 701st AS attended this institution,"said Rogers. "However, I must credit Staff Sgt. Stephen Adams, also a 701st AS loadmaster, who strongly suggested the Charleston military establishment. After a visiting the campus, I felt at home."While attending the Citadel, Rogers served as president of the Student Veterans of America and was the student vice president of the Health, Exercise and Sports Science Department. His academic achievements include six semesters on the Dean's List and Dean's Circle Member for the School of Science and Mathematics.Outside of his Reserve and civilian roles, Rogers has ingrained himself within the local sports community serving as a Division II NCAA basketball official and officiating high school basketball and football activities."Alfonso has many talents and skills and we welcome his enthusiasm and energy to our sales staff," said David Echols, executive president and general manager of the Charleston River Dogs. "We are expecting great things from him."Rogers is no stranger to pressure and high expectations as his duties as a Reservist have led to some high profile accomplishments on a global scale.Master Sgt. Jim Ebert, a full-time air reserve technician and fellow loadmaster with the 701st AS, alluded to some of the critical missions Rogers has had the privilege of executing."He flew a banner mission in support of Vice President Biden's trip to Israel and another in support of President Obama's trip to New York," said Ebert. "He has been a vital asset to the 701st AS."While it may seem that Rogers' two worlds of sports and the military are vastly different, he describes them as complimentary, only varying by duties and job titles."They are the same in the sense that both jobs, to me, are about relationships," said Rogers."When I am loading a C-17 aircraft, I create rapport with the loading team and the pilots to effectively move the mission. Here, at the RiverDogs, I use relationships to get people to come to the baseball park and support the mission to have fun."