Funeral Services Scheduled for Hemet Soldier Killed in Kuwait

HEMET, CA – Funeral services are scheduled to take place on Wednesday for a 23-year old Army soldier from Hemet who was killed in Kuwait earlier this month.

Before the funeral, the hearse carrying Spc. John Phillips Rodriguez will be accompanied by members of the Patriot Guard Riders from Guardian Air Jet Center in Ontario to Miller Jones Mortuary in San Jacinto, according to the group's website. The nonprofit organization of motorcycle enthusiasts attend and provide escorts for funerals of soldiers, veterans and first responders.

On Wednesday, the funeral procession will head out from the mortuary at 9:15 a.m. to Valle Vista Assembly of God Church at 45252 State Highway 74 in Hemet, according to the Patriot Guard Riders' website. The church services are scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. and conclude at around 1:45 p.m.

The hearse will then make its way to Riverside National Cemetery at 22495 Van Buren Blvd. in Riverside for the interment. A graveside service is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., according to a notice posted online by Miller-Jones Mortuary.

Rodriguez was deployed from Fort Bliss in Texas to Kuwait and died on Jan. 12 "supporting U.S. Army Central (Command)" as a combat engineer as part of Operation Inherent Resolve at the time of his death, according to Gil Telles, an Army spokesperson. The circumstances surrounding his death were not disclosed due to an ongoing investigation, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Rodriguez was born in Hemet and graduated from West Valley High School in Hemet, according to an obituary posted online by the mortuary company handling the arrangements. He enlisted in the army in 2013 and was deployed to Kuwait on Christmas Eve 2015.

In a statement issued on Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown and First Lady Anne Gust Brown expressed their condolences to Rodriguez's family and friends and ordered flags to be flown at half-staff over the state Capitol.
Rodriguez leaves behind a host of family members including his wife of over two years, Jazmin; father, John Rodriguez; mother, Janell Rodriguez; and two sisters, Julia Shaw and Cheyenne Blue.

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--City News Service/Images courtesy of 2d Engineer Battalion