Carol Roderick was awarded a prestigious medal from the National Infantry Association last Saturday, receiving the Order of St. Maurice civis, only the 777th civilian to get the honor in the award’s history.
It was given in recognition of her support of the local National Guard unit, Alpha Company 3/116 Cavalry Battalion, based in The Dalles at the Fort Dalles Readiness Center.
She said, “It was a surprise and I feel honored to have them feel I deserved such a distinguished award.”
She received the medal at the National Guard Christmas banquet, which she helped organize.
It’s fitting that she got the award at the Christmas party, since it was three years ago that she really stepped up her already considerable support of the guard by organizing their Christmas party.
“She came into the armory one day and said, ‘How’s things going? How’s your Christmas party?’” recounted Sgt. First Class Ben Hall, the unit administrator for Alpha Company.
He told her they were scaling back a bit that year due to a shortage of funds, and she got to work. “She just saw a need there and just jumped in feet first,” Hall said. “She put on the most amazing Christmas party and it was focused all on the children of the unit,” he said. “She went out and got community donations. These kids, frankly, they got better presents from the guard than they did from their families. She was out of control on it.”
Since then, every month when the 145 members of the local unit meet for drill weekend, “she comes with like two carloads full of snacks and drinks and coffee for these guys,” he said.
“When we’ve been out in the wilderness all weekend, when we come home she has McDonald’s or pizza.
“She gets it from various places. She’ll come in and cook food herself. This lady is incredible. Endless energy from Carol,” Hall said.
Roderick was recommended for the award by a former member of Alpha Company, First Sgt. Brian Nation, who is now with another unit in Klamath Falls.
Nation is a recipient of the award himself, and only past recipients can recommend new ones.
Nation said when he deployed to Afghanistan in 2014 with the Klamath Falls unit, she adopted that unit and not only sent them care packages, but made-to-order packages.
“She said, ‘What do you want? We’re going to send you what you want,’” Nation recounted.
“She sent expensive razor blades and crocs and jerky. She just went above and beyond and sent exactly what the guys wanted.”
“She’s made every effort. Carol does so much already,” Nation said. “She’s chairman of the school board, she’s got her own business.
“She always makes time and that award, the civis award from the National Infantry Association is for those on the civilian side who go above and beyond in the support of infantry and she’s done that in every way imaginable. I can’t see how she could do more.”
Hall said Roderick led the effort for a recent concert fundraiser and auction that raised the funds for the Christmas party.
“Thanks to Carol, we pulled off not only a kids event this year but we pulled off a Purple Heart ceremony with dignitaries from all over the state, but we had a formal dinner where guys got to bring their wives and get their pictures taken,” Hall said.
She also arranged for Santa Claus to be professionally photographed with the kids. “You know how expensive that is. A lot of guys can’t afford stuff like that.”
Nation said the award was a long time coming, and Roderick is very humble, which made things difficult.
They told her they wanted to give her something and she always refused. “She’d catch wind of it and she’d let us know, under no uncertain conditions, not only no, but hell no. Ben Hall, he finally told her, ‘Listen, it’s gonna happen.’” She had no idea what was in store. “I think she was expecting a bouquet of flowers,” Hall said.
Nation said Roderick “just likes to be involved and she believes in community and she believes in the country. It’s a dying breed of person.”
Each branch of the Army has its own patron saint, and the patron saint of the infantry is St. Maurice, a third century military leader in the Roman Empire.
The award has different categories, for soldiers, their spouses, and civilians.
Famous winners of the Order of St. Maurice include Gen. Colin Powell and Ross Perot.
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