Jose Rodela

Led wounded troops through eighteen hours of heavy fighting.

Jose Rodela was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on 15 June 1937. He entered the United States Army in 1955 and built a twenty-year career that included service with the Special Forces. In Vietnam he served with Detachment B-36, Company A, 5th Special Forces Group, advising and leading indigenous troops.

On 1 September 1969, Sergeant First Class Rodela was commanding a company during operations in Phuoc Long Province when his battalion came under mortar, rocket and machine-gun fire. He moved immediately to organize defensive positions and prevent the attackers from overrunning the battalion. For eighteen hours he repeatedly crossed exposed ground, directed the defence, provided covering fire and helped wounded soldiers. A B-40 rocket wounded him in the head and back while he was recovering a casualty. He continued fighting, attacked the rocket position alone and silenced it before returning to the perimeter. His leadership helped hold the battalion together through sustained combat.

Rodela initially received the Distinguished Service Cross. He remained in the Army until 1975 and retired as a master sergeant, later making his home in San Antonio. A review of earlier awards led to the upgrading of his decoration. President Barack Obama presented him with the Medal of Honor at the White House on 18 March 2014, alongside other recipients recognized through the Valor 24 review. In 2015 the Special Forces regiment inducted him as a distinguished member. He remains listed among the Congressional Medal of Honor Society's living recipients.