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Rodriguez, who served 21 years in the U.S. Marine Corps while earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from UMGC, now serves as an adjunct faculty member in the university’s Department of Government and Political Science.

His office within the Department of Labor serves 430,000 veterans and their spouses to help them transition from military to civilian careers.

Rodriguez said he was raised in poverty and joined the Marines as a way out. His life was further transformed when he and his wife took advantage of the educational opportunities offered by UMGC—for him, shaping a career that has led to a leadership role within the U.S. government.

Now, he says, his mission is to find ways for veterans leaving active duty to use this education to create “generational wealth.”

“By getting educated, we allow ourselves to do better for ourselves, do better for our families, and then we provide an example for all those who have the opportunity to follow in our footsteps,” he said.

When he and his wife walked across the stage during a graduation in Okinawa, their daughters were in the audience and that helped inspire them to get their own educations that have led to successful careers, showing how generational wealth is created.

No one should think they are limited by their rank, he said. He left the Marines as a First Sergeant.

“I'm very proud of the fact that I've proven that when we enlisted are given the opportunity, we can be successful,” he said. “Success can only be described by you as the individual—you have to determine what success looks like.”

Lloyd “Milo” Miles, the university’s senior vice president of Global Military Operations and a retired U.S. Army Major General, took the opportunity to tell the story of Specialist Joseph Herndon, who served under his command during the Iraq War.

In street-by-street fighting at the height of the war, Herndon was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade that miraculously failed to explode. Bruised but none the worse for wear, Herndon chose to stay with his comrades, returning to combat instead of returning home as his minor injuries would have allowed. Shortly thereafter, Herndon was severely wounded when an improvised explosive device exploded beneath a vehicle he was in. While medical personnel planned to send him home, Herndon’s comrades smuggled him out of the hospital and back to base at his insistence. Once again, two Purple Hearts later, he went back out on patrol.

Herndon was later killed in combat by an enemy sniper. This time, he finally went home—in a casket, with his third Purple Heart.

Miles said he feared that such a stellar soldier as Joseph Herndon would be forgotten. But Herndon’s hometown of Derby, Kansas, didn’t forget—instead creating an annual celebration, naming a street after him, and creating a $500 scholarship in his honor.

“When you gather with your loved ones tonight, please tell them the story of Specialist Joseph Herndon,” Miles asked.