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Joseph Rodriguez [detail from video interview]

Veterans History Project Service Summary:

  • War or Conflict: Korean War, 1950-1953
  • Branch of Service: Army
  • Unit of Service: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division; Company H, 2nd Battalion, 196th Regimental Combat Team; Corps of Engineers
  • Location of Service: Camp Carson, Colorado; Munye-ri, Korea
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Collection Number: AFC/2001/001/89773

View full service history

"I was very angry, the fact that they had all of our men pinned down. And I felt something had to be done. I didn't even think about it, just did it." (Video interview, 12:44)

Colonel Joseph C. Rodriguez was drafted into the Army shortly before his 22nd birthday in October 1950. After completing training as an infantryman, Rodriguez volunteered to go to Korea in early 1951, where he served with Company F, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. On May 21st, 1951 Rodriguez singlehandedly charged and eliminated a North Korean hilltop defensive position that had defied three previous assaults. For his courage and skill that day, Rodriguez was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation's highest award for valor. Rodriguez went on to serve in the Army with distinction for 30 years. After retiring, he was frequently asked to speak to civic groups and schoolchildren, to whom he emphasized the importance of love for one another, and imparted messages of self-worth and patriotism.

Interview / Recording

Transcript

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About this Item

Title

  • Joseph C. Rodriguez Collection

Names

  • Wilkerson, Thomas L.
  • unknown interviewer
  • Congressional Medal of Honor Foundation (CMOH)
  • Rodriguez, Joseph C.

Home State

  • Texas

Headings

  • -  Rodriguez, Joseph C.
  • -  Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Personal Narratives
  • -  United States. Army.

Repository

  • Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Gender

  • Male

Race

  • Hispanic

Status

  • veteran

Service History

  • Korean War, 1950-1953

    • Branch of Service: Army
    • Unit of Service: Company F, 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division; Company H, 2nd Battalion, 196th Regimental Combat Team; Corps of Engineers
    • Location of Service: Camp Carson, Colorado; Munye-ri, Korea
    • Highest Rank: Colonel
    • Dates of Service: 1950-1980
    • Entrance into Service: Drafted
    • Military Status: veteran
    • Service History Note: The veteran earned the Medal of Honor for his service near Munye-ri on 05/21/1951.

Materials

  • Video: Betacam SP [ item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-09-16)
  • Video: Betacam SP [1 item] -- Oral history interview (collected 2003-09-16)
  • Manuscript: Biographical information [2 items] -- Typewritten document (collected unknown)
  • Manuscript: Transcript [1 item] -- Transcription of video recording (collected 2003-09-16)

Collection Number

  • AFC/2001/001/89773

Cite as

  • Joseph C. Rodriguez Collection (AFC/2001/001/89773), Veterans History Project, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

Online Format

  • image
  • online text
  • video

Additional Metadata Formats

Rights & Access

Using VHP Material in Publication or Exhibition

The Veterans History Project (VHP) at the Library of Congress collects, preserves and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans who served from World War I through more recent conflicts and peacekeeping missions, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand what they saw, did and felt during their service. The Veterans History Project Collection includes oral histories along with documentary materials such as original letters, diaries, photographs, and memoirs.

Veterans and interviewers contribute these materials to the Library for scholarly and educational purposes, retaining any copyright they may hold. Therefore, permission must be obtained before using the interview or other materials in exhibition or publication. Researchers or others who would like to make further use of these materials should contact the Veterans History Project for assistance.

As a publicly supported institution, the Library generally does not own rights to material in its collections. Therefore, it does not charge permission fees for use of such material and cannot give or deny permission to publish or otherwise distribute material in its collections. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item from the Library’s collections and for securing any necessary permissions rests with persons desiring to use the item.

Please contact us with questions.

Obtaining Copies of VHP Materials

In order for VHP materials to be duplicated, we must receive written permission from the interviewee for you to obtain a copy of the recording unless the proposed use is limited to personal use, research, or other uses permissible by copyright law. If the interviewee is deceased, their next-of-kin may grant written permission.

Please contact VHP for assistance if you need to contact a veteran for permission to use their materials in exhibition or publication, or if you have received permission from the veteran and need access to high-resolution copies of VHP collection materials.

Citing VHP Materials

Please use the following formats when citing Veterans History Project materials (substituting the appropriate name and collection ID number).

Materials as a whole:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Manuscript material:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Memoirs (MS02), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Transcript (MS04), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Correspondence (MS01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Recording:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Audio recording (SR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Video recording (MV01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Photograph:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH01), photographer unknown, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.
  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Photographs (PH03-PH14), Ralph Williams photographer, Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Computer file:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Computer file (CF01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Artifact:

  • John P. Snodgrass (AFC 2001/001/[VHP collection]), Artifact (AR01), Veterans History Project Collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Cite This Item

Citations are generated automatically from bibliographic data as a convenience, and may not be complete or accurate.

Chicago citation style:

Wilkerson, Thomas L, Unknown Interviewer, Congressional Medal Of Honor Foundation, and Joseph C Rodriguez. Joseph C. Rodriguez Collection. 1950. Personal Narrative. https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.89773/.

APA citation style:

Wilkerson, T. L., Unknown Interviewer, Congressional Medal Of Honor Foundation & Rodriguez, J. C. (1950) Joseph C. Rodriguez Collection. [Personal Narrative] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.89773/.

MLA citation style:

Wilkerson, Thomas L, et al. Joseph C. Rodriguez Collection. 1950. Personal Narrative. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/afc2001001.89773/>.