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Kenneth Rodriguez

Colonel (Ret.) Kenneth Rodriguez received his commission from the Air Force Academy in 1980 and began his career as an aircraft maintenance officer. 

Rodriguez served in the F-117 stealth fighter development program while it was still a “black project,” and later as a military advisor in El Salvador. In 1989, Rodriguez cross trained into combat control after learning about the Air Force’s own “special forces.” For the next 20 years he served as a special tactics officer, and was included in the first waves of Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was also vice commanders of the 23rd Air Force which stood up at Hurlburt Field, Florida, in 2008. He finished his career as the U.S. Military Group commander in Honduras. 

Following his retirement, Rodriguez spent two years as a Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) instructor at Pensacola High School, eventually transitioning into a volunteer instructor position so he could stay at home with his children. With his experience as a special tactics officer, Rodriguez is able to coordinate and plan a five-day summer leadership school for JROTC cadets at Hurlburt Field. Rodriguez’s Air Force pride stems from his many opportunities to serve with, “great Americans for a great cause.”