Army Lt. Col. Roderick Vinson, whose military career spanned 37 years, died Aug. 11 while exercising near his off-base residence in Sumter, South Carolina, Army officials announced.
Investigators do not suspect foul play in connection with Vinson’s death, according to the Sumpter Police Department and County Coroner’s Office. His autopsy is scheduled for Thursday. The coroner’s office said it may take a while for test results to determine the exact cause of his death.
Task & Purpose was unable to reach Vinson’s family on Wednesday, but an Army news story from 2011 on Vinson from 2011 detailed his commitment to charity work, even while deployed, after he became the father of premature twin boys.
Vinson’s twin boys were born premature, weighing only 2.9 and 3.1 pounds, and they spent between five to six weeks in the hospital, he said for the Army news story. He was deployed at the time and it was a very stressful situation for his wife. He credited the March of Dimes for helping to advance technology to support his sons and other premature babies, and collected donatsion for the charity wile deployed to Afghanistan in 2011.
“I do not believe people fully appreciate how special children are, and the struggles people have to not only have them but to keep them healthy,” Vinson said. “March of Dimes helps to provide this special gift to parents.”
Vinson, 55, was a reservist in a Contingency Active Duty for Operational Support (CO-ADOS) status assigned to U.S. Army Central, or ARCENT, at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, at the time of his death. During his tenure at ARCENT, Vinson served in the Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention section, the safety directorate, and he worked in the G-4 logistics directorate.
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“The ARCENT Family is devastated by the untimely passing of Lt. Col. Roderick Vinson, a beloved member of our team and an incredible leader in the organization,” Col. Jason Squitier, ARCENT’s deputy chief of staff, said in a statement. “He left an enormously positive impact on every person with whom he interacted, and we miss him dearly. We send our condolences to his family and friends, and our prayers are with them during this difficult time.”
Originally from Charlotte, North Carolina, Vinson enlisted in the Army in 1987 as a Fighting Vehicle Infantryman, and he was commissioned as a Transportation Officer in July 1999, according to his service record, which was provided to Task & Purpose. His final Military Occupational Specialty was a Logistics Officer.
He served in the Army National Guard from September 1987 to June 2009, and he spent the remainder of his military service in the Army Reserve. Vinson was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 2017 and assigned to ARCENT the following year.
Vinson deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar, and Kuwait during his Army career, his service record says.
Vinson’s military awards include the Iraq Campaign Medal with two Campaign Stars, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, the Joint Service Commendation Medal, four Army Commendation Medals, three Army Achievement Medals, three Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Humanitarian Service Medal, two Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M-device, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, four Overseas Service Ribbons, and the NATO Medal.