Honoring Service and Sacrifice

Timothy Rodriguez and his wife of 24 years, Jennifer, have been San Diego Country Estates homeowners for four years but were members of the Ramona community long before that, both graduating from Ramona High School. "Tim left at 18 and joined the Army when we were just friends. We were not dating until a year and a half later when I decided to move to Texas with my parents. He was stationed there, so I called to see how far he was from me. He was three hours away, so he came the next weekend, and we've been together ever since," says Jennifer.

Rodriguez enlisted in the Army to receive the GI Bill and the additional college funds. He planned to serve four years and then attend college. Those plans changed during his military career, and he retired from the Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 4 (CW4). "I originally enlisted as a Network Switching Systems Operator/Maintainer and entered the Army as a Private (E-1)," says Rodriguez. He held several positions, from Team Leader to Platoon Sergeant. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant (E-6), and that is when he applied to become a Warrant Officer. After he was commissioned as a Warrant Officer, he held positions as Network Operation Center Chief, Network Engineering Officer In Charge (OIC), and Senior Network Engineer at the Army Network Communication Command (NETCOM).

Early in his career, he was a tactical communications operator setting up communication systems to support combat units in training and real-world operations. As technology advanced, his career moved to IP-based networks, but he continued to support the war efforts by providing communication capabilities. He also performed duties for strategic operations, where he maintained and supported fixed base networks.

Rodriguez spent most of his career abroad and was stationed in South Korea twice—once when he first joined the Army and later with his family. They were stationed in Germany twice, and their son was born there during the first deployment. "My son was born in Germany, and my daughter was born in Texas," he says. They have lived in the USA, Germany, and South Korea. They also spent time in Hawaii. Because of all the places they have lived, their kids, Matthew and Kya, have attended three different elementary schools, three middle schools, and three high schools. But they both graduated from Ramona High School, just like their parents.

Rodriguez is no stranger to the warzone, doing three combat deployments for a total of about 34 months. "I was deployed to Israel, Iraq, and Kuwait." Though he did not lose anyone he knew in combat, Rodriguez says he has unfortunately lost friends to suicide after returning from combat.

"I feel my decision to join has led to opportunities I would not have had otherwise. This includes all the places we have been able to see as a family and in my current career." Rodriguez and his family have visited over 20 countries and experienced other cultures. He was able to transfer his GI Bill to his children, which has helped pay for their college tuition.

Rodriguez now works for Northrop Grumman as a Network Engineer. He sports long hair and a beard and says he has not cut his hair or shaved since the day he signed out of the military. He figures if he had to have a clean-cut face for so many years, he could now let his hair down and grow his "freedom beard."

For Rodriguez, the uniform may be retired, but the spirit of the service remains strong, guiding him in every step forward.

Photos courtesy of Timothy Rodriguez.

Photo Above, Left to right: Matthew, Timothy, Jennifer and Kya Rodriguez.