Rise : a soldier, a dream, and a promise kept

Summary: Daniel Rodriguez joined the army just weeks after graduating from high school. At age eighteen he had no idea what war really was; he just wanted to get out of town. Almost immediately, he was deployed to Iraq where he would spend seventeen months. He would later serve a tour of duty in Afghanistan. And he grew up fast. He stopped sleeping, started smoking, and killing became second nature. He fought in the Battle of Kamdesh, one of the bloodiest encounters in Afghanistan, and for his bravery he was awarded a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with Valor. But his best friend was not so lucky. Against all odds, Daniel returned home, broken, but still alive. Living at his sister's house, unemployed, and stuck in the clutches of PTSD, Daniel remembered a promise to his friend and knew he had to make good on it. So he embarked on a grueling training regimen, transforming himself through sheer grit and hard work into a true athletic specimen. When he posted a video of his efforts, it went viral overnight. Through some mixture of hope, determination, and the power of the internet, Daniel earned a spot on the Clemson University football team as a wide receiver. This is Daniel's powerful narrative of a young soldier, his unlikely dream, and how he found his way out of darkness.