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Joshua Rodriguez

Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan) | 4th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade combat Team, 1st Infantry Division

It was armor training at Fort Knox and new lieutenant Josh Rodriguez was on the lighter vehicle reconnaissance track. A year after he graduated from West Point, he deployed to Afghanistan. As he traveled to his remote forward operating base, he was struck by the natural beauty of the place. (3:34)
The first helicopter ride he had in Afghanistan was the scariest. What was going to happen when they landed? Lt Josh Rodriguez was part of an advance team tasked with scouting and then planning his brigade's deployment. Immediately, they were dealing with mortar attacks and firefights. (5:34)
The first firefight was the most memorable. Platoon leader Josh Rodriguez was asleep, dreaming of popcorn. It wasn't popcorn that woke him, though, it was bullets coming through the thin walls. As he scrambled for his equipment, he made an embarrassing discovery that would soon have him running like a movie star with bullets hitting around his feet. (9:35)
His memories from Afghanistan that stand out are either funny or learning experiences. Josh Rodriguez had just pulled up to a security assignment when an explosion rocked the ground. That attack was short lived but suddenly two SUV's raced at high speed right through their position. The chase was on! (5:35)
The fighting was getting intense in his area and it was really evident when Josh Rodriguez responded to a Taliban attack on a small convoy of American contractors and Afghan workers. If only they'd asked for an escort. (4:45)
There was no surge yet in the area where platoon leader Josh Rodriguez was operating. You had all the personnel you were going to get. In an attempt to clear and secure a road connecting bases, he and his men were posted on a high point where they could overwatch the road below. The only problem was that now the Taliban had something to distract them from the road. Part 1 of 9. (7:10)
His platoon was exhausted, up for 24 hours on an overwatch mission. Platoon leader Josh Rodriguez had just got them settled when his commander radioed that they had to move out immediately. Mindful of the danger at night on mountain roads, he asked to wait until dawn. Part 2 of 9. (5:07)
Platoon leader Josh Rodriguez had just told his commander that his exhausted men were not going to move out as ordered. He didn't have much time to question that decision because the radio came to life with the news that OP Bari Alai, near where he declined to go, was under attack with just a handful of defenders. Part 3 of 9. (6:07)
Josh Rodriguez had just rushed his men to the base of a mountain where OP Bari Alai was under furious attack at the top. Helicopter pilots reported that at least one of the defenders looked to be alive, so there was hope. He and his platoon were under fire as they climbed the steep path to the top where they found total devastation. Part 4 of 9. (5:35)
Josh Rodriguez and his men were running on adrenaline and guilt. The platoon had been ordered into the area hours ago but were too late. It's unsure if an earlier arrival would have helped at OP Bari Alai which was devastated by a Taliban attack. They began a sweep of the nearby area searching for a missing American. Part 5 of 9. (4:33)