Leadership

LTC Faustino Rodriguez was born in Laredo, Texas and commissioned in the U.S. Army as an Infantry Officer in 2001. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University – Kingsville and a Master in Public Health from National University.
 
LTC Rodriguez’ first assignment was with 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Armor Division in Friedberg, Germany. While assigned to 1-36th INF, he served as an Infantry Platoon leader, Support Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer and Battalion S-4 with multiple deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.  In 2007, LTC Rodriguez branch transferred to the Medical Service Corps as an Environmental Science and Engineering Officer. In his follow-on assignment, he served as a Project Officer and Chief of Environmental Health and Engineering Division, at the Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine – North, at Fort Meade, Maryland. He was then selected to command Charlie Company, 187th Medical Battalion at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, responsible for the training and management of various military occupational specialties and advance skill identifier courses. In his next assignment with 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), he served in roles that supported operational preventive medicine, medical operations, and medical logistics, in garrison at Fort Liberty, North Carolina and deployed with the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan. He was selected for assignment to Special Operations Command – Europe (SOCEUR), in Stuttgart, Germany, where he served as the Chief of Force Health Protection. LTC Rodriguez was selected to command the 71^st Medical Detachment (Preventive Medicine), in Baumholder, Germany from July 2017 to April 2019, and he completed a one-year deployment as the Director of Operations (J-3), for the Office of Security Cooperation Iraq before returning to CONUS. LTC Rodriguez returned to Fort Meade to serve as the Executive Officer for the 1^st Medical Recruiting Battalion for two years before his most recent assignment as the Laboratory Integration Officer at the Defense Center for Public Health – Aberdeen, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland.
 
LTC Rodriguez is a graduate from the Infantry Officer Basic Course, the Army Medical Department (AMEDD) Advance Course, and the Command and General Staff College. His military education includes the Basic Parachutist Course, Mechanized Leaders Course, Ranger Course, Principles of Military Preventive Medicine Course, Industrial Hygiene Course, AMEDD Plans-Operations-Intelligence-Security-Training Course, MSC Company Grade Leader Development Course, Joint Medical Plans and Operations Course, and NATO Special Operations Component Command Planner’s Course.
 
His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal (2^nd Award), Meritorious Service Medal (5th Award), Joint Service Commendation Medal, Army Commendation Medal (5th Award), Army Achievement Medal (3rd Award), Presidential Unit Citation Award, Joint Meritorious Unit Award (3^rd Award), Navy Unit Commendation Award, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal (3 Campaign Stars), Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, NATO Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, and Expert Field Medical Badge.
 
LTC Faustino and Dr. Rebecca Rodriguez have been married for 15 years. They have two daughters, Sara, a high school student, and Katelyn, a graduate student at University of California – Davis.