"When I Went To Afghanistan, They Thought I Was A Secret Interpreter" | Official Preview With Michael Rodriguez.

Michael “Rod” Rodríguez is the President and CEO of the Global War on Terrorism Memorial Foundation. Rod joined the U.S. Army in 1992 and attended the Special Forces Assessment and Selection course to become a Green Beret in 1997. In 2013, he was medically retired due to numerous combat injuries. His last assignment as a Green Beret came as a Sniper Instructor assigned to the JFK Special Warfare Center (Range 37) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He has deployed ten times in service to our nation. 

Rod’s involvement with the GWOT Memorial Foundation began in 2016, when he joined the organization as a board member in support of the Foundation’s sole mission to construct a Memorial on the National Mall that appropriately honors the profound service and sacrifices of all who served in America’s longest war. In 2018 Rod stepped into the leadership role of the Foundation as President and CEO.

From 2015-2018 Rod served as a member of President George W. Bush’s Military Service Initiative Advisory Council, advising and supporting the President and leadership of the Bush Institute on strategies and programs to support veterans and their families. In 2013, Rod was appointed as a Fellow of the Manhattan-based Explorers Club, an international organization dedicated to the advancement of scientific exploration and inquiry, for his research on traumatic brain injuries and post-traumatic stress. 

In August of 2021, Rod, assisted in evacuating U.S. allied personnel and their families from Afghanistan. He assists several other charities in the veteran and non-veteran spaces, and is called up for leadership advice, and strategies to private businesses and local, state, and national government agencies. Rod is a proud Norwich University graduate who holds a B.S. in Strategic Studies and Defense Analysis and an M.A. in Diplomacy with a concentration in International Conflict Management.

As an artist who works with metal, Rod is a passionate advocate for the power of art to heal, tell a story, share an emotion, connect, and inspire us all. In addition to being part of several private collections to include the British Royal Family, his work has been exhibited at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas, Texas, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and several other galleries across the nation. Rod also has worked with the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Forces initiative. 

Rod is a New Mexico native who comes from a family with a strong tradition of military service. His father is a Vietnam veteran, both his grandfathers, and several other family members served during World War II. The mother of his children served for 21 years and deployed six times, their eldest son is stationed at Ft. Bragg and has deployed 4 times, one of which was to the same regions of Afghanistan as Rod and his mother. Rod has been an outspoken advocate for veterans and their families and often speaks publicly on the need to increase understanding of life experiences between the civilian and military communities. Most importantly, Rod is a proud abuelo (grandfather), padre (father), and hermano (brother) to many.

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