In 1951, Joseph Rodriguez and his unit were on a ridge in Korea, pinned down by gunfire. There was seemingly no way out. But Rodriguez had something to steady him. Tucked inside his helmet were letters from his girlfriend back home, Rose. He grabbed a handful of grenades and sprinted up the hill to take on the enemy himself. What happened next would change both his and Rose’s lives forever. 

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Episode resources:

“A War Hero Speaks,” published in the California Civil Defense, February 25, 1952

Medal of Honor by Peter Collier et al (Artisan Books, 2011)

America’s Heroes, edited by James H Willbanks (ABC-CLIO, 2011)