COL Joseph C. Rodriguez  for the new middle school that will be built on Fort Bliss property. Navarrete was part of the legendary U.S. Army’s Company E that was composed chiefly of Mexican-American young men from El Paso and served valiantly during the war. 

Rodriguez was born in San Bernardino, California in 1928 and was drafted enlisted in the Army in 1950. He received training at Camp Carson, Colorado where her served as an infantryman

For his service, he obtained the coveted Combat Infantry Badge and Parachutist Badge as well as the Meritorious Service Medal, the Purple Heart, Legion of Merit with 2 oak leaf clusters and the Medal of Honor for actions during the Korean War.

After his service, he retired with his wife, Rose in El Paso and worked for decades as the Facilities Director at the University of Texas at El Paso.  He dedicated much of his time of his last fifteen years to speech engagements, hundreds of local veterans secure the services and honors they deserved.

He married his wife Rose and had three children, and eleven grandchildren. Rodriguez passed away on November 1, 2005 and was laid to rest with full military honors at Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernardino, California. 

Medal of Honor Biography