Sergeant First Class Antonio Rey “Rod” Rodriguez was born on July 26, 1991, and grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico. As a boy he loved the pecan orchards his grandparents kept. He spent countless hours helping them through the irrigation and harvest seasons, and on summer days he would sometimes swim in the irrigation canals. He graduated from Mayfield High School in 2009.
Antonio enlisted in the Army that same year. After One Station Unit Training as an infantryman and Airborne School, he completed the Regimental Assessment and Selection Program and Ranger School and was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia. He served with Delta Company and the battalion reconnaissance platoon and later with the Regimental Military Intelligence Battalion. Over nearly a decade as a Ranger he deployed to Afghanistan eight times.
In June 2018 Antonio voluntarily reclassified as a cryptologic linguist with expertise in Spanish. He joined the military intelligence detachment of the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where he supported Operational Detachment Alpha 7313. His intelligence work directly supported the Green Berets alongside whom he served, and he deployed twice more to Afghanistan with the group.
On February 8, 2020, Antonio was killed in action during combat operations in the Sherzad District of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, when an individual in an Afghan uniform opened fire on the combined U.S. and Afghan force. His teammate, Staff Sergeant Javier Gutierrez, was also killed. Antonio was 28 years old and on his tenth deployment. “Sgt. 1st Class Rodriguez was selfless and served honorably; he was certainly among the best in our unit,” said Colonel John W. Sannes, commander of the 7th Special Forces Group. “Here at the Red Empire, we take care of our own.”
Antonio was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class and awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart and the Combat Action Badge. His other decorations include an earlier Bronze Star Medal, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, two Army Achievement Medals, two Army Good Conduct Medals, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, the NATO Medal, the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge and the Parachutist Badge. He is also honored on the National Security Agency’s Cryptologic Memorial.
Away from work, Antonio loved time with his wife, Ronaleen, and their friends. He lifted weights, endured CrossFit workouts, played with the dogs, cooked and competed in shooting matches. Las Cruces came out in great numbers for his funeral. As a tribute to her son, his mother, Guadalupe Rodriguez-Jaramillo, established the SFC Antonio Rey “ROD” Rodriguez Memorial Endowed Scholarship at New Mexico State University for Army and Air Force ROTC cadets, along with a foundation in his name. Both carry the words that summed up his life: “Remember to Live.”
Antonio is survived by his wife, Ronaleen Omega-Rodriguez; his mother, Guadalupe Rodriguez-Jaramillo, and her husband, Javier D. Jaramillo; his father and stepmother, David and Isela Hernandez; his brothers, Christopher and David; his sister, Valerie; his grandparents, Reymond and Celia Rodriguez; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
Tony was a brilliant intelligence operator whose work directly protected special operations teams in combat.
7th Special Forces Group Intelligence Command
Sources
- Department of Defense: DOD identifies Army casualties (Feb. 2020)
- Military.com: Special Forces soldiers killed in Afghan firefight ID’d, given Bronze Stars and promotions
- USASOC Memorial Wall biography: Sgt. 1st Class Antonio Rodriguez
- NSA Cryptologic Memorial: SFC Antonio Rodriguez
- Las Cruces Sun-News: Las Cruces mourns fallen soldier Antonio Rey Rodriguez at funeral
- Family-provided records on file with MVF: Antonio Rodriguez bio
