With a quick smile and an amiable knack for not taking any situation too seriously, it’s easy to think that Legalman First Class Petty Officer David Rodriguez breezes through life unfettered.

But as he sits behind his desk at the Naval Station Everett Region Legal Service Office (RLSO), Rodriguez says he’s more akin to the likes of Donald and Daffy.

“A prior executive officer of mine had an old saying on his desk that I think kind of represents me,” said Rodriguez.  “It talked about a duck floating on the water.  It appears to be very calm at the surface, but below the water, he’s kicking away like crazy.”

Which may explain why the good-natured goof is so highly thought of.  In fact, Navy Region Northwest’s RLSO recently named Rodriguez as its 2004 Sailor of the Year.

But ask Rodriguez how he earned the honor of the RLSO’s top legalman and suddenly he’s a very modest man.

“I don’t do anything special,” said the 33-year-old Rodriguez.  “I’ve been in the Navy for 10 years and have been doing this for nine of those years, so I guess I have a lot of experience.”

Indeed, Rodriguez converted to the legalman rate very early in his naval career, much earlier than most.

“I converted at a very early stage in my career.  I came into the Navy knowing I wanted to be a legalman,” he remembers.  “So within a year of entering the service, I put in a package to convert to the rate.  I was accepted to convert as a third class, which at the time was not really heard of.”

But since then, the savvy legalman has wowed his commands with his considerable knowledge of the legalman rate and his meticulous attention to detail

“I’ve read the MILPERS manual from one end to the other and I’ve read the entire JAG manual,” Rodriguez said.  “Oddly enough, some of that stuff sticks in my brain and I remember it.  So I guess I’m pretty good at what I do, at least the JAGs (Judge Advocate Generals) I’ve worked for in the past seemed to think so.”

And so does his current boss.

“Petty Officer Rodriguez is, bar none, the best first class legalman I’ve encountered during my career in the Navy,” said Lt. Jason Levy, Navy Region Legal Service Office Northwest Staff Judge Advocate. “He performs at a level far exceeding most chief legalmen. He’s meticulous, detail oriented and shows incredibly strong analytical skills.

“When NJP (non-judicial punishment) appeals must be reviewed in our RLSO work, I give them to him to review and look for errors,” Levy said. “He debriefs me on them and every single time he’s right on the money. He finds every issue that’s out there.”

Rodriguez says his greatest satisfaction is helping others.

“I think the greatest thing about being a legalman is that you can help people,” he said.  “People tend to think they’re in trouble when they have to go see the legalman but that’s not true. Because I understand how the system works, I think it’s a great opportunity to help Sailors.

“I like to help conduct classes like Petty Officer Indoctrination and Navy Rights and Responsibilities,” Rodriguez said. “I enjoy talking to the young troops and letting them know what their rights are and explaining how the systems works."

It’s that patience and dedication that also helped Rodriguez garner some pretty high-profile orders to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Beginning next Saturday, Rodriguez begins a six-month tour at Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. While he can’t say much about what he’ll be doing, he says he’s looking forward to the challenge.

“It’s something different. I don’t have all the details about what it is because it’s classified,” he said. “The only thing they could tell me was that I’ll be dealing with detainees on a regular basis and I’ll liaison with the Red Cross when they visit the detainees.

“There’s things on the news every day about the things going on at Guantanamo Bay, stuff that doesn’t necessarily make the military look good,” Rodriguez said. “I hope I can help fix any existing problems and ensure things are being handled the way they should be handled. I want to ensure people are being treated properly with dignity and respect.

“I’m anxious, but excited,” Rodriguez added