EL PASO, TX, USA
U.S. Air Force
MAJ, 86TH CONSTRUCTION AND TRAINING SQUADRON, RAMSTEIN AB, GERMANY
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN 09/20/2008
The Air Force major killed by a terrorist bomb in Pakistan is remembered as an officer who led by example. Major Rodolfo Ivan Rodriguez, 34, of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, was among the more than 50 people killed September 20th in an attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. Rodriguez, a civil engineering officer, was in Pakistan to train the Pakistani military.
Rodriguez was proud of going from a child who learned English as his second language to being commissioned an Air Force officer. The wide range of experiences meant Rodriguez could relate to airmen of any rank.
“He would have wanted to be remembered as someone who had a personal honor code, somebody who just did their duty quietly and never asked for anything else,” Caryn Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez was just 18 when his father was killed in a car accident. It was this tragedy that allowed him to step up and care for his mother and two brothers.” He was 12 years older than I was, but he always made sure my mom and my brother and I were OK,” Edgar Rivas said. “When school would come around, he would buy us new uniforms and supplies.”
“Rodriguez died where he wanted to be, making his difference,” said Cousin Armando Juarez. “(He was) very smart, very generous, loving, caring. You name it; he was everything.”
“Conquering any difficulty always gives one a secret joy, for it means pushing back a boundary-line and adding to one’s liberty. Henri Frederic Amiel
Comments