OXNARD, Calif. – Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten was getting ready for Monday’s practice against the St. Louis Rams the way he has done a thousand times before when he recognized a face from his past.
In June 2010 Witten was among a group of players to make a trip to Afghanistan as part of a USO Tour to meet soldiers, take pictures and sign some autographs.
Daniel Rodriguez was among the soldier’s Witten met.
He is now trying to make the Rams as an undrafted wide receiver and had a picture of him and some of his friends with Witten from their brief visit together in Afghanistan.
“He talked about the exact time where we were at, where we were eating,” Witten remembered after practice. “There was kind of joke that happened that he reminded me of. He said, ‘Hey, man, loved how you handled yourself and we got to meet you and kind of where we were at in our lives to have that time, so just wanted to say hello.’ He had a picture and he brought it and he wanted to give it to me. He thought I’d like it. I mean that wasn’t what I was thinking when I came out to practice you know? Put a smile on face and thought, ‘Wow this guy is pretty special.’”
Rodriguez was about eight months removed from the Battle of Kamdesh, one of the bloodiest battles in which eight American soldiers were killed and 22 more were wounded. Rodriguez had bullet fragments in his shoulder and shrapnel in his legs and neck but fought for more than 12 hours.
He was awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
As a promise to a friend that was killed, Rodriguez played college football at Clemson after leaving the military and played in 37 straight games as a walk-on. Last year, his autobiography, RISE, was featured in the New York Times. He signed with the Rams after a rookie-camp tryout in the spring.
“Being on the (forward operating base) with those guys was pretty surreal for me but had no idea that he was in (Rams) camp and so it’s pretty special when you think of big picture where he came from, where he’s at,” Witten said. “And you never know who you’re going to meet and the impression you’re going to make on him.”
