WINONA LAKE – His story has just begun to be told, and will likely be told for a long time. The unbelievable circumstance to which Daniel Rodriguez has experienced the good and bad in life was told Wednesday in a pair of sessions at Grace College. The powerful presentation surrounded the nation celebrating Veteran’s Day.

Rodriguez’s two public lives, one as a solider in the US Army, and the other as a college football player at the University of Clemson, would be worth its weight singularly. Combined, however, is a script Hollywood has already lined up to tell, and possibly will sooner than later. A very focused morning assembly at Grace, normally loose and free-wheeling during morning chapel, were glued to Rodriguez as he told a lifetime’s worth of stories packed into 27 year’s of life on Earth. The public persona which was taped together with an ugly reality of life after battle, which made his ‘Rise’ so captivating.

Daniel Rodriguez

“I got so accustomed to a lifestyle of violence and constant warfare,” stated Rodriguez of his time on duty overseas, “I had a rifle and you just do what you’re told. It was a nightmare.”

His military stories were graphic, and he didn’t spare details, noting brain matter from close-range fighting still lingered on his boots after the shooting had stopped. The day that changed his life – Oct. 9, 2009 – saw combat take his best friend right in front of him during an ambush by the Taliban, mere inches from where he stood reaching for a weapon. As one of the bloodiest battles in the Afghan war raged on, over 125 people lost their lives including Kevin Thompson, Rodriguez’s brother in arms. Eight US soldiers died in the fight, Rodriguez was injured, and another from the troop later committed suicide from PTSD symptoms, to which Rodriguez also suffered.

“I lost it,” Rodriguez said as the Taliban converged on their post. “I watched my best friend die right in front of me. I blacked out.”

The US Military issued Rodriguez a Bronze Star and Purple Heart for surviving the mission under dire circumstances and incurring injuries along the way. After finishing his tour, he returned home and hit rock bottom. Drinking, drug abuse, infidelity, all the way to suicidal thoughts. The pistol was loaded on his kitchen table. But his yard needed mowed. By what could be considered God’s Grace, Rodriguez left the table and cleaned the yard, citing his deceased dad would appreciate a nice looking lawn. As he sat back on the patio to appreciate his handywork, it began to rain on that transitional day.

Thinking of his family and his friend, Thompson, Rodriguez decided the cold steel wasn’t the answer and sought to keep his promise he made to Thompson. He would play college football.

After completing a humorous process of advertising himself, Rodriguez landed at Clemson. He played from 2012 to 2014, making 37 straight starts for the Tigers. As a wide receiver, Rodriguez helped the program reach three straight bowl games, including wins over LSU, Ohio State and Oklahoma. For local flavor, to which he admitted he had never been to Indiana, Rodriguez noted his first college catch came against Ball State. “It was the longest standing ovation ever for a four-yard catch.”

Rodriguez stated his bowl championship rings sit with his Bronze Star and Purple Heart, sharing the same level of meaning. Graduating with honors from Clemson last year, Rodriguez his since gone on motivational speaking tours after a training camp stint with the St. Louis Rams didn’t pan out.

“I’m no different than any of you, I just was put in much more extreme circumstances,” he said. “There is so much more to life. You need to take advantage of it. It’s so precious and so short. You need to be everything you can be, think the right way and be positive with your lives.”

Daniel Rodriguez captivated the Grace College audience Wednesday morning.