Durham, North Carolina --
At this year’s annual USO of North Carolina Salute to Freedom Gala, held
Oct. 3 in Durham, military members from all branches of the Armed Forces and
the North Carolina National Guard were honored, along with community and
corporate volunteers and a deserving celebrity for their service and support of
the USO of North Carolina.
At the event, the USO of NC honored a
member from each branch of the Armed Forces and the North Carolina National
Guard. It also allows the USO of NC to
continue making Every Moment Count for the state’s servicemen and women, as the
organization’s largest fundraising effort each year to assist in operating services
centers across the state and filling the critical needs of returning military
members.
“These men and women are leaders in
their respective branches and have earned this award through their meritorious
service,” said John Falkenbury, president of the USO of North Carolina. “They are to be commended for their bravery
and their service to our country.
Staff Sergeant Andres J. Rodriguez was named the USO North Carolina Marine of the Year. He distinguished himself as a phenomenal
leader and a distinguished communicator.
His hard work and physical abilities led to his selection as the first
senior communications noncommissioned officer in charge of the Special
Operations Forces Liaison Element (SOFLE) in support of a Marine Expeditionary
Unit (MEU) deployment.
Prior to deployment, Staff Sgt. Rodriguez spent over six months working
with U.S. Navy and United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) personnel
to install new forms of satellite technologies and modems specifically for
Special Operations forces. These modern C4I systems enabled the USSOCOM
personnel to increase their command and control capabilities and communicate
effectively during time-sensitive missions involving forward deployed Naval
Expeditionary Forces. Although the 1.5 million dollar system was not designed
to be installed on Naval vessels for extended periods of time, Staff Sgt.
Rodriguez worked to ensure the system was compatible and fully functional
providing a variety of communication capabilities including radio, data,
telephone, and non-organic systems to USSOCOM users. He also developed new standard operating
procedures for the SOFLE’s rapid response C4I capability and conducted the
first ever command and control radio relay from an airborne MC-22 while
utilizing specific droid radio messaging technology.