Photo By Sgt. Arjenis Nunez | Master Sgt. Gabriel Fernandez-Rodriguez the operations Sgt. Maj for Division...... read more read more
Subscribe
FORT STEWART, Ga. (September 27, 2017) -- From a small farm in Jayuya, Puerto Rico, to touring the world, Master Sgt. Gabriel Fernandez-Rodriguez, the operations sergeant major of Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, always knew he’d become a Soldier.
Mentored by his uncle, retired Sgt. Maj. Cecilio Rodriguez, Fernandez-Rodriguez said he put his best foot forward and began molding himself into someone worthy of his family, worthy of his people and worthy of his country.
“My uncle used to let me wear his battle dress uniform pants and I wore them everywhere,” said Fernandez-Rodriguez. “He carried himself in such a way where you could feel how proud he was. I had to do it; I needed to be like him.”
The people of Puerto Rico wear their pride on their sleeves, said Fernandez-Rodriguez. It meant that he needed to go beyond his experience of killing his dad’s banana trees with a bow and arrow and become a real Soldier in the United States Army.
“When I was eight years old, I tried to join the boy scouts but I was too young,” said Fernandez-Rodriguez. “I had to prove myself to the scout commander who was a sergeant first class in the Army during the Vietnam War.”
Enamored by the stories his uncle would tell and the places his uncle had been because of his job as a geospatial engineer, Fernandez Rodriguez decided he would do the same.
With Salsa and merengue providing the soundtrack to the life changes he was making, Fernandez-Rodriguez raised his right hand in March 2003 and enlisted as a 68J medical supply specialist.
While family was his driving force to succeed, he did face opposition from his number one fan - his mom, said Fernandez-Rodriguez. Like most mothers, he said that she was worried.
His dad had his back, but his uncle Cecilio beamed with pride.
Fernandez-Rodriguez has a thick-Hispanic accent and when deciding to join the Army, he knew there would be barriers he would have to overcome.
“You can hear it when I talk,” said Fernandez-Rodriguez. “The troops would crack up when I tried communicating and I would get frustrated when I couldn’t say things correctly. I laughed too, but it was annoying.”
This proved difficult for him when he transitioned to the military occupation specialty he always wanted -- geospatial engineer in 2008.
He had to analyze terrain, find problems and brief the command teams. His words needed to be as precise as his data.
Even with the language barrier, Fernandez-Rodriguez said he had remind himself of where he came from and how he represented so much more.
Failure was not an option.
His perseverance in learning English and becoming the Soldier his uncle knew he could be, extended beyond language barriers.
“His willingness to accept his shortcomings and grow from them told you that Master Sgt. Fernandez is a humbled man who cared to do better than the uncle he always spoke about,” said SSG Vincent R. Byrd, a public affairs specialist for the 50th Public Affairs Detachment, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 3rd infantry Division.
Byrd remembers vividly the ‘flavor’ that Fernandez-Rodriguez carried himself with. His body language gave off confidence and he tried to find common ground with everyone regardless of where they were from, said Byrd.
“Sure, I was influenced a lot by my uncle, but many of the values the Army raises you on are the same values the people of Puerto Rico instilled in me,” said Fernandez-Rodriguez. “For example, we didn’t have a name for loyalty. We lived it and continue to live through today.”
Fernandez-Rodriguez’s ability to create an environment where everyone feels like family and respected and emitting the values he was raised on is what I believe the spirit of the Hispanic community is, said Byrd.
As far back as the Civil War, members of the Hispanic community have been volunteering to serve in the Army. They fight heroically for the freedoms of the American people and continue to show the world the potential of Hispanic Soldiers.
Master Sgt. Gabriel Fernandez-Rodriguez continues that tradition and encourages future Hispanic Soldiers to show pride in the uniform and pride in where they come from.
“I’ve said it many times before, I have to put my best foot forward not just for me or for my uncle who inspired me to join, but for the entire Hispanic community as well as the United States. It sounds heavy to bear, but I have wide shoulders and the strength to do it,” said Fernandez-Rodriguez.
| Date Taken: | 09.25.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 09.29.2017 15:48 |
| Story ID: | 250114 |
| Location: | FORT STEWART, GA, US |
| Hometown: | JAYUYA, PR |
| Web Views: | 354 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
This work, Pride, Country and Heritage, by SGT Arjenis Nunez, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT