Danielle Green was a standout guard at Notre Dame. When she graduated, she thought her sports dreams came to a close did as well. But she was wrong.
Last week she was awarded the Pat Tillman award at the 2015 ESPYs on ESPN. It’s an award that honors an individual “with a strong connection to sports who has served others in a way that echoes the legacy of Pat Tillman.” Tillman was a star on Arizona Cardinals when he joined the Army and was killed in action in 2004.
[revad1]
Danielle joined the Army after school and turned military police. In 2004 while serving in Iraq she was hit by an RPG and lost her right arm. Ever the warrior, she didn’t stop fighting, going back to school to become a VA counselor.
When asked if she had any regrets about her service she said:
“There is no self-pity, there is no regret, because once you go down that road you get stuck. And then I won’t be any service to the people who come in looking for help. That is my mission now. So I refuse to accept a role as a victim. I am victorious. I can’t be stuck in the past.”
Watch her powerful speech here:
______________________
From the Military Times:
When Danielle Green decided to join the Army after finishing her college basketball career at Notre Dame, she figured her days of sports accolades were over.
But on July 15, she’ll be honored alongside LeBron James, Steph Curry and dozens of other professional athletes at the annual ESPY awards in Los Angeles, being broadcast this year on ABC.
Green, who lost her left arm in a rocket-propelled grenade attack in 2004, is this year’s recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service. The shooting guard turned military police was medically retired from the Army in December 2004, but went back to school to continue serving her country and fellow service members as a Veterans Affairs counselor.
She said she never wanted her past success or her injuries to define her future.
“Maybe 11 years ago, 10 years ago it was all challenging,” she said of her injuries. “I had to try and figure out how to redo everything I had done left-handed.
Read more at MilitaryTimes.com
Were you happy to see Danielle honored? Share your thoughts below in the comments!
