Rodd Holman is being honored as this month’s Veteran of the Month. Holman is a Veteran of the Gulf War, the War in Afghanistan, the War on Terror, and Operation Enduring Freedom. Holman entered the Navy on May 17th of 1986 and served until October 1st of 2006. During his 20-year military career Rodd has been stationed and spent time in destinations all over the world.

Rodd graduated from the South Dakota School of Mines in 1986 with a degree in Chemistry. After graduating, jobs in the chemistry industry dried up and Holman was looking for a job. He turned to the Navy for an opportunity and enlisted. After enlisting, Holman was sent to Newport, RI where he attended Naval Candidate School and did his basic training as an officer. He was able to go to the officer basic training because of his college degree. After Naval Candidate School, Holman spent four months in San Diego at the Surface Warfare Officer School where he was taught to be a division officer on a ship. As a ship division officer, he was taught to manage personnel, drive the actual ship and basic ship engineering in order for him to know and learn all the areas of a vessel.

From 1987 until 1990, Holman was assigned to the USS Belleau Wood (LHA-3). This ship was nicknamed, “Devil Dog” and was used as an amphibious assault ship. The ship held harriers, helicopters, boats, full hospital, flight operations, etc. on board. When the ship deployed, it held 2000 Marines with full gear and 800 Naval staff. It was basically a floating city/command center for the Marines with everything they could need aboard it. At that time, there was a lot of tension with Russia because of the Cold War. This war was fought much differently than previous wars. It was a war of mind games and tailing each other instead of opponents engaging in physical combat with each other. The USS Belleau Wood was decommissionedandusedastarget practice before being sunk to the bottom of the ocean ten years ago.

After joining the Naval Reserve, Rodd was still a very active serviceman. He eventually transitioned to a communications specialist in operations. He would attend his reservist drills in Kansas before eventually attending drill in Sioux Falls. Holman has been a part of command center operations doing NATO work, spent time doing operations work where he would be coordinating port authority and communications for contract carriers carrying and delivering military gear, part of the operations team in addition to training others and was the command officer where he worked with the coast guard to patrol as a ship to shore security force. Holman received an honorable discharge after 20 years in the Navy and ended his Naval career as a Lieutenant Commander.

Some of Rodd’s best memories from his military experience were getting to see a number of different ports in Thailand, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Australia, Korea and Japan. The oddest place that Holman visited was Guam where there were birds that would randomly dive bomb and poisonous brown snakes everywhere. Rodd’s favorite port call was Sydney, Australia because there was so much to see and do there. The people of Sydney were very welcoming and friendly. His most interesting visit was taking a tour of the DMZ in Korea. It was an incredibly beautiful jungle area separated by guards, walls and fences. It did leave Rodd with a rather creepy feeling being watched so closely by the North Korean guards through the fences and windows. Holman’s last deployment in 2004 to Kuwait was also very memorable because of the communications(radios/IT) crew that he led and worked with.

During his extensive military career, Holman has received a number of service awards and medals. These include Rifle Sharp Shooter, Pistol Sharp Shooter, Navy Reserve 20 Year Medal with Mobilization, Sea Service Award (3), Global War on Terrorism, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary, National Defense Medal (2), Coast Guard Operative Service Medal Gold Star, Navy Achievement Medal (2), Army Achievement Medal, and Navy Accommodation Medal (2).

After transitioning from active- duty Navy to the Navy Reserves, Rodd worked at Farmland Industries in KS at an oil refinery from 1990-1999. He then worked for LodgeNet during the Y2K problem until 2012. Holman then changed jobs to work for Dakota Care as a database administrator until 2015 when he started working as a Database Administrator for Avera where he is still currently employed.

In 2017, Rodd felt a calling to become a minister. Holman had been living in Brandon and attending the Celebrate Church. Rodd became a licensed minister in 2020 from Weslyan Seminary. The Celebrate Church was looking for someone to take on ministry work in the Lake Andes area. Rodd and Tylene visited and felt the pull that Lake Andes would be the right place for Rodd to provide ministerial services. In March of 2020, the couple took a leap of faith, put their house in Brandon on the market and moved to Lake Andes. Holman is the Lead Pastor at the Celebrate Community Church of Lake Andes and currently holds services every Sunday at 5:00 p.m. at the Pride Center on main street in where he has a congregation of around 12 people. Holman is currently studying to receive his Masters of Divinity from Weslyan Seminary.

Rodd comes from and has continued the family tradition of military service. They have traced their family’s military service back to the Civil War. Holman’s grandfather served in WWII in the Army. His father served in Vietnam. Rodd’s brothers served in the Army and Marines and his daughters have served in the Navy and Air Force. Rodd is very well aware of the price that families pay when parents and or spouses are in the military. It is very hard on the children, not knowing where their parent(s) are, the dangers that they are facing and the high divorce rate that faces military families.

Rodd was born in Dreyton, ND and grew up in Granite Falls, MN. Holman met and married his wife in 1984, while he was getting his degree at the South Dakota School of Mines. Rodd’s beautiful wife, Tylene, has been by his side throughout his military career. They have been married going on 40 years. The Holman’s have three daughters, Felicia, Tabitha, and Katerina and one son, Jeremiah. The couple has been blessed with seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Holman is an active member of the Lake Andes community. Since moving to Lake Andes, he has been a part of the A.B.A.T.E chapter and is the current Lead Pastor at the Celebrate Community Church of Lake Andes. He has been a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) since 2004. When Rodd is not busy with his ministry or working, he enjoys kayaking on the river, working with computers, and spending time with his family.

Thank you, Rodd, for your many years of service and for being the Veteran of the Month. On a personal note, thank you for your willingness to talk about events that you had seen or been a part of and the losses that you have experienced during your time with the military. It definitely puts into perspective how lucky we are as Americans to live in a country that has brave men and women who serve our country with the willingness to put their lives in danger every day.