[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 7757]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   HONORING MEDAL OF HONOR RECIPIENT SERGEANT FIRST CLASS JOSE RODELA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BLAKE FARENTHOLD

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, May 9, 2014

  Mr. FARENTHOLD. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Sergeant First 
Class Jose Rodela, Medal of Honor recipient and a true American hero. 
Sergeant First Class Rodela was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, on June 
15, 1937. He entered the U.S. Army in September 1955, at the age of 17.
  Sergeant First Class Rodela was recognized for his valorous actions 
and awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service on 
September 1, 1969, while serving as the company commander in Phuoc Long 
Province, Vietnam. He commanded his company throughout 18 hours of 
continuous combat when his battalion was attacked and taking heavy 
casualties. Throughout the battle, in spite of his wounds, Rodela 
repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to attend to the fallen and 
eliminate an enemy rocket position.
  On March 18, 2014, President Barack Obama awarded Sergeant First 
Class Rodela the Medal of Honor For ``Conspicuous Gallantry and 
Intrepidity at the Risk of His Life Above and Beyond the Call of 
Duty.'' His Medal of Honor citation reads:
  ``Sergeant First Class Jose Rodela distinguished himself by acts of 
gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty while 
serving as the company commander, Detachment B-36, Company A, 5th 
Special Forces Group (Airborne), 1st Special Forces during combat 
operations against an armed enemy in Phuoc Long Province, Republic of 
Vietnam on September 1, 1969. That afternoon, Sergeant First Class 
Rodela's battalion came under an intense barrage of mortar, rocket, and 
machine gun fire. Ignoring the withering enemy fire, Sergeant First 
Class Rodela immediately began placing his men into defensive positions 
to prevent the enemy from overrunning the entire battalion. Repeatedly 
exposing himself to enemy fire, Sergeant First Class Rodela moved from 
position to position, providing suppressing fire and assisting wounded, 
and was himself wounded in the back and head by a B-40 rocket while 
recovering a wounded comrade. Alone, Sergeant First Class Rodela 
assaulted and knocked out the B-40 rocket position before successfully 
returning to the battalion's perimeter. Sergeant First Class Rodela's 
extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of 
duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and 
reflect great credit upon himself, his unit and the United States 
Army.''
  Sergeant First Class Jose Rodela served our country valiantly, and 
should be honored as such. As a nation, there is no better symbol of 
our gratitude than the Medal of Honor. Because of his commitment, 
America remains a land of hope, opportunity and, as Ronald Reagan so 
eloquently put it, ``a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light 
guides freedom-loving people everywhere.''

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