SFC Michael 'Rod' Rodriguez, U.S. Army Special Forces, Afghanistan
From Veterans Chronicles by Radio America
February 25, 2026 · 36 min
About this episode
Michael 'Rod' Rodriguez shares his military journey from Somalia to Afghanistan, detailing his experiences and the impact of 9/11 on his service.
Michael "Rod" Rodriguez was born into a family with a rich legacy of military service. His father and grandfather both served during wartime. Rod decided he wanted to serve after watching what the U.S. military accomplished in Operation Desert Storm. Within months of enlisting in 1992, he was off to Somalia. A couple of years later, Rodriguez decided to pursue Army Special Forces and then became a sniper and a medic. All of that prepared him well for three deployments in Afghanistan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In this edition of Veterans Chronicles , Rodriguez tells us about his early deployments to Somalia and Haiti, what qualifying was like for Special Forces, and how he heard the news of 9/11. Rodriguez also takes us to Afghanistan, as he shares the story of how he treated a young Afghan girl who was clearly being abused. He also shares what it was like treating the wounds of his fellow soldiers and how he was seriously injured by a series of explosions on his final deployment. Finally, Rodriguez details how he finally decided to get treatment for his injuries and the important work he is doing today to honor those who served in the Global War on Terrorism.
People in this episode
Guest: Michael 'Rod' Rodriguez
Topics covered
- military service
- personal stories
- Afghanistan
- Special Forces
- medical treatment
- 9/11
- veteran experiences
Keywords
- military
- Special Forces
- Afghanistan
- 9/11
- veteran
- medical treatment
- sniper
- medic
- deployment
- personal story
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: U.S. Army
Places: Somalia, Haiti, Afghanistan
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