Joseph Charles Rodríguez

HE STORMED FIVE ENEMY POSITIONS ALONE TO BREAK THEIR DEFENCE

On 21 May 1951, a rifle squad was pinned beneath a ridge near Munye-ri, Korea, by fire from fortified enemy positions. Private First Class Joseph Charles Rodríguez crossed exposed ground under fire, climbed the slope, and attacked five positions with grenades. His assault broke the defense and enabled his squad to advance. For this action, President Harry S. Truman presented Rodríguez with the Medal of Honor on 29 January 1952.

Born in San Bernardino, California, on 14 November 1928, Rodríguez was drafted in October 1950 and served in Company F, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division during the Korean War. He was wounded during the campaign, recovered in Japan, and returned to his unit before leaving Korea in late 1951.

Rodríguez continued his Army career after Korea, receiving a commission in the Corps of Engineers and serving in Vietnam, Korea, Latin America, and assignments across the United States. He retired as a colonel in 1980 after 30 years of service. His Bronze Star Medal and three Legion of Merit awards, including two bronze oak leaf clusters, reflect recognition from that longer career.

In retirement, Rodríguez spent ten years directing the physical plant at the University of Texas at El Paso. He remained active as a volunteer and speaker for students, soldiers and veterans. He died in El Paso on 1 November 2005.

The rack shown on this profile is a lifetime retrospective display. The Republic of Korea War Service Medal was authorized for eligible U.S. veterans in 1999, after Rodríguez’s 1980 retirement, so it was not part of his retirement uniform.

MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION

Sergeant Rodriguez (then Private first Class), Infantry, United States Army, Company F, 17th Infantry Regiment, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in action against an armed enemy of the United Nations near Munye-ri, Korea, on 21 May 1951.

Sergeant Rodriguez, an assistant squad leader of the 2d Platoon, was participating in an attack against a fanatical hostile force occupying well-fortified positions on rugged commanding terrain, when his squad's advance was halted within approximately sixty yards by a withering barrage of automatic weapons and small arms fire from five emplacements directly to the front and right and left flanks, together with grenades which the enemy rolled down the hill toward the advancing troops.

Fully aware of the odds against him, Sergeant Rodriguez leaped to his feet, dashed sixty yards up the fire-swept slope, and after lobbing grenades into the first foxhole with deadly accuracy, ran around the left flank, silenced an automatic weapon with two grenades and continued his whirlwind assault to the top of the peak, wiping out two more foxholes and then, reaching the right flank, he tossed grenades into the remaining emplacement, destroying the gun and annihilating its crew.

Sergeant Rodriguez' intrepid actions exacted a toll of fifteen enemy dead and, as a result of his incredible display of valor, the defense of the opposition was broken, the enemy routed, and the strategic strong point secured. His unflinching courage under fire and inspirational devotion to duty reflect highest credit on himself and uphold the honored traditions of the military service.