A Loyal Soldier Is Mourned

MP Sergeant From Michigan Was Killed in Afghanistan

When early reports suggested that Gregory A. Rodriguez was a hero who took a bullet that would have struck another soldier, those who knew him probably weren't surprised. He was committed and loyal, someone who could be counted on whenever he was needed, those who knew him said.

Yesterday, Sgt. 1st Class Rodriguez was honored for his sacrifice in services at Arlington National Cemetery. Rodriguez, 35, of Weidman, Mich., died Sept. 2 of wounds suffered in Ana Kalay, Afghanistan, when his mounted patrol came under small arms fire.

His wife, Laura M. Rodriguez, told the Morning Sun of Mount Pleasant, Mich., that he wanted his final resting place to be Arlington.

"I asked Greg if anything ever happened to him where he'd prefer to be buried, and he told me Arlington, as he wanted to be among the best and the brave," she said.

Rodriguez was the 501st member of the military killed in Iraq or Afghanistan to be buried at Arlington. He was assigned to the K-9 unit of the 527th Military Police Company, 709th Military Police Battalion, 18th MP Brigade, based at Ansbach, Germany.

More than 100 mourners stood before a backdrop of floral arrangements and wreaths to pay tribute to Rodriguez. They joined members of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment from Fort Myer who waited at the gravesite along with four dogs from the same regiment.

A chaplain, Maj. David Baum, welcomed mourners and talked about the white tombstones around them and the sacrifice they represented, weaving Rodriguez into that tapestry. Rodriguez was buried in Section 60 of the cemetery, along with many other casualties of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Rodriguez's wife and his mother, Virginia Richardson, received flags from Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Phillips.

Rodriguez graduated from Mount Pleasant High School in 1991 and joined the Army Reserve three years later, his wife told the paper. He went on full-time active duty in December 1996, and she said they were stationed in places as far-flung as Hawaii, Missouri, Alaska, Texas and Germany.

Rodriguez, a military police dog handler, was part of a special search team with his dog, Jacko. The dog survived the attack in Ana Kalay, and Laura Rodriguez said she hopes Jacko will be released to the family.

"He was Greg's best companion for the past couple of years," she said. "He'd been sleeping with Greg every night since they landed in Afghanistan."

Greg and Laura Rodriguez were married in Honolulu in 1999 and have three young children. "Greg is the best dad, a loving husband and an awesome soldier who loved being able to train and handle his K9 companions," she said.

Rodriguez was a Detroit Red Wings fan who enjoyed hassling other hockey fans, she said. He was "a very committed, loyal individual," but he also had a special sense of humor.

"Greg loved to push everyone's buttons and get people going with his rare, unique sense of sarcasm," Laura Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez's sister told the Detroit News that her brother was committed to keeping order. "My brother liked to be the law," Lisa Dombrowski said. "He liked justice. If it wasn't right, he made it right."

She said her brother was so skilled at training military dogs that he was given the most difficult ones, and that when other trainers couldn't get a dog in shape, it would be sent to Rodriguez. And she said he usually got the job done.