Sep 19, 2014 5 min read

NEW FREEPORT – During his 36-year career with the U.S. Army, Lt. Col. Cephus Lee Roupe always strove to make a difference, said retired Maj. Gen. David Rubenstein speaking at a ceremony Friday to dedicate a bridge on Route 18 over Fish Creek in Freeport Township in Roupe’s honor.

“Lee Roupe believed he was present in an organization, he was present in a mission, he was present in someone’s life to make a difference, not to maintain the status quo,” Rubenstein said. “He always made a difference in the lives of the people he led as well as the people he followed.”

Roupe, who grew up in the Jollytown area and graduated from West Greene High School, died of a heart attack two days after retiring from a distinguished career in the Army March 2, 2012.

As a master Army aviator, Roupe was considered one of the most experienced Medical Service Corps aviators. He saw combat duty in both the first and second Iraq wars. He also flew multiple missions in war-torn Bosnia and Afghanistan.

State Rep. Pam Snyder, D-Jefferson, said she had met Roupe’s parents, Donald and Caroline Roupe, and Roupe’s widow, Naomi, and heard Roupe’s story. They asked her to consider the recognition.

Snyder introduced the House Bill, signed into law July 2, that designates the new bridge over Route 18 at New Freeport as the Lt. Col. Cephus Lee Roupe Memorial Bridge.

“I thought it was a fitting tribute to a man who had served his entire life in the military,” she said.

Those who attended the ceremony filled the New Freeport Fire Hall, which is within about a block and half from the bridge that was replaced this spring.

In addition to Rubenstein, others who spoke included Col. Kyle Campbell, commander of the Brooks Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas; Brig. Gen. Dennis Doyle, commanding general of the Pacific Regional Medical Command; and state Sen. Tim Solobay, D-Canonsburg, who introduced the legislation in the Senate.

Campbell called Roupe a “friend, colleague and a dust-off brother,” dust off referring to the take-off of a medical helicopter from a war zone.

Campbell said it was appropriate to name a bridge after Roupe. A bridge “is a great metaphor for Lee’s life,” he said.

“Lee was a coordinator, a collaborator, a team builder, and most importantly, a superb executor,” Campbell said. “He was a bridge between organizations, between ranks, genders, families, disciplines, agencies and even cultures.”

Roupe had excellent planning and leadership skills, Campbell said. “And though he was very proud of his service and accomplishments, he didn’t seek recognition; rather he used his experience to train and develop others.”

Roupe also had great personal courage. During deployment in Desert Shield and Desert Storm, plans had to be formulated to evacuate possible casualties from chemical weapons. It wasn’t an assignment anyone sought, Campbell said.

“Lee did not hesitate for one second. He stepped forward and volunteered to be the pilot in command on that crew,” he said.

Campbell said he was always impressed with Roupe’s sense of justice and his easy manner dealing with soldiers. He remembered when Roupe once had to speak to a soldier who had made a significant mistake.

Roupe spoke to the soldier of the name he was given by his father “and the need to maintain that name with honor,” Campbell said. Mistakes could be corrected, Roupe told the soldier, “but misconduct or moral failure would tarnish the family name.”

Roupe enlisted in the Army in 1976, just out of high school. He graduated warrant officer flight school in 1980 and received his direct commission in 1988 as a Medical Service Corps officer.

Throughout his career, he served in staff positions throughout the United States and overseas. Roupe’s last assignment was as deputy chief of staff at Southern Regional Medical Command, Fort Sam Houston in Texas.

Roupe received his undergraduate degree in aerospace management from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and his master’s degree in hospital administration from Central Michigan University, where he was completing his doctorate in hospital administration.

His awards and decorations included: Legion of Merit; Bronze Star Medal with oak leaf cluster; Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with silver and bronze oak leaf clusters; and expert infantry, field medical, aviation and parachute badges.

His father, Donald Roupe, a retired employee of Accurate Brass, said he appreciated the effort made to honor his son. His son, he said, was a good person and excelled at whatever he did.

“He was well thought of by everybody. He was a friend to everybody. He was an awesome guy,” he said. “He said what he thought and he met what he said,” Roupe said. He also was very dedicated to the military. “That was his life,” his father said.