Rose Hill soldier’s enlistment in Army Reserve continues family tradition

The last thing Glen Rodman wants is for his grandson to be known as a “grandpa’s boy” within his Army Reserve unit.

Especially when grandpa was once deputy commander of the same unit where his grandson, Dallen Rodman, is now a private first class.

But that doesn’t stop him from being a loving grandpa.

“I’m a little proud,” Glen Rodman said. “Proud of my dad’s service, mine, and Dallen’s future in the Army.”

The 451st Expeditionary Sustainment Command, which will deploy to Kuwait this spring, has changed a bit since Glen Rodman was deputy commander. Then, it was known as the 89th Regional Readiness Command.

The unit transitioned a bit over the years and eventually relocated to the Kansas City area, to be replaced by the 451st. Many former 89th members stayed behind and joined the 451st when it was officially activated in 2011.

That means many of Dallen Rodman’s fellow soldiers once worked under his grandfather.

“They know that I kind of just do my thing,” said Dallen Rodman, 20. “I don’t want to be judged by what my grandfather did.

“I’m my own soldier – you can base me off of my actions, not off of who I know.”

A family lineage

Dallen Rodman said he has known he wanted to be like his grandfather since he was 8 years old.

At that time, his grandfather was retiring from the Army Reserve. His retirement ceremony captivated Dallen.

“I … looked up to him and saw how much he was admired,” he said. “I wanted to do that for myself.”

Not only his grandfather, but also his great-grandfather served in the Army Reserve for decades.

He would listen attentively whenever his grandfather would tell stories about the Army Reserve.

“My other two boys let it go in one ear and out the other, like most kids,” said Greg Rodman, Dallen’s father. “Somewhere along the way, Dallen grasped hold of the idea, and there’s never been a question that he wanted to do it.”

And he stuck with it, working through a football injury at Rose Hill High School his senior year.

“I couldn’t explain why Dallen picked up the bug – he just was always asking me about (the Army) and was always enthusiastically wanting to be a part of the Army,” Greg Rodman said. “He just seems to be a lot more gung ho than I was at his age.”

When the Kuwait deployment came, Dallen Rodman didn’t have to go with the unit – he works as a human resources specialist – but he volunteered to go anyway.

He said now is the ideal time for him to deploy – he doesn’t have a wife or children, and he can take college classes online when he’s overseas.

“It makes him happy, and he’s excited about it, so that kind of puts me more at ease,” said his mother, Staci Dean. “This is something he wants to do, not has to do. That makes it a little easier.”

By deploying overseas this year, he will have already done one thing his grandfather never did.

News of his deployment initially “shocked” Dallen’s father, but he has since accepted the idea. He said it occasionally gives him chills thinking about how Dallen is continuing the legacy.

“It’s going to let him be independent. I think it’s going to mature him,” Greg Rodman said.

“Sometimes you have to let something go free to see if it comes back and how it comes back. I think Dallen needs to do that right now.”

Dallen Rodman said his plan is to finish his college degree after returning from deployment so that he can become an officer in the Army Reserve.

“My plan has always been to do 20-plus years,” he said. “I’ve loved it so far, so I can’t imagine me getting out anytime soon.

“I’m not going to say I plan on getting this rank or holding this title – I’m just going to work as hard as I can.”

This story was originally published February 13, 2016 at 3:49 PM with the headline "Rose Hill soldier’s enlistment in Army Reserve continues family tradition."