Rodney Sykes joined the Navy right out of high school and was stationed aboard the USS Missouri.
A township resident and Navy vet will be among those celebrated on Veterans Day this year for his military career and contributions to the community, including aiding the homeless.
Rodney Sykes joined the Navy right out of high school – serving from 1984 to 1990 – and was stationed aboard the USS Missouri. He chose to continue a family legacy of military service started by his grandfather.
“I kind of knew exactly that I was going to do that anyway,” he said. “I went into ninth grade knowing that, and it’s simply because all the guys from my grandfather on served in the military, so in my mind, that was just what I needed to do.”
The Missouri was being re-activated, so its sailors essentially took an unused ship and updated it.
“We retooled it, modernized it, brought it back to life and became the crew of it,” Sykes explaned.
Shortly before the Gulf War began in 1990, Sykes and his fellow servicemen were assigned to Kuwait protection duties guarding oil ships in the Persian Gulf. After six years in the Navy, he worked as a hospital corpsman and in the medical unit at the now-closed Philadelphia Naval Base.
After he left the military, Sykes returned to his native Philadelphia and began a career in the corporate world, with 25 years at companies that included Tesla, Lexus and Bridgewood Health and Fitness.
“That really helped me get a better understanding or a better foothold on what it’s like to be service- oriented …” he noted. “It helped me actually, you know, come to where I am today in terms of what my values are.”
Sykes now owns his own franchise of Lawn Squad, a lawn care and weed control service company, with his garage located in Moorestown. He emphisized that his favorite part of his role as owner is being able to handle problems.
Sykes also gives back to the community in a variety of service projects, including Habitat for Humanity and the Navy Foundation. And handing out Wawa gift cards to the homeless is also a key in his life.
“I’ve had a chance to actually stop and talk with them,” Sykes pointed out. “And it’s something that people I think need to try to do, just to converse, give them five minutes to just ask them, ‘Hey guys, I’m sorry for your situation, but what is it that you need right now?’ And I’ll tell you, you know, that’s been helpful.
“It’s always been in my heart to be involved with them more so than anything else.”
