Jeremiah J. Rodell
Jeremiah J. Rodell (September 28, 1921 – April 17, 2015) was a United States Air Force brigadier general who served as Deputy Chief of Chaplains from 1978 to 1980.
Born in Minneapolis and raised in Chicago, Rodell studied for the priesthood and was ordained in 1947 for the Archdiocese of Chicago. He served as a parish priest on Chicago’s West Side from 1947 to 1955. He joined the Air Force as a chaplain in December 1955 and served at stateside bases including Holloman, Eglin, Little Rock, March, Wright-Patterson, and Offutt, with overseas assignments at Naha Airport (Okinawa, Japan), Ankara (Turkey), Clark Air Base (Philippines), Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base (Thailand), and Wiesbaden Air Base (Germany).
In 1973 he was named chief of Catholic plans and programs at Headquarters Aerospace Defense Command in Colorado Springs, and in 1975 he transferred to the Personnel Division, Office of the Chief of Chaplains. Rodell became deputy chief of chaplains on August 1, 1978, and was promoted to brigadier general on December 1, 1978. He retired from the Air Force on August 1, 1980.
His decorations include the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, and the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award.
Beyond his military duties, Rodell served three years on the Advisory Council to the Military Vicar for Terence Cardinal Cooke and chaired the Action Committee to the Advisory Council beginning in 1978. He supported the Marriage Encounter movement since 1974. His hobbies included tennis, sailing, painting, and swimming.
Rodell died in Lisle, Illinois, in 2015 at the age of 93.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 10:43 (CET).