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“OK, Mansley. Let me tell you how this works...If you told me you found, let's say...a giant footprint, I could send over a specialist to make a plaster cast of it. Hell, you get me a photograph of this thing and I could probably send some troops over there!”
General Rogard is the military leader in The Iron Giant. He doesn't tolerate Kent Mansley's paranoia, initially disbelieving the latter's claim of a "giant metal monster" near Rockwell, Maine, and even accuses him of "blowing millions of Uncle Sam's dollars out of [his] butt" for wasting both his own time and the Government's money for a worthless trip to the town.
However, Rogard finally learns the truth about the giant after seeing him walking through town, and Mansley takes the opportunity to manipulate Rogard into firing at the Giant, lying to the General that it has killed Hogarth and is attacking the town. After the Giant's defense mechanism was activated by the gunfire, Mansley convinces Rogard to authorize a nuclear missile launch to destroy the Giant, but when the Giant calms itself and shows a very much alive Hogarth to everyone to prove that's it's not a threat, Rogard orders his men to stand down. Rogard is then about to abort the missile launch, but Mansley (still believing that the Giant is a threat) orders the launch anyway, causing an angry Rogard to remind Mansley that the missile is targeted to the Giant's current position, meaning that not only will the Giant be destroyed, but also the entire town of Rockwell. Despite realizing this, Mansley refuses to face the consequences of his actions and tries to drive away, but the Giant stops him, allowing Rogard to have his soldiers arrest Mansley for his crimes. Rogard later acknowledges the Giant's sacrifice and tells the army to go home.
Months later, in the spring of 1958, the General, having returned to work in Washington, personally sends Hogarth a package containing the only part recovered from the Giant, as he believes Hogarth should have it in honor of the Giant's selfess sacrifice for the town.
Gallery
Hogarth watching Rogard fire Kent
Trivia
General Rogard is a lieutenant general in the army (LTG), as he is a three-star general officer rank. [1]
The pistol General Rogard uses against the Iron Giant is a M1911A1 pistol. [2]
