WEBVTT - A Helmet Lined with Letters: Joseph Rodriguez’s Love Story 0:00:17.140 --> 0:00:26.461 Pushkin. A young couple waited behind a long velvet curtain. 0:00:27.141 --> 0:00:29.981 They were on a Hollywood sound stage. On the other 0:00:30.061 --> 0:00:32.341 side of the curtain were TV cameras and a live 0:00:32.381 --> 0:00:35.781 studio audience, laughing and talking while they waited for the 0:00:35.821 --> 0:00:40.740 couple to appear. It was April twenty fourth, nineteen fifty two. 0:00:40.941 --> 0:00:42.741 They were on the set of a TV game show 0:00:42.821 --> 0:00:47.781 called You Bet Your Life. The announcer, George Finnamon cleared 0:00:47.821 --> 0:00:51.020 his throat, and as he spoke, the couple came out 0:00:51.060 --> 0:00:54.020 from behind the curtain into the bright stage lights. 0:00:54.301 --> 0:00:56.701 We have an engaged couple for you now, Groucho, and 0:00:56.981 --> 0:00:58.341 they're very special guests. 0:00:58.541 --> 0:00:59.261 So let's meet them. 0:00:59.301 --> 0:01:03.941 Miss Rose Aranda and Sergeant Joseph Rodriguez. Meet Graucho Marx. 0:01:06.301 --> 0:01:09.861 That's right, Graucho Marx of the Marx Brothers. You know 0:01:09.901 --> 0:01:13.941 who I'm talking about with those big glasses, thick eyebrows 0:01:13.981 --> 0:01:18.700 and mustache. Oh and of course the cigar. He was 0:01:18.741 --> 0:01:19.700 the host of the show. 0:01:20.261 --> 0:01:21.340 Pretty cute couple, right. 0:01:22.621 --> 0:01:25.181 The young couple were both dressed up. He wore an 0:01:25.340 --> 0:01:28.981 army uniform and she wore a skirt suit. He was 0:01:29.060 --> 0:01:32.221 tall and skinny, with dark hair and a giant smile. 0:01:32.901 --> 0:01:37.140 She was tiny and beautiful with big brown eyes. They 0:01:37.140 --> 0:01:40.181 were in their early twenties. He rested his hand in 0:01:40.220 --> 0:01:42.340 the small of her back, kind of like he was 0:01:42.381 --> 0:01:43.020 protecting her. 0:01:43.220 --> 0:01:45.780 You two a special guest. Why is that? Is it 0:01:45.860 --> 0:01:47.221 because you're an army sergeant? 0:01:47.621 --> 0:01:48.381 No, I don't believe. 0:01:48.421 --> 0:01:52.221 So there's nothing special about an army sergeant unless you 0:01:52.261 --> 0:01:57.581 happened to be a private. Jeosh Fannaman, come in in. 0:01:58.661 --> 0:02:00.861 You told me there was something special about this couple. 0:02:00.981 --> 0:02:01.461 What is it? 0:02:02.181 --> 0:02:03.621 Obviously they're not going to tell me. 0:02:04.141 --> 0:02:04.821 Well, GRATCHA. 0:02:04.981 --> 0:02:08.621 Sergeant Rodriguez has been awarded the nation's highest military decoration, 0:02:09.021 --> 0:02:10.221 the Congressional Medal of Honor. 0:02:15.621 --> 0:02:18.661 I'm j R. Martinez and this is Medal of Honor 0:02:18.981 --> 0:02:22.301 Stories of Courage. The Medal of Honor is the highest 0:02:22.341 --> 0:02:26.341 military decoration in the United States. It's awarded for gallantry 0:02:26.381 --> 0:02:29.621 and bravery and combat at the risk of life, above 0:02:29.861 --> 0:02:33.301 and beyond the call of duty. Each candidate must be 0:02:33.341 --> 0:02:36.061 approved all the way up the chain of command, from 0:02:36.101 --> 0:02:39.061 the supervisory officer in the field to the White House. 0:02:39.981 --> 0:02:43.021 This show was about those heroes, what they did, what 0:02:43.061 --> 0:02:45.621 it meant, and what their stories tell us about the 0:02:45.701 --> 0:02:50.301 nature of courage and sacrifice. In this episode, we're gonna 0:02:50.301 --> 0:02:54.261 be Joseph Rodriguez, and I gotta tell you, I really 0:02:54.261 --> 0:02:57.181 connect with this story, and not because Joe and I 0:02:57.221 --> 0:03:00.261 were both Army vets who somehow found themselves on TV. 0:03:00.941 --> 0:03:03.861 It's because so many elements of Joe's life are familiar 0:03:03.901 --> 0:03:07.541 to me. Growing up in a Hispanic household, being a 0:03:07.541 --> 0:03:11.501 first generation US citizen, I know that dance very well, 0:03:12.221 --> 0:03:16.341 loving my family's culture, but seeing myself as fully and 0:03:16.461 --> 0:03:21.461 truly American, with patriotism so strong that we both volunteered 0:03:21.501 --> 0:03:24.821 to serve our country in the military. Joe's actions on 0:03:24.821 --> 0:03:27.981 the battlefield in Korea pushed him into the spotlight. His 0:03:28.061 --> 0:03:30.781 one man's stand was incredible and I can't wait to 0:03:30.821 --> 0:03:34.501 tell you about it. But it's not what defined his life. 0:03:34.661 --> 0:03:37.461 What defined him was his dedication to the country he 0:03:37.541 --> 0:03:51.941 loved and his love for rogues. Joe Rodriguez joined the 0:03:52.061 --> 0:03:54.901 Army in nineteen fifty when he was twenty one years old. 0:03:55.381 --> 0:03:58.141 He was a private first class in the seventh Infantry Division. 0:03:58.781 --> 0:04:01.941 In less than a year, he was headed into combat 0:04:02.021 --> 0:04:04.221 with no idea what was waiting for him. 0:04:05.061 --> 0:04:07.741 Well, I knew there was a war going on in 0:04:07.781 --> 0:04:10.021 a place called Korea, which I didn't know where it 0:04:10.061 --> 0:04:15.581 was at. And when they said it's your turn, I figured, well, 0:04:15.621 --> 0:04:17.820 a couple of years and we can handle that. 0:04:19.141 --> 0:04:22.341 Then Joe got to the front and he was totally overwhelmed. 0:04:23.061 --> 0:04:26.501 Oh gosh, I tell you, as a buck private up 0:04:26.541 --> 0:04:28.781 in the combat zone, you don't know where you're at. 0:04:29.901 --> 0:04:31.701 The sergeant tells you go that way, and you go 0:04:31.821 --> 0:04:34.501 that way. You just do what you're told. 0:04:35.901 --> 0:04:39.381 But Joe had something that gave him hope. His helmet 0:04:39.581 --> 0:04:42.141 was lined with letters from a young woman named Rose. 0:04:43.181 --> 0:04:45.141 The two had met when Rose was a senior in 0:04:45.221 --> 0:04:47.701 high school and Joe was at a community college near 0:04:47.741 --> 0:04:51.141 his home in San Bernardino, California. They both went to 0:04:51.221 --> 0:04:55.221 a mixer hosted by the Why. Years later, Rose told 0:04:55.261 --> 0:04:57.621 their son Charles about it during the recording he made 0:04:57.621 --> 0:04:58.021 at home. 0:04:59.181 --> 0:05:02.380 We were there on the glus and stopped right in 0:05:02.381 --> 0:05:02.901 front of the. 0:05:02.901 --> 0:05:05.421 Y and the guys were waiting there to be picked up, 0:05:05.461 --> 0:05:09.581 and that's where I spotted your father. We didn't have 0:05:09.661 --> 0:05:10.221 a chance. 0:05:11.701 --> 0:05:14.501 Joe sure didn't stand a chance. He took one look 0:05:14.541 --> 0:05:16.781 at Rose and made a beeline to her seat on 0:05:16.821 --> 0:05:22.621 the bus. On their first date, Rose was a little anxious. 0:05:23.541 --> 0:05:26.541 On the way back. We stopped at a coffee shop 0:05:27.581 --> 0:05:32.101 and we ordered some coffee, and I poured Bob ten 0:05:32.701 --> 0:05:35.501 spoons of sugar in my coffee, and a sooner as 0:05:35.501 --> 0:05:37.101 I just kept pouring it on. 0:05:38.661 --> 0:05:41.661 As Rose got to know Joe, she liked him even more. 0:05:42.381 --> 0:05:44.781 For one thing, he was determined to make a better 0:05:44.821 --> 0:05:47.941 life for himself. Both of his parents had immigrated from 0:05:47.981 --> 0:05:51.820 Central Mexico. His mother unfortunately passed away when Joe was 0:05:51.861 --> 0:05:55.621 only two. His dad had a business with several other 0:05:55.661 --> 0:05:59.901 workers maintaining lawns and vineyards, and Joe's dad believed that 0:05:59.941 --> 0:06:02.341 there was no such thing as a job that's too 0:06:02.421 --> 0:06:06.820 small or too hard. Every kind of work brought dignity. 0:06:07.901 --> 0:06:10.701 I know that hard work and immigrant spirits so well. 0:06:11.221 --> 0:06:14.301 I witnessed that growing up. That's a lot of where 0:06:14.341 --> 0:06:19.581 our pride comes from. The Rodriguez household was big and chaotic. 0:06:20.141 --> 0:06:24.821 Joe's dad eventually remarried, and all together there were fifteen kids, 0:06:25.461 --> 0:06:29.380 twelve girls and three boys. So Joe and his little 0:06:29.381 --> 0:06:33.741 brother Ray live with their older sister, Josie. Rose loved 0:06:33.781 --> 0:06:36.941 Joe's ambition. She was the same way he was going 0:06:36.981 --> 0:06:40.221 to college, which was pretty rare in the Latino community 0:06:40.261 --> 0:06:43.661 back then. It was tough to afford, but Joe was 0:06:43.701 --> 0:06:48.541 determined to make it work. And when Joe got called 0:06:48.541 --> 0:06:50.901 to Korea, he told her she didn't have to wait 0:06:50.941 --> 0:06:55.781 for him, but she did. She sent him letter after letter. 0:06:56.821 --> 0:06:59.581 He had those to give him strength, and he had 0:06:59.581 --> 0:07:02.701 his father's voice in his head. 0:07:02.941 --> 0:07:05.781 That is from the old country, Mexico. You know that 0:07:05.941 --> 0:07:07.621 macho machismo stuff. 0:07:08.101 --> 0:07:08.661 He had it. 0:07:09.741 --> 0:07:12.301 He raised me up, saying, son, you be a man. 0:07:14.021 --> 0:07:17.141 You be a man, and you don't be afraid to 0:07:17.181 --> 0:07:21.141 die of it if it takes it. Of course, Dad 0:07:21.221 --> 0:07:23.301 wasn't up in the front lines being shot at when 0:07:23.301 --> 0:07:23.821 he told me. 0:07:23.821 --> 0:07:29.021 That Korea had been divided after World War Two. The 0:07:29.101 --> 0:07:33.101 North was a communist country supported by the USSR. The 0:07:33.141 --> 0:07:37.221 South was supported by the United Nations. But then North 0:07:37.301 --> 0:07:40.781 Korea invaded South Korea. So you and troops stepped in, 0:07:41.061 --> 0:07:44.381 pushing them back above the thirty eighth parallel. But the 0:07:44.461 --> 0:07:48.501 UN forces didn't stop there. They kept going into North Korea, 0:07:49.061 --> 0:07:52.621 which was a bad idea. Pretty soon the North Korean 0:07:52.621 --> 0:07:57.021 military was joined by Chinese troops, and they seemed almost unbeatable. 0:07:57.661 --> 0:08:00.981 They forced their way back into South Korea. 0:08:01.661 --> 0:08:05.021 The Chinese Communist defnsive had pushed the United Nations forces 0:08:05.461 --> 0:08:08.421 back to below the thirty eighth parallel, and the advance 0:08:08.461 --> 0:08:12.061 to recover lost ground was slow and painful work. During 0:08:12.101 --> 0:08:15.261 the first few months of nineteen fifty one, the soldiers 0:08:15.301 --> 0:08:18.461 of the seventh Division bought several successful engagements with the enemy, 0:08:19.021 --> 0:08:21.781 each time winning a little more in real estate, pushing 0:08:21.821 --> 0:08:23.341 the United Nations lines steadily. 0:08:23.461 --> 0:08:28.221 Now it was a nasty struggle. Each mile they took 0:08:28.421 --> 0:08:33.341 was paid for in blood. On May twentieth, Joe's Division, 0:08:33.660 --> 0:08:37.261 the seventh was ordered to advance across a series of ridges. 0:08:37.861 --> 0:08:41.221 They were all held by the enemy. The gis needed 0:08:41.261 --> 0:08:44.501 to retake that lost ground, and the faster they did it, 0:08:44.700 --> 0:08:47.220 the less time the Chinese soldiers would have to react. 0:08:48.060 --> 0:08:50.341 It was a leap frogging attack that went from hill 0:08:50.580 --> 0:08:54.060 to hill. First one company would take a ridge, then 0:08:54.060 --> 0:08:57.261 the next would move up, and on the early morning 0:08:57.341 --> 0:09:00.660 of May twenty first, Joe's company was waiting for their turn. 0:09:01.420 --> 0:09:05.341 I remember that morning. It was a beautiful day, a 0:09:05.420 --> 0:09:06.701 rare beautiful day. 0:09:08.021 --> 0:09:11.381 The focus was one small peak that dominated the ridge. 0:09:11.861 --> 0:09:15.060 It was entrenched with Chinese forces who were using it 0:09:15.101 --> 0:09:18.700 as a launching spot for mortar shells. Those shells were 0:09:18.741 --> 0:09:23.621 hitting American troops. They had to be stopped. The first 0:09:23.621 --> 0:09:26.460 group of gis headed for the ridge line. The enemy 0:09:26.460 --> 0:09:29.341 waited until they were within one hundred yards of the top, 0:09:30.460 --> 0:09:34.541 and then they opened fire. The soldiers were hit hard. 0:09:35.141 --> 0:09:35.981 They couldn't make it. 0:09:37.101 --> 0:09:39.901 The casualties are so great. They pulled them back and 0:09:39.940 --> 0:09:40.940 then they sent us up. 0:09:42.221 --> 0:09:45.461 It was time for Joe's company to go forward into 0:09:45.501 --> 0:09:46.741 that wall of gunfire. 0:09:47.580 --> 0:09:50.621 My particular squad, which is composed of about eight or 0:09:50.621 --> 0:09:56.101 ten men, led the attack, and it wasn't nice. 0:09:56.300 --> 0:10:00.501 It wasn't nice, well that's an understatement. It was terrible. 0:10:01.940 --> 0:10:06.021 Automatic weapons fire was pouring down on them. And Joe's 0:10:06.021 --> 0:10:09.021 squad made it to about sixty yards from the top 0:10:09.060 --> 0:10:11.301 of the ridge, but then they got stuck. 0:10:12.060 --> 0:10:16.021 We got pinned down, just like our predecessors, and we 0:10:16.101 --> 0:10:21.221 couldn't go forward, couldn't go backwards sideways, it would just 0:10:21.300 --> 0:10:21.861 pinned down. 0:10:23.180 --> 0:10:25.861 The company commander had told the men they needed to 0:10:25.940 --> 0:10:30.461 take that ridge no matter what, but every time anybody 0:10:30.540 --> 0:10:33.461 raised their head he got shot at. So they just 0:10:33.540 --> 0:10:39.581 duck lower and lower. Nobody moved Obviously, nobody wanted to die, 0:10:39.940 --> 0:10:43.181 but Joe was thinking about something else. He knew the 0:10:43.180 --> 0:10:45.741 guys in this unit. He was protective of them. 0:10:46.501 --> 0:10:48.741 I had been with the men that were pinned down 0:10:48.820 --> 0:10:53.781 for a while. There's a closeness that has developed, especially 0:10:53.780 --> 0:10:58.740 in combat. There's a definite bond that has created when 0:10:58.780 --> 0:11:00.820 you're in a situation that you don't know what's going 0:11:00.901 --> 0:11:01.261 to happen. 0:11:02.700 --> 0:11:05.341 And then the enemy started to roll grenades down the 0:11:05.420 --> 0:11:22.741 hill towards Joe's friends. Joe Rodriguez was dug in with 0:11:22.820 --> 0:11:25.861 his squad in the hills of Korea, hiding from enemy 0:11:25.901 --> 0:11:29.300 fire and watching as grenades went spinning towards his unit. 0:11:30.060 --> 0:11:34.300 We were also helpless, and we couldn't move. I guess 0:11:34.580 --> 0:11:39.221 I just got angry. I got very angry. 0:11:39.341 --> 0:11:41.381 He wasn't about to sit there and watch his buddies 0:11:41.381 --> 0:11:45.261 get packed off or get killed himself, so he grabbed 0:11:45.261 --> 0:11:48.221 a handful of grenades and started running up the hill. 0:11:48.861 --> 0:11:51.660 I felt something had to be done. I didn't even 0:11:51.700 --> 0:11:53.261 think about it. 0:11:53.261 --> 0:11:56.060 It was about sixty yards to the top. The ridge 0:11:56.060 --> 0:11:59.141 line was thick with trees. It was impossible to know 0:11:59.261 --> 0:12:00.861 exactly what was waiting for him. 0:12:01.540 --> 0:12:05.501 They held the dominating terrain the top of the hill. 0:12:06.341 --> 0:12:09.420 I knew they were up there, but where I didn't know. 0:12:09.940 --> 0:12:12.861 I really couldn't see it. All I knew is it 0:12:12.940 --> 0:12:14.780 was up on top that the problem was. 0:12:16.501 --> 0:12:19.300 He ran towards the sound of gunfire. It was the 0:12:19.341 --> 0:12:21.540 only way he could tell where the Chinese soldiers were. 0:12:22.420 --> 0:12:26.021 The enemy was tucked into foxholes. He spotted the first 0:12:26.101 --> 0:12:28.300 one and lobbed grenades into it. 0:12:29.060 --> 0:12:31.580 During basic training, they taught us how to throw a grenade, 0:12:31.660 --> 0:12:34.741 but it was automatic. I didn't think about basic training. 0:12:34.780 --> 0:12:37.820 I just knew you pull that pin and you release 0:12:37.901 --> 0:12:40.301 that handle, and you better get rid of it. So 0:12:40.341 --> 0:12:41.101 I kept doing it. 0:12:41.940 --> 0:12:44.860 Then he ran around the left flank. He sprinted towards 0:12:44.861 --> 0:12:47.300 another fox hole, and there was a soldier with an 0:12:47.341 --> 0:12:51.061 automatic weapon in there, shooting at the Americans down below. 0:12:51.861 --> 0:12:55.060 Joe threw grenades into the nest and the gun fell silent. 0:12:55.940 --> 0:12:58.501 I ran out of grenades, so I ran back to 0:12:58.540 --> 0:13:01.821 where the men were still pinned down, and I collected 0:13:01.861 --> 0:13:03.780 a few more grenades and went back up. 0:13:04.580 --> 0:13:07.220 He ran up the slope, bullets kicking up dirt all 0:13:07.261 --> 0:13:10.861 around him. He found another fox hole and threw grenades 0:13:11.021 --> 0:13:13.941 in one of them. Bounced off of a tree and 0:13:14.021 --> 0:13:17.581 landed about two feet from Joe. As he raced away 0:13:17.580 --> 0:13:20.780 from the explosion, he stumbled and cut his face with 0:13:20.861 --> 0:13:25.060 another grenade he was carrying. Just then he spotted a 0:13:25.101 --> 0:13:30.580 fourth foxhole. He pulled back his arm and threw. Now 0:13:30.780 --> 0:13:34.141 he was out of grenades, and the enemy fire kept coming. 0:13:34.901 --> 0:13:38.780 They had some pillboxes bunkers, and I knew there were 0:13:39.021 --> 0:13:42.101 men and they're shooting at us. Yet the grenades didn't 0:13:42.141 --> 0:13:42.460 get him. 0:13:43.460 --> 0:13:45.981 So he ran back down the hill a second time. 0:13:46.741 --> 0:13:50.301 By this next trip up, he was worn out. He 0:13:50.381 --> 0:13:53.901 later said, quote, I'm no track man, you know. But 0:13:53.981 --> 0:13:57.301 he sprinted up the slope one more time and he 0:13:57.381 --> 0:14:01.021 found that final machine gun nest and he knocked it out. 0:14:02.861 --> 0:14:06.501 I finished throwing those grenades, firing stopped. 0:14:08.420 --> 0:14:14.221 He had ended the battle. His com we're safe. In all, 0:14:14.700 --> 0:14:18.741 Joe was responsible for killing fifteen Chinese soldiers in the 0:14:18.741 --> 0:14:22.141 space of just a few minutes. He single handily broke 0:14:22.181 --> 0:14:25.941 the enemy defense. But when Joe looked back on his actions, 0:14:26.421 --> 0:14:29.901 he didn't claim to be superhuman or even super brave. 0:14:30.781 --> 0:14:35.821 Some people say they're not afraid. You're afraid. You just 0:14:35.821 --> 0:14:41.301 don't admit it. And you pray down deep inside of yourself. 0:14:41.341 --> 0:14:46.181 You pray. You don't know what's going to happen, you 0:14:46.221 --> 0:14:49.461 don't know what's going to be you next. And believe me, 0:14:49.541 --> 0:14:50.101 I prayed. 0:14:51.621 --> 0:14:54.701 But he was still willing to take that risk, to 0:14:54.781 --> 0:14:57.821 do the terrible job ahead of him. It was in 0:14:57.901 --> 0:15:02.221 his DNA. Remember what his dad said, No job too 0:15:02.261 --> 0:15:07.541 small or too hard. Joe's luck ran out about a 0:15:07.580 --> 0:15:10.221 week later when he was shot in the hand. He 0:15:10.261 --> 0:15:12.421 was sent to a high hospital in Japan and he 0:15:12.460 --> 0:15:15.301 stayed there for three months. But what have set him 0:15:15.341 --> 0:15:19.261 the most wasn't the pain. It was something else, something 0:15:19.301 --> 0:15:22.341 to do with Rose. As he told his son years later, 0:15:23.061 --> 0:15:23.741 when I got. 0:15:23.580 --> 0:15:27.261 Wounded, I lost my helmet, and of course all her 0:15:27.341 --> 0:15:31.381 letters were gone, and I think that was one of 0:15:31.421 --> 0:15:36.461 the biggest losses that I felt. I cherished him. 0:15:36.661 --> 0:15:39.221 When he recovered, Joe asked to be sent back to 0:15:39.261 --> 0:15:41.501 the front lines, but he was told that he could 0:15:41.501 --> 0:15:44.901 train with his men, but not fight with them. He 0:15:44.941 --> 0:15:49.941 was frustrated, heartbroken. They were a unit, they should stay together, 0:15:50.580 --> 0:15:53.901 and he was ready to fight. So he pushed back 0:15:54.261 --> 0:15:57.261 and he was told, you've been recommended for some medal, 0:15:57.981 --> 0:16:03.061 no details, just that. Then the regimental commander called him 0:16:03.101 --> 0:16:05.580 in and said, you're going back to the United States, 0:16:06.181 --> 0:16:10.261 and he was officially notified that some medal was actually 0:16:10.580 --> 0:16:15.181 the medal, the Medal of Honor. A general's plane had 0:16:15.181 --> 0:16:17.421 to go back to the US for maintenance, and Joe 0:16:17.541 --> 0:16:20.781 hitched a ride on it back to California. His combat 0:16:20.861 --> 0:16:25.261 duty in Korea was over after just eight months, but 0:16:25.381 --> 0:16:27.821 now he had a new mission. He told his son 0:16:27.861 --> 0:16:28.821 about it years later. 0:16:29.741 --> 0:16:33.901 I got back to the States about November nineteen fifty one, 0:16:34.101 --> 0:16:37.821 and I guess one of the most important things I 0:16:37.861 --> 0:16:41.261 had to do was to see your mother. And it 0:16:41.381 --> 0:16:45.781 was a Sunday. We went over to a small park 0:16:46.621 --> 0:16:51.581 and walked to WAYN. I was in Tokyo before my 0:16:51.701 --> 0:16:54.141 return to the United States. I had gone to the 0:16:54.181 --> 0:16:58.340 PX and all my earnings went into the ring and 0:16:58.460 --> 0:17:03.621 engagement N and I had it in my pocket while 0:17:03.621 --> 0:17:06.021 we were there in the park, and I took the 0:17:06.061 --> 0:17:08.981 little box out and asked her if she would marry 0:17:08.981 --> 0:17:14.301 me to say yes. I don't think I realized the 0:17:14.381 --> 0:17:18.461 impact of what I've just done, but I knew that 0:17:19.141 --> 0:17:23.541 I wanted to have her as my bride, because not 0:17:23.621 --> 0:17:26.221 only did she wait for me, but I knew her, 0:17:26.341 --> 0:17:30.781 I knew her family, and she is a soft spoken, 0:17:31.221 --> 0:17:35.141 very attractive charman. And all of the good word that 0:17:35.221 --> 0:17:36.461 you can put together. 0:17:37.661 --> 0:17:40.340 All of the good words that you can put together. 0:17:41.221 --> 0:17:46.461 I love that. And rose Now his fiance went with 0:17:46.581 --> 0:17:49.620 him to DC for his Medal of Honor ceremony. His 0:17:49.661 --> 0:17:52.701 sister Josie went to and so did his brother Ray, 0:17:52.981 --> 0:17:56.541 who was also serving his country as a marine. At 0:17:56.581 --> 0:17:59.981 the ceremony on January twenty ninth, nineteen fifty two, he 0:18:00.061 --> 0:18:04.421 received the medal along with another Army sergeant. During President 0:18:04.501 --> 0:18:06.981 Truman's eight years in office, he gave out a lot 0:18:06.981 --> 0:18:10.701 of medals, but he described these two citations as quote 0:18:10.981 --> 0:18:14.621 among the most remarkable that I have ever read. And 0:18:14.661 --> 0:18:16.981 then Truman said that he wished that more Americans would 0:18:17.021 --> 0:18:20.621 display that same fighting spirit, not just on the battlefield, 0:18:20.861 --> 0:18:25.821 but in civic life to make this country better. He said, quote, 0:18:26.221 --> 0:18:28.580 I hope that their example will cause more people to 0:18:28.581 --> 0:18:32.461 take responsibility and to fight for right, as these two 0:18:32.581 --> 0:18:35.620 young men fought for liberty and the welfare of the world. 0:18:36.821 --> 0:18:38.661 Joe was blown away by all of it. 0:18:39.501 --> 0:18:42.140 You know, even at the time of the presentation of 0:18:42.181 --> 0:18:45.581 the award, I didn't fully appreciate what was going on. 0:18:46.941 --> 0:18:49.701 I knew it was significant because the President, I mean, 0:18:49.781 --> 0:18:54.421 ge whiz, but I had no idea it would have 0:18:54.541 --> 0:18:56.461 such an impact on our lives. 0:18:57.621 --> 0:19:00.701 But Joe took Truman's words to heart. Now that he 0:19:00.781 --> 0:19:04.101 was back in America, he would keep working to make 0:19:04.141 --> 0:19:23.101 it better. After he received the Medal of Honor, Joe 0:19:23.181 --> 0:19:28.340 Rodriguez continued to serve, this time off the battlefield. He 0:19:28.421 --> 0:19:30.541 was sent around the country to promote the sale of 0:19:30.581 --> 0:19:33.981 government savings minds. He went on a multi week blood 0:19:34.061 --> 0:19:37.541 drive with the famous comedian Eddie Canter, and of course 0:19:37.821 --> 0:19:40.221 he and Rose appeared on You Bet Your Life. 0:19:41.341 --> 0:19:41.581 Joe. 0:19:41.661 --> 0:19:43.741 That's the most amazing thing I ever heard of him. 0:19:43.781 --> 0:19:45.381 There's just one thing I'd like to know. When you 0:19:45.381 --> 0:19:48.181 were running through all that, Lad, what were you thinking about? 0:19:48.541 --> 0:19:50.341 Well, I wasn't thinking. I was just mad. 0:19:50.461 --> 0:19:52.261 I guess you wiped. 0:19:52.021 --> 0:19:56.061 Out a whole army just because you got mad. Joe, 0:19:56.181 --> 0:20:04.580 I said anything tonight to hear that you read. I 0:20:04.581 --> 0:20:09.981 said anything that you reasoned. I was just being facetious. Oh, 0:20:10.021 --> 0:20:13.981 I'm sure, glad you're I'm not outside and Rose, take 0:20:14.021 --> 0:20:15.981 good care of this fellow. And my advice is don't 0:20:15.981 --> 0:20:20.941 have to make him mad white BYuT Los Angeles. 0:20:22.581 --> 0:20:25.301 Rose did take great care of Joe. They were married 0:20:25.341 --> 0:20:28.781 in November of nineteen fifty two. The city of San 0:20:28.821 --> 0:20:31.861 Bernardino raised money for a home for them, and Joe 0:20:31.861 --> 0:20:34.941 bought a plot of ground and helped design the house himself. 0:20:35.941 --> 0:20:38.901 Joe would stay in the army for thirty years. He 0:20:38.981 --> 0:20:41.701 joined the Army Corps of Engineers, which he juggled with 0:20:41.781 --> 0:20:46.061 speaking engagements and appearances. He was the rare officer who 0:20:46.101 --> 0:20:49.381 could speak fluent Spanish, so he was assigned to roles 0:20:49.381 --> 0:20:54.101 in Bolivia, Arguentina, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal. Rose 0:20:54.181 --> 0:20:57.301 was the star of the Officers Club, adapting easily to 0:20:57.381 --> 0:21:01.340 any new situation. Joe and Rose had three kids, and 0:21:01.461 --> 0:21:04.941 Joe encouraged them to become bilingual just like he was, 0:21:05.981 --> 0:21:09.341 and every now and then Joe's protective side came out 0:21:09.581 --> 0:21:12.861 when Joe had to travel. Their older son, Charles, remembers 0:21:12.901 --> 0:21:15.661 his dad telling him, you take great care of your 0:21:15.661 --> 0:21:18.580 mother and brother and sister, and don't let any guys 0:21:18.661 --> 0:21:23.261 come knocking at the door. Charles followed his dad into 0:21:23.261 --> 0:21:27.661 the army and eventually became a major general. After Joe retired, 0:21:27.861 --> 0:21:31.781 he spent time with his eleven grandkids and playing golf. 0:21:32.461 --> 0:21:35.461 He claimed to be the only Medal of Honor recipient 0:21:35.741 --> 0:21:39.100 with four holes in one and you know what, I 0:21:39.221 --> 0:21:42.861 believe it. He remained devoted to Rose until the day 0:21:42.941 --> 0:21:46.101 he passed in two thousand and five. He was seventy 0:21:46.221 --> 0:21:53.580 six years old. Joe's Hispanic culture had given him a 0:21:53.621 --> 0:21:57.981 set of gifts, his work ethic, his language skills, and 0:21:58.021 --> 0:22:01.261 he used those gifts to serve his country. But he 0:22:01.381 --> 0:22:05.621 never saw himself as anything other than fully American. That 0:22:05.821 --> 0:22:07.421 was true when he was at the bottom of that 0:22:07.541 --> 0:22:09.301 ridge in Korea. 0:22:09.381 --> 0:22:12.541 To me and to most of the men in combat, 0:22:13.741 --> 0:22:18.981 there is no race difference, there is no religion difference. 0:22:19.021 --> 0:22:21.261 We're all in there because man, we're being shot at. 0:22:22.701 --> 0:22:26.061 And if anything, I learned, when you're in a pinch 0:22:26.581 --> 0:22:28.541 with other people, you're all in it together. 0:22:30.381 --> 0:22:34.421 Yeah. How was my experience too. When you're a squad, 0:22:34.701 --> 0:22:38.861 you're a squad, all equal. It's one of the beautiful 0:22:38.861 --> 0:22:43.181 things the military does. It erases those differences. And as 0:22:43.261 --> 0:22:46.701 Joe traveled the country meeting with other vets, he saw 0:22:46.781 --> 0:22:47.781 that same thing in them. 0:22:48.741 --> 0:22:54.580 The country is blessed by having veterans organizations, not only 0:22:55.021 --> 0:23:00.701 integrated veterans organizations, but you've got Hispanic veterans organizations, and 0:23:00.741 --> 0:23:03.341 I belong to at least two of them. And I'll 0:23:03.341 --> 0:23:07.621 tell you you get those reunions. Those guys are proud 0:23:07.981 --> 0:23:11.501 that they are Americans. They're proud their Hispanics. First of all, 0:23:11.701 --> 0:23:14.981 they're proud that they are American, and they want everybody 0:23:15.061 --> 0:23:20.061 to know they are as much American as anybody. 0:23:19.581 --> 0:23:26.301 Else, as much American as anybody else. I think it's 0:23:26.341 --> 0:23:29.621 important to hear it, and it's important to let it 0:23:29.741 --> 0:23:34.061 sink in. It's true, no matter where your family originally 0:23:34.141 --> 0:23:39.021 came from or how long ago, what makes us American 0:23:39.661 --> 0:23:42.941 is how we work to make this country the best 0:23:43.221 --> 0:23:47.620 it can be. Joe not only understood. 0:23:47.101 --> 0:23:51.741 That he lived in We're called Hispanic Americans because of 0:23:51.741 --> 0:23:56.901 our heritage. And I'm proud of my heritage. And that's 0:23:56.901 --> 0:24:00.501 something else I tell the youngsters. I tell him, be 0:24:00.621 --> 0:24:08.061 proud of your heritage. Whether you're Irish, American, Mexican, American, Asian, American, 0:24:09.261 --> 0:24:14.701 you be proud of your heritage. But remember, most of all, 0:24:15.661 --> 0:24:39.141 you're America. You are America. 0:24:40.101 --> 0:24:43.421 Medal of Honor, Stories of Courage is written by Meredith 0:24:43.501 --> 0:24:47.541 Rollins and produced by Meredith Rollins and Ryan Schweiker. Our 0:24:47.661 --> 0:24:51.661 editor is Lydia Jean Kott. Sound designed by Jay Gorsky. 0:24:52.141 --> 0:24:57.021 Our executive producer is Constanza Gallardo. Fact checking by Arthur Gomperts. 0:24:57.501 --> 0:25:01.381 Original music by Eric Phillips. Special thanks to the Congressional 0:25:01.381 --> 0:25:04.941 Medal of Honor Society, and an extra special thanks to 0:25:05.061 --> 0:25:09.701 Major General Retired Charles Rodriguez, Joe's son, who provided tapes 0:25:09.741 --> 0:25:12.621 of his parents telling theirs stories. If you want to 0:25:12.701 --> 0:25:14.821 learn more about this story, take a look at our 0:25:14.821 --> 0:25:17.061 show notes, where we have some of the resources we 0:25:17.181 --> 0:25:19.821 use to put this episode together. We also want to 0:25:19.821 --> 0:25:23.141