Abraham Rodriguez was born in San German, Puerto Rico. Shortly after his birth, his family moved to the United States settling in Hoboken, New Jersey. They moved into the second floor of a multi-story building. It was there that he became friends with Arlene, who lived on the fifth floor. They would spend hours together playing games and watching television. At the time, neither knew that their friendship would grow into romance.
In 1998, Abraham joined the United States Army. He did so to serve his country and to seek the many career training opportunities provided by the military. He completed his basic combat training at Fort Knox, Kentucky and served as a tank mechanic from 1998 to 2009. In 2009, he left active duty and joined the New Jersey Army National Guard. He did so to have a more stable life for his growing family.
Currently, Mr. Rodriguez holds the rank of Staff Sergeant and serves as an ammo supply specialist with the 42nd Regional Support Group in Somerset, New Jersey. He recently returned from his 4th deployment after spending 8 months in Camp Taji supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. His previous deployments were to Bosnia and Iraq.
As a token of appreciation to the principal, teachers, guidance counselor, and school staff of Jefferson School in Lyndhurst who assisted his younger son, Andrew Rodriguez, during his latest deployment, Staff Sgt. Rodriguez gave them to United States flag, which flew over Camp Taji. The flag is now proudly displayed outside of the school.
Staff Sgt. Rodriguez is a devoted family man. In 2001, he began dating his childhood friend, Arlene Rodriguez, and soon after they married. They have two sons together Ayden Rodriguez, 15, and Andrew Rodriguez, 10. Outside of the military, he works as a monorail technician at Newark International Airport.
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Nominate a Veteran for #BergenCountyVeteranOfTheWeek
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you?
The #BergenCountyVeteranOfTheWeek social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.
Bergen County Division of Veteran Services
The Division of Veterans Services was established in 1977 to provide resident veterans and their dependents with information and assistance in obtaining earned entitlements from federal, state, and local governments, as well as any that are available from the private sector.
Through a quarterly newsletter and direct client contact, the division provides Bergen’s veterans organizations and their auxiliaries and individual residents with up-to-date benefit information.
