Master Sergeant Pedro Rodríguez (January 3, 1912 – October 19, 1999) was a U.S. Army soldier from Puerto Rico who earned two

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

s within a seven-day period during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. He is one of the few U.S. Army soldiers and perhaps the only Puerto Rican soldier other than Brigadier General Antonio Rodríguez Balinas, Second Lieutenant Vidal Rodriguez-Amaro, and Sergeant First Class Felix G. Nieves to receive more than one Silver Star during the Korean War. Rodríguez served in the

65th Infantry Regiment The 65th Infantry Regiment, nicknamed "The Borinqueneers" during the Korean War for the original Arawak Native American name for Puerto Rico (Borinquen), is a Puerto Rican regiment of the United States Army. The regiment's motto is ''Honor et ...

during both World War II and the Korean War; the 65th Infantry was awarded the

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

in 2014.

Early years

Rodríguez was born

Lajas, Puerto Rico Lajas () is a town and municipality of Puerto Rico located in the Lajas Valley in southwestern Puerto Rico, on the southern coast of the island, bordering the Caribbean Sea, south of San Germán and Sabana Grande; east of Cabo Rojo; and west ...

, on January 3, 1912, into a poor family. Rodríguez did not have a formal education. His father owned an ox cart and earned a living by delivering goods to the town's merchants. Rodríguez rose early in the morning to help his father. Together they went to the railroad station, where they loaded the goods onto their ox cart and then delivered them. When he was 14 years old, his father died and he had to take over the ox cart and the financial responsibility of his family. The economic situation became so bad that in 1937, when he was 25 years old, he joined the

Puerto Rico National Guard The Puerto Rico National Guard (PRNG; ) is the national guard of the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The Constitution of the United States specifically charges the National Guard with dual federal and state missions, which includes to provide ...

World War II

Rodríguez was assigned to the

, the all Puerto Rican

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

and was stationed in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

. When

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

broke out, the 65th Infantry was sent to

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

. In September 1944, his company landed in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, France, and marched north into

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

without any major incident.Korean War Double Hero Reflects on Life
/ref>

Korean War

After the war, the 65th Infantry was stationed in Puerto Rico. The 65th was activated to the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

was deployed to

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

attached to the 3rd Infantry Division, upon the outbreak of the Korean War on August 26, 1950. By the time the "Borinqueneers", as the 65th was known, reached Korea, Rodríguez had been promoted to the rank of sergeant. ;First Silver Star: Sgt. Rodríguez was a member of Company F and on March 24, 1951, he led his unit to secure Hill 476. When a camouflaged enemy machine gun opened fire on them, Rodríguez led a squad with fixed

bayonet A bayonet (from Old French , now spelt ) is a -4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ... , now spelt ) is a knife, dagger">knife">-4; we might wonder whethe ...

s in an assault on the area from which the gunfire came from. The enemy fled leaving their supplies behind. For his actions, Rodríguez was awarded his first Silver Star Medal. ;2nd Silver Star Medal: A week later on March 31, his company was attacking Hill 398, near Choksong-Myon, when they came under an enemy mortar barrage. After, the enemy pinned down and inflicted heavy casualties on the lead platoon, Rodríguez was ordered to assist the stalled unit and led his platoon in an assault that routed the enemy. For his actions, he was awarded a second Silver Star Medal.

Silver Star citations

Other U.S. Army soldiers and officers to receive more than one Silver Star for actions during the Korean War include First Lieutenant Romeo H. Bucknell Jr., First Lieutenant Smith B. Chamberlain, Second Lieutenant Robert H. Coldren, First Lieutenant Charles H. Fleming, Colonel David Haskell Hackworth, First Lieutenant Jerimiah V. Hayhurst, First Lieutenant Raymond W. King, Captain Edward A. Konek, Sergeant First Class Felix G. Nieves, Second Lieutenant Hans G. Olsen, Second Lieutenant Vidal Rodriguez-Amaro, Brigadier General Antonio Rodríguez Balinas, and Lieutenant Colonel Howard B. Sinclair.

Military awards and decorations

Among Rodríguez's decorations were the following: Foreign Medal The Bravery Gold Medal of Greece was given by the Government of Greece to the 65th Infantry Regiment and to the members of the regiment who fought in the Korean War. * Chryssoun Aristion Andrias (Bravery Gold Medal of Greece) Congressional Gold Medal On June 10, 2014, President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

, signed the legislation known as "The Borinqueneers CGM Bill" at an official ceremony. The Bill honors the 65th Infantry Regiment with the

.Richard Payerchin, "President Obama to honor Army's Puerto Rican regiment the Borinqueneers," ''The Morning Journal'', June 9, 2014.
/ref>

Later years

Rodríguez retired from the Army with the rank of Master Sergeant and went to work as a mail carrier for the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

in Puerto Rico. In 1979, Rodríguez went to live at the Soldier's and Airmen's Retirement Home in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

In 1977, he had a stroke and other medical complications including the loss of his left leg.Arlington National Cemetery
/ref> Rodríguez died on October 19, 1999, at the age of 88, from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

. He was buried with full military honors at the

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia. ...

. He was married to Asuncion Toro with whom he had five children.

Notes

External links

Pedro Rodríguez
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodriguez, Pedro 1912 births 1999 deaths People from Lajas, Puerto Rico United States Army soldiers United States Army non-commissioned officers United States Army personnel of World War II United States Army personnel of the Korean War Puerto Rican Army personnel Puerto Rico National Guard personnel Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Recipients of the Silver Star United States Postal Service people