Jose “Joe” Rodela was born on June 15, 1937, in Corpus Christi, Texas. As the oldest of 12 children growing up in the La Quarenta neighborhood, Rodela grew accustomed to leading and serving his family from a young age, balancing his schoolwork with various jobs. During the Texas winters, he was employed at restaurants like Luby’s, a Texas cafeteria chain. In the summers, Rodela worked in the fields. Although Rodela’s jobs were mainly for providing financial security for his family, they also helped to keep him out of trouble and away from the local street gang.

“My mother knew that if [my siblings and I] were working and staying in school, we wouldn’t have time to get in trouble,” Rodela shared with the Hispanic Sports Foundation for Education in a 2015 interview.

In 1955, 17-year-old Rodela left Roy Miller High School to begin a long and storied career with the Army. One of his first assignments was to Korea, where he helped clear landmines. Unfortunately, he experienced the loss of three close friends during a wintertime assignment when a barrel exploded, activating a landmine underneath. Following his service in Korea, Rodela attended Jump School and joined the 101st Airborne Division. After subsequent training, Rodela transferred to the Army’s Special Forces, becoming a part of the iconic, elite Green Berets.

Attack in the Jungle

Fourteen years after joining the Army, Rodela found himself deep in the humid jungle climate of Phuoc Long Province, Vietnam, serving as company commander of the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Mobile Strike Force Command. He was training new Cambodian recruits in warfare against North Vietnamese troops.
“I recruited them, I trained them, I took them to war,” Rodela shared in a 2014 interview with Army Press. “All of the others in that Special Forces Company had companies of Vietnamese to train, but I was the only one with Cambodians. They turned out to be pretty good soldiers. I lucked out.”

As daylight began to break on the morning of September 1, 1969, Rodela and about 100 to 120 Cambodians were walking through the jungle when they discovered several enemy machine-gun positions. About 800 meters from their final destination, North Vietnamese troops launched a vicious and brutal attack on Rodela’s company. Rockets, mortars, and machine-gun fire fell from the sky, killing 42 soldiers from Rodela’s battalion almost immediately.

Realizing that his unit was on the verge of panic, Rodela’s leadership instincts went into overdrive. He moved from man to man, setting up defensive positions to prevent further damage from enemy forces. He shouted orders, provided supplemental ammunition, and aided wounded comrades. Rodela sustained critical injuries to his back and head from a B-40 rocket while supporting a wounded soldier, but he knocked out the rocket successfully, preventing additional casualties. For 18 hours, Rodela directed ruthless counterattacks until the fighting ceased.

A Legacy of Leadership

For his fiercely heroic leadership and unwavering commitment to his unit in Vietnam, Rodela initially received the Distinguished Service Cross while he recovered from injuries at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. However, Rodela’s talent for training Special Forces troops was in high demand, and he soon found himself in Central and South America, supporting other battalions.

“Special Forces is such a small community, they send you where they need you,” Rodela shared.

Rodela retired from the Army in 1975 after 20 years of faithful service and moved to San Antonio, Texas, where he currently resides. His Distinguished Service Cross was later upgraded to a Medal of Honor. On March 18, 2014, Rodela received the Medal of Honor from President Barack Obama during a White House ceremony.

Rodela, along with Medal of Honor Recipients Sergeant First Class Melvin Morris [BLOG LINK] and Sergeant Santiago J. Erevia [BLOG LINK], became part of the “Valor 24” after receiving their Medals. This special group honors 24 Recipients of Asian, Black, and Latino descent for their extraordinary military service in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Today, the National Medal of Honor Museum has a special “Valor 24” display, highlighting the stories of these extraordinary Recipients.

As for Rodela, he continues to serve and inspire San Antonio ROTC students by sharing his story and presenting awards to excellent cadets.

“In combat, your mission is the man on your right and the man on your left,” Rodela said. “You take care of them, and they take care of you. No one is left behind.”