Airman First Class Rodney was the right gunner of a B-29A Superfortress Bomber with the 28th Bomber Squadron, 19th Bomber Group. On 30 December 1952, after delivering bombs on the enemy near Taesong-Dong, North Korea, the aircraft was attacked by MiG fighters. The crew was ordered to bail out about 25 miles north of Pyongyang. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on 31 December 1953. His remains were not recovered. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

Rodney was awarded the Air Medal, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.