Evolving Folks Project

Welcome to the Evolving Man Project’s “Evolved Man of the Week” profile. Each week we will highlight an individual that embodies what it means to be an evolved person, famous and non-famous individual alike. The world needs to know their stories and deeds. This week’s honor goes to the Texas native and U.S. Army Soldier, Rene J. Rodriguez. 

It was a warm afternoon in October 2022. On that fateful day, Rodriguez saw a woman being viciously attacked outside a coffee shop near Schofield Barracks, Hawaii by a man. He asked himself what his father would do. There were plenty of onlookers, but no one was stepping in. They were just standing around witnessing the woman being assaulted.

With complete disregard for his own safety, he decided to intervene. Putting himself between the attacker and the woman, Rodriguez took the brunt of the attack, shielding the woman while encouraging her to climb into his vehicle.

Rodriguez, a medic with the 25th Infantry Division, confronted the man, who, he said, reeked of alcohol. He was kicking and punching a woman in her early 30s. She was screaming for help, thinking she was going to die. He got between the two, shoving the man, and swiftly put the woman into his car.

The woman got into Rodriguez’s car again; the attacker smashed the passenger window as he started to drive away. Finally, police showed up and detained the assailant. Rodriguez said he and the woman made it out with minimal injuries, bruises, and cuts from the broken window. He doesn’t know what spurred the attack.

In July 2023, Specialist Rene J. Rodriguez was recognized for his heroic actions during a Soldier’s Medal award ceremony for saving a woman from a brutal assault.

Introduced in July 1926, the Soldier’s Medal is the highest Army individual decoration honor a Soldier can receive for an act of valor in a non-combat event. Over 18,500 Soldiers have received the decoration since its inception.

Of the 18,500 soldiers that received the award, only 241 in the regular Army have been honored—or about 1/20th of 1% of all soldiers on active duty.

Here is Specialist Rene J. Rodriguez in his own words about his selfless actions that possibly saved a person’s life last October: 

 “My heart dropped because I saw someone being violently abused. I saw nobody was helping,” … “I was scared … nervous. But I just stepped outside of my car and let my instincts take action … I was just by myself, there were people who could have come in and helped me, helped the situation. But people decided to look instead.”

At the Evolving Man Project, we salute Army Specialist Rene Rodriguez for his bravery. As a military veteran myself I’m proud that men like Rodriguez are among the military ranks. Rene Rodriguez sets a high standard for his fellow service members. But his actions reflect that you don’t have to be a soldier or war hero to help someone in need. Being a hero can be as simple stepping up to the challenge when no one else will. Today we honor Rene J. Rodriguez as our Evolved Man of the Week.