The Rod

Michael “Rod” Rodriguez is a retired Special Forces Green Beret with nine deployments, from his first in Somalia with 10th Mountain Division to his last in Afghanistan with 7th Special Forces Group. His last assignment as a Green Beret was as a Sniper Instructor at Fort Bragg, NC (Range 37). After 21 years of continuous service, he was medically retired for numerous injuries he received while in service to our great nation. He comes from a military family, his Grandfathers served during WWII, and his father is a Vietnam Veteran. His eldest son is currently serving with the 82nd Airborne Division and recently returned home from Afghanistan, marking the 16th deployment for the Rodriguez Household. He advocates for Veterans and their families and speaks publicly on the need to decrease the misunderstanding between civilians and the military. He is an active advocate for Art and the impact it has on everyone’s lives; he practices his very own in the form of metalwork and blacksmithing . Rod is not only the President and Chief Executive Officer for the GWOT Memorial Foundation, in November 2015 he was selected and served for over three years as a member for President George W. Bush’s Military Service Initiative Advisory Council with the role of advising and supporting the President and leadership of the Bush Institute on key Strategic and Programming priorities in support of Veterans and their families. In 2013 Rod was
inducted into the lauded “Explorers Club” based in Manhattan as a “Fellow” for his research efforts on Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Traumatic Stress. However, most importantly he is a proud Grandfather, Father and Hermano to many.

You can learn more about Rod on his Instagram page: HERE

A percentage of proceeds from each hat sold will be donated to: GWOT Memorial Foundation