Soldier earned Silver Star in two-decade military career

John Rodriguez enlisted in the Army at the age of 17, took aim at becoming the best soldier he could be, and never looked back.

He qualified as a paratrooper. He became an elite Special Forces warrior. He survived combat in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968. He took part in the risky, highly classified Son Tay Raid launched to rescue POWs in 1970.

Actor Clint Eastwood in discussion with John Rodriguez. -- Credit: Courtesy of John Rodriguez

In the course of an illustrious military career spanning two decades from 1961 to 1981, he earned a Silver Star and other commendations.

His daughter, Reina Rodriguez, says family members call him A.H. — for American Hero.

“My salvation was the Army. The Army saved me — the Army and my wife, Letty,” Rodriguez, 71, said recently at their home in the hills west of Tucson.

“I was born and raised in Chandler,” he said. “I had picked cotton. I barely got out of high school. I was 17 and a smart-ass when I enlisted” in 1961.

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After basic and advanced infantry training, Rodriguez served in a linguist unit and later went to jump school for parachute training at Fort Benning, Georgia.

John Rodriguez during his military career. -- Credit: Courtesy of John Rodriguez

A detailed account of his subsequent assignments and achievements could fill a book. Some highlights:

• Gung ho from the start, he was selected for Special Forces training and eventually reached the rank of sergeant first class. Later in his career, as duties changed, he became a warrant officer 2.
• Rodriguez served in a combat zone in Vietnam in 1967 and 1968. “We were getting attacked by rockets and mortars,” he said. “Every time you are a little scared, it gets the adrenaline pumping.”
• In 1970, Rodriguez was selected to take part in a mission — later known as the Son Tay Raid — aimed at rescuing American prisoners held in North Vietnam. “We trained for about three months,” he said. “It was a highly classified mission and we didn’t learn (details) until the night before.” The 56-member force, transported by helicopter, reached the prison camp. “But when we got to the camp, it was empty,” Rodriguez said.
• More deployments followed, including one in Panama in 1972 in which Rodriguez suffered a broken leg. He later applied for warrant officer status and left the Army in 1981. He worked with the U.S. Postal Service from 1983 to 2004 before retiring.

The Special Forces plaque of John Rodriguez. -- Credit: Courtesy of John Rodriguez

Rodriguez expresses enormous pride in his son, John Rodriguez Jr., who is a Navy SEAL.

Family members, including his wife and daughter, express that same pride in Rodriguez himself.

“He exemplifies what a soldier should be,” said Reina, a school teacher who nominated her father for recognition in this series. “We’re so proud of our dad. “He raised my brother and me to want to serve our country the way he did.”