Gen. Bernard W. Rogers, 87; NATO Leader and Army Chief

He established councils for junior officers, enlisted men and racial minorities to express their concerns and set up a Greenwich Village-style coffeehouse, complete with folk singers. Old-line officers were aghast, but enlistments soared, and Gen. Rogers became known as one of the brightest thinkers in the Army. He continued the reforms as Army chief of staff from 1976 to 1979, improving training programs and developing plans for a modern "quick-strike" force. He also took steps to make the Army more friendly toward women and minorities, calling on commanders to "eliminate any discriminatory handling of soldiers."

Despite his charmed career, Gen. Rogers was eager to leave the bureaucratic labyrinth of the Pentagon behind when he assumed his NATO post in Belgium.

"You've heard that phrase from a country song that goes: 'Happiness is Lubbock, Texas, in the rearview mirror'?" he said. "Well, for me, happiness is the Pentagon in the rearview mirror."

Gen. Rogers could be "suave and poised and intimidating," Maj. Gen. Dewitt C. Smith once said, but he was also known to break into song on occasion, with Frank Sinatra's "My Way" a particular favorite.

Besides the Distinguished Service Cross, Gen. Rogers's decorations included the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, four awards of the Legion of Merit and three awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross.

After his retirement in 1987, he was a director of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Atlantic Council of the United States. He served on the boards of the USO and the Association of the U.S. Army and was a consultant and director to several companies, including Coca-Cola and General Dynamics.

Survivors include his wife of 63 years, Ann E. Rogers of McLean; three children, retired Army Col. Michael W. Rogers of Manassas, Diane Opperman of Arlington and Susan Kroetch of Alexandria; a sister; a brother; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.