Tech. Sgt. Rafael Rhodes

ehash Assignment: Combat training instructor at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. Rhodes works and trains with units to prepare for deployment, which includes his primary duty to train deploying military working dogs and MWD teams. He was previously at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, between 2008 and March 2014.

ehash Personal: A Miami native, Rhodes enlisted in 2004 and enjoys “the typical guy stuff — weightlifting, movies, hanging out with friends.” Rhodes is the father of a 3-year-old boy.

ehash Rhodes, a security forces airman and dog handler, was on his third deployment in four years when the convoy he was leading began taking small arms fire Aug. 9, 2013. In the chaos, a man waiting to detonate an IED ran from the scene, an indication of potential explosives in the area.

ehash Rhodes and his dog Nero were hit, but the two swept the high-risk area for more IEDs before returning to his mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle to administer first aid to the unconscious vehicle gunner who also was wounded.

ehash For his actions that day, he was awarded the Purple Heart and Air Force Combat Action Medal.

ehash Rhodes sustained a concussion and ankle injury, and Nero’s ear drums were perforated. The Air Force Combat Action Medal cites Rhodes’ bravery in directly engaging the enemy while his life was at risk of grave danger. 

ehash “I’m glad I was able to impact the mission and help others’ lives as far as coming home,” Rhodes told Air Force Times. “And while I’m a general combat instructor, the most fulfilling part is teaching these individuals to come home in one piece.”

ehash Rhodes deployed to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, between July and December 2013. He led more than 150 outside-the-wire security patrols 8 miles outside base, and, often with Nero, searched more than 30,000 vehicles and 250 tons of cargo. 

ehash Maj. Sarah Babbitt, Rhodes’ former 7th Security Forces Squadron commander, wrote in nominating Rhodes for 2014 Airman of the Year that he is “highly deserving of recognition” — for actions on the battlefield and back home at Dyess Air Force Base, Texas. Rhodes was a first responder in the widely publicized case of 22-month-old Tamryn Klapheke, who died of starvation in her on-base home while her father was deployed. Rhodes ensured the safety of the other two Klapheke children, Babbitt wrote.

ehash “At the time this happened, my boy was 2, and I grew to appreciate my family life so much more because of everything that I saw and everything that happened,” Rhodes said

ehash Rhodes left Dyess for his new job as a combat instructor at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada, in March, where he is passing on to trainees his lessons from the battlefield and his six years as a dog handler.

ehash “Whenever we’re able to train, whether it be a dog team or just security forces members ... teaching the old dogs some different tricks or teaching the new kids something they’ve never learned and see them advancing and doing well is very fulfilling,” Rhodes said.

ehash He said he’s ready to deploy “wherever the Air Force needs me to be, and I’m looking forward to the next time I get the chance.”

ehash Rhodes would like to volunteer in his free time, possibly as a little league football coach in Las Vegas. He said he one day hopes to coach high school football and be a role model for kids.

ehash