00:00:17
Speaker 1: Pushkin. A young couple waited behind a long velvet curtain. They were on a Hollywood sound stage. On the other side of the curtain were TV cameras and a live studio audience, laughing and talking while they waited for the couple to appear. It was April twenty fourth, nineteen fifty two. They were on the set of a TV game show called You Bet Your Life. The announcer, George Finnamon cleared his throat, and as he spoke, the couple came out from behind the curtain into the bright stage lights.

00:00:54
Speaker 2: We have an engaged couple for you now, Groucho, and they're very special guests.

00:00:58
Speaker 3: So let's meet them.

00:00:59
Speaker 2: Miss Rose Aranda and Sergeant Joseph Rodriguez. Meet Graucho Marx.

00:01:06
Speaker 1: That's right, Graucho Marx of the Marx Brothers. You know who I'm talking about with those big glasses, thick eyebrows and mustache. Oh and of course the cigar. He was the host of the show.

00:01:20
Speaker 2: Pretty cute couple, right.

00:01:22
Speaker 1: The young couple were both dressed up. He wore an army uniform and she wore a skirt suit. He was tall and skinny, with dark hair and a giant smile. She was tiny and beautiful with big brown eyes. They were in their early twenties. He rested his hand in the small of her back, kind of like he was protecting her.

00:01:43
Speaker 2: You two a special guest. Why is that? Is it because you're an army sergeant?

00:01:47
Speaker 4: No, I don't believe.

00:01:48
Speaker 2: So there's nothing special about an army sergeant unless you happened to be a private. Jeosh Fannaman, come in in. You told me there was something special about this couple.

00:02:00
Speaker 3: What is it?

00:02:02
Speaker 2: Obviously they're not going to tell me.

00:02:04
Speaker 5: Well, GRATCHA.

00:02:04
Speaker 3: Sergeant Rodriguez has been awarded the nation's highest military decoration, the Congressional Medal of Honor.

00:02:15
Speaker 1: I'm j R. Martinez and this is Medal of Honor Stories of Courage. The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration in the United States. It's awarded for gallantry and bravery and combat at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty. Each candidate must be approved all the way up the chain of command, from the supervisory officer in the field to the White House. This show was about those heroes, what they did, what it meant, and what their stories tell us about the nature of courage and sacrifice. In this episode, we're gonna be Joseph Rodriguez, and I gotta tell you, I really connect with this story, and not because Joe and I were both Army vets who somehow found themselves on TV. It's because so many elements of Joe's life are familiar to me. Growing up in a Hispanic household, being a first generation US citizen, I know that dance very well, loving my family's culture, but seeing myself as fully and truly American, with patriotism so strong that we both volunteered to serve our country in the military. Joe's actions on the battlefield in Korea pushed him into the spotlight. His one man's stand was incredible and I can't wait to tell you about it. But it's not what defined his life. What defined him was his dedication to the country he loved and his love for rogues. Joe Rodriguez joined the Army in nineteen fifty when he was twenty one years old. He was a private first class in the seventh Infantry Division. In less than a year, he was headed into combat with no idea what was waiting for him.

00:04:05
Speaker 6: Well, I knew there was a war going on in a place called Korea, which I didn't know where it was at. And when they said it's your turn, I figured, well, a couple of years and we can handle that.

00:04:19
Speaker 1: Then Joe got to the front and he was totally overwhelmed.

00:04:23
Speaker 6: Oh gosh, I tell you, as a buck private up in the combat zone, you don't know where you're at. The sergeant tells you go that way, and you go that way. You just do what you're told.

00:04:35
Speaker 1: But Joe had something that gave him hope. His helmet was lined with letters from a young woman named Rose. The two had met when Rose was a senior in high school and Joe was at a community college near his home in San Bernardino, California. They both went to a mixer hosted by the Why. Years later, Rose told their son Charles about it during the recording he made at home.

00:04:59
Speaker 3: We were there on the glus and stopped right in front of the.

00:05:02
Speaker 6: Y and the guys were waiting there to be picked up, and that's where I spotted your father. We didn't have a chance.

00:05:11
Speaker 1: Joe sure didn't stand a chance. He took one look at Rose and made a beeline to her seat on the bus. On their first date, Rose was a little anxious.

00:05:23
Speaker 5: On the way back. We stopped at a coffee shop and we ordered some coffee, and I poured Bob ten spoons of sugar in my coffee, and a sooner as I just kept pouring it on.

00:05:38
Speaker 1: As Rose got to know Joe, she liked him even more. For one thing, he was determined to make a better life for himself. Both of his parents had immigrated from Central Mexico. His mother unfortunately passed away when Joe was only two. His dad had a business with several other workers maintaining lawns and vineyards, and Joe's dad believed that there was no such thing as a job that's too small or too hard. Every kind of work brought dignity. I know that hard work and immigrant spirits so well. I witnessed that growing up. That's a lot of where our pride comes from. The Rodriguez household was big and chaotic. Joe's dad eventually remarried, and all together there were fifteen kids, twelve girls and three boys. So Joe and his little brother Ray live with their older sister, Josie. Rose loved Joe's ambition. She was the same way he was going to college, which was pretty rare in the Latino community back then. It was tough to afford, but Joe was determined to make it work. And when Joe got called to Korea, he told her she didn't have to wait for him, but she did. She sent him letter after letter. He had those to give him strength, and he had his father's voice in his head.

00:07:02
Speaker 6: That is from the old country, Mexico. You know that macho machismo stuff.

00:07:08
Speaker 1: He had it.

00:07:09
Speaker 6: He raised me up, saying, son, you be a man. You be a man, and you don't be afraid to die of it if it takes it. Of course, Dad wasn't up in the front lines being shot at when he told me.

00:07:23
Speaker 1: That Korea had been divided after World War Two. The North was a communist country supported by the USSR. The South was supported by the United Nations. But then North Korea invaded South Korea. So you and troops stepped in, pushing them back above the thirty eighth parallel. But the UN forces didn't stop there. They kept going into North Korea, which was a bad idea. Pretty soon the North Korean military was joined by Chinese troops, and they seemed almost unbeatable. They forced their way back into South Korea.

00:08:01
Speaker 3: The Chinese Communist defnsive had pushed the United Nations forces back to below the thirty eighth parallel, and the advance to recover lost ground was slow and painful work. During the first few months of nineteen fifty one, the soldiers of the seventh Division bought several successful engagements with the enemy, each time winning a little more in real estate, pushing the United Nations lines steadily.

00:08:23
Speaker 1: Now it was a nasty struggle. Each mile they took was paid for in blood. On May twentieth, Joe's Division, the seventh was ordered to advance across a series of ridges. They were all held by the enemy. The gis needed to retake that lost ground, and the faster they did it, the less time the Chinese soldiers would have to react. It was a leap frogging attack that went from hill to hill. First one company would take a ridge, then the next would move up, and on the early morning of May twenty first, Joe's company was waiting for their turn.

00:09:01
Speaker 6: I remember that morning. It was a beautiful day, a rare beautiful day.

00:09:08
Speaker 1: The focus was one small peak that dominated the ridge. It was entrenched with Chinese forces who were using it as a launching spot for mortar shells. Those shells were hitting American troops. They had to be stopped. The first group of gis headed for the ridge line. The enemy waited until they were within one hundred yards of the top, and then they opened fire. The soldiers were hit hard. They couldn't make it.

00:09:37
Speaker 6: The casualties are so great. They pulled them back and then they sent us up.

00:09:42
Speaker 1: It was time for Joe's company to go forward into that wall of gunfire.

00:09:47
Speaker 6: My particular squad, which is composed of about eight or ten men, led the attack, and it wasn't nice.

00:09:56
Speaker 1: It wasn't nice, well that's an understatement. It was terrible. Automatic weapons fire was pouring down on them. And Joe's squad made it to about sixty yards from the top of the ridge, but then they got stuck.

00:10:12
Speaker 6: We got pinned down, just like our predecessors, and we couldn't go forward, couldn't go backwards sideways, it would just pinned down.

00:10:23
Speaker 1: The company commander had told the men they needed to take that ridge no matter what, but every time anybody raised their head he got shot at. So they just duck lower and lower. Nobody moved Obviously, nobody wanted to die, but Joe was thinking about something else. He knew the guys in this unit. He was protective of them.

00:10:46
Speaker 6: I had been with the men that were pinned down for a while. There's a closeness that has developed, especially in combat. There's a definite bond that has created when you're in a situation that you don't know what's going to happen.

00:11:02
Speaker 1: And then the enemy started to roll grenades down the hill towards Joe's friends. Joe Rodriguez was dug in with his squad in the hills of Korea, hiding from enemy fire and watching as grenades went spinning towards his unit.

00:11:30
Speaker 6: We were also helpless, and we couldn't move. I guess I just got angry. I got very angry.

00:11:39
Speaker 1: He wasn't about to sit there and watch his buddies get packed off or get killed himself, so he grabbed a handful of grenades and started running up the hill.

00:11:48
Speaker 6: I felt something had to be done. I didn't even think about it.

00:11:53
Speaker 1: It was about sixty yards to the top. The ridge line was thick with trees. It was impossible to know exactly what was waiting for him.

00:12:01
Speaker 6: They held the dominating terrain the top of the hill. I knew they were up there, but where I didn't know. I really couldn't see it. All I knew is it was up on top that the problem was.

00:12:16
Speaker 1: He ran towards the sound of gunfire. It was the only way he could tell where the Chinese soldiers were. The enemy was tucked into foxholes. He spotted the first one and lobbed grenades into it.

00:12:29
Speaker 6: During basic training, they taught us how to throw a grenade, but it was automatic. I didn't think about basic training. I just knew you pull that pin and you release that handle, and you better get rid of it. So I kept doing it.

00:12:41
Speaker 1: Then he ran around the left flank. He sprinted towards another fox hole, and there was a soldier with an automatic weapon in there, shooting at the Americans down below. Joe threw grenades into the nest and the gun fell silent.

00:12:55
Speaker 6: I ran out of grenades, so I ran back to where the men were still pinned down, and I collected a few more grenades and went back up.

00:13:04
Speaker 1: He ran up the slope, bullets kicking up dirt all around him. He found another fox hole and threw grenades in one of them. Bounced off of a tree and landed about two feet from Joe. As he raced away from the explosion, he stumbled and cut his face with another grenade he was carrying. Just then he spotted a fourth foxhole. He pulled back his arm and threw. Now he was out of grenades, and the enemy fire kept coming.

00:13:34
Speaker 6: They had some pillboxes bunkers, and I knew there were men and they're shooting at us. Yet the grenades didn't get him.

00:13:43
Speaker 1: So he ran back down the hill a second time. By this next trip up, he was worn out. He later said, quote, I'm no track man, you know. But he sprinted up the slope one more time and he found that final machine gun nest and he knocked it out.

00:14:02
Speaker 6: I finished throwing those grenades, firing stopped.

00:14:08
Speaker 1: He had ended the battle. His com we're safe. In all, Joe was responsible for killing fifteen Chinese soldiers in the space of just a few minutes. He single handily broke the enemy defense. But when Joe looked back on his actions, he didn't claim to be superhuman or even super brave.

00:14:30
Speaker 6: Some people say they're not afraid. You're afraid. You just don't admit it. And you pray down deep inside of yourself. You pray. You don't know what's going to happen, you don't know what's going to be you next. And believe me, I prayed.

00:14:51
Speaker 1: But he was still willing to take that risk, to do the terrible job ahead of him. It was in his DNA. Remember what his dad said, No job too small or too hard. Joe's luck ran out about a week later when he was shot in the hand. He was sent to a high hospital in Japan and he stayed there for three months. But what have set him the most wasn't the pain. It was something else, something to do with Rose. As he told his son years later, when I got.

00:15:23
Speaker 6: Wounded, I lost my helmet, and of course all her letters were gone, and I think that was one of the biggest losses that I felt. I cherished him.

00:15:36
Speaker 1: When he recovered, Joe asked to be sent back to the front lines, but he was told that he could train with his men, but not fight with them. He was frustrated, heartbroken. They were a unit, they should stay together, and he was ready to fight. So he pushed back and he was told, you've been recommended for some medal, no details, just that. Then the regimental commander called him in and said, you're going back to the United States, and he was officially notified that some medal was actually the medal, the Medal of Honor. A general's plane had to go back to the US for maintenance, and Joe hitched a ride on it back to California. His combat duty in Korea was over after just eight months, but now he had a new mission. He told his son about it years later.

00:16:29
Speaker 4: I got back to the States about November nineteen fifty one, and I guess one of the most important things I had to do was to see your mother. And it was a Sunday. We went over to a small park and walked to WAYN. I was in Tokyo before my return to the United States. I had gone to the PX and all my earnings went into the ring and engagement N and I had it in my pocket while we were there in the park, and I took the little box out and asked her if she would marry me to say yes. I don't think I realized the impact of what I've just done, but I knew that I wanted to have her as my bride, because not only did she wait for me, but I knew her, I knew her family, and she is a soft spoken, very attractive charman. And all of the good word that you can put together.

00:17:37
Speaker 1: All of the good words that you can put together. I love that. And rose Now his fiance went with him to DC for his Medal of Honor ceremony. His sister Josie went to and so did his brother Ray, who was also serving his country as a marine. At the ceremony on January twenty ninth, nineteen fifty two, he received the medal along with another Army sergeant. During President Truman's eight years in office, he gave out a lot of medals, but he described these two citations as quote among the most remarkable that I have ever read. And then Truman said that he wished that more Americans would display that same fighting spirit, not just on the battlefield, but in civic life to make this country better. He said, quote, I hope that their example will cause more people to take responsibility and to fight for right, as these two young men fought for liberty and the welfare of the world. Joe was blown away by all of it.

00:18:39
Speaker 6: You know, even at the time of the presentation of the award, I didn't fully appreciate what was going on. I knew it was significant because the President, I mean, ge whiz, but I had no idea it would have such an impact on our lives.

00:18:57
Speaker 1: But Joe took Truman's words to heart. Now that he was back in America, he would keep working to make it better. After he received the Medal of Honor, Joe Rodriguez continued to serve, this time off the battlefield. He was sent around the country to promote the sale of government savings minds. He went on a multi week blood drive with the famous comedian Eddie Canter, and of course he and Rose appeared on You Bet Your Life.

00:19:41
Speaker 3: Joe.

00:19:41
Speaker 2: That's the most amazing thing I ever heard of him. There's just one thing I'd like to know. When you were running through all that, Lad, what were you thinking about?

00:19:48
Speaker 4: Well, I wasn't thinking. I was just mad.

00:19:50
Speaker 1: I guess you wiped.

00:19:52
Speaker 2: Out a whole army just because you got mad. Joe, I said anything tonight to hear that you read. I said anything that you reasoned. I was just being facetious. Oh, I'm sure, glad you're I'm not outside and Rose, take good care of this fellow. And my advice is don't have to make him mad white BYuT Los Angeles.

00:20:22
Speaker 1: Rose did take great care of Joe. They were married in November of nineteen fifty two. The city of San Bernardino raised money for a home for them, and Joe bought a plot of ground and helped design the house himself. Joe would stay in the army for thirty years. He joined the Army Corps of Engineers, which he juggled with speaking engagements and appearances. He was the rare officer who could speak fluent Spanish, so he was assigned to roles in Bolivia, Arguentina, Puerto Rico and the Panama Canal. Rose was the star of the Officers Club, adapting easily to any new situation. Joe and Rose had three kids, and Joe encouraged them to become bilingual just like he was, and every now and then Joe's protective side came out when Joe had to travel. Their older son, Charles, remembers his dad telling him, you take great care of your mother and brother and sister, and don't let any guys come knocking at the door. Charles followed his dad into the army and eventually became a major general. After Joe retired, he spent time with his eleven grandkids and playing golf. He claimed to be the only Medal of Honor recipient with four holes in one and you know what, I believe it. He remained devoted to Rose until the day he passed in two thousand and five. He was seventy six years old. Joe's Hispanic culture had given him a set of gifts, his work ethic, his language skills, and he used those gifts to serve his country. But he never saw himself as anything other than fully American. That was true when he was at the bottom of that ridge in Korea.

00:22:09
Speaker 6: To me and to most of the men in combat, there is no race difference, there is no religion difference. We're all in there because man, we're being shot at. And if anything, I learned, when you're in a pinch with other people, you're all in it together.

00:22:30
Speaker 1: Yeah. How was my experience too. When you're a squad, you're a squad, all equal. It's one of the beautiful things the military does. It erases those differences. And as Joe traveled the country meeting with other vets, he saw that same thing in them.

00:22:48
Speaker 6: The country is blessed by having veterans organizations, not only integrated veterans organizations, but you've got Hispanic veterans organizations, and I belong to at least two of them. And I'll tell you you get those reunions. Those guys are proud that they are Americans. They're proud their Hispanics. First of all, they're proud that they are American, and they want everybody to know they are as much American as anybody.

00:23:19
Speaker 1: Else, as much American as anybody else. I think it's important to hear it, and it's important to let it sink in. It's true, no matter where your family originally came from or how long ago, what makes us American is how we work to make this country the best it can be. Joe not only understood.

00:23:47
Speaker 6: That he lived in We're called Hispanic Americans because of our heritage. And I'm proud of my heritage. And that's something else I tell the youngsters. I tell him, be proud of your heritage. Whether you're Irish, American, Mexican, American, Asian, American, you be proud of your heritage. But remember, most of all, you're America. You are America.

00:24:40
Speaker 1: Medal of Honor, Stories of Courage is written by Meredith Rollins and produced by Meredith Rollins and Ryan Schweiker. Our editor is Lydia Jean Kott. Sound designed by Jay Gorsky. Our executive producer is Constanza Gallardo. Fact checking by Arthur Gomperts. Original music by Eric Phillips. Special thanks to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, and an extra special thanks to Major General Retired Charles Rodriguez, Joe's son, who provided tapes of his parents telling theirs stories. If you want to learn more about this story, take a look at our show notes, where we have some of the resources we use to put this episode together. We also want to hear from you. Send us your personal story of courage or highlight someone else's bravery. Email us at Medal of Honor at Pushkin dot fm. You might hear your stories on future episodes of Metal of Honor, or see them on our social channels at Pushkin Pods. I'm your host, JR. Martinez. We hear you. You want to listen to the episode, not the ads. If you're ready to lose the interruptions and hear the full season of Medal of Honor right now, join Pushkin Plus you'll get our entire network, including Medal of Honor, Revisionist History, and Heavyweight, completely ad free. You'll be supporting our small, independent team. Sign up and save on the Medal of Honor show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin, dot fm, slash plus. Use the code MOH twenty five for twenty five percent often annual subscription