In a few short years, Danielle Green transitioned from the role of a successful college basketball player to an amputee learning how to perform the tasks of daily life without her dominant arm. Next month she will be recognized for her spirit, bravery and patriotism in serving her country both during and after her time with the military.
On July 15, Green, an Army veteran, will become the second recipient of the Pat Tillman Award for Service. The award will be presented at next month's ESPY Awards ceremony, where the best sports moments and personalities of the year will be recognized.
Green grew up in the South Side of Chicago and attended Notre Dame on a basketball scholarship, The Associated Press reported. After graduation she taught and coached basketball briefly before joining the Army. While serving in Iraq she lost her left arm, the result of a rocket-powered grenade attack.
According to the Army Times, Green was medically retired from the service seven months after her injury and went back to school to earn a master's degree in counseling. Today she works as a readjustment therapist in Indiana at the South Bend Veterans Center, helping other former military members adjust to life after service.
There are a number of organizations and resources available to help female veterans like Danielle Green.
"I think her journey has been quite amazing," said Marie Tillman, the widow of Pat Tillman. "As a college athlete she could have done a wide variety of things, and she chose to serve her country. Certainly that is right in line with how Pat lived his life and the spirit of the award."
Pat Tillman was a professional football player with the Arizona Cardinals before he left to enlist in the Army in 2002. He was killed in action while serving in Afghanistan in 2004. Green was injured a month after his death while working a security detail, AP reported.
"Pat Tillman was an extraordinary human being," Green told the Military Times. "So I just feel honored and grateful to be part of his legacy."
Last year Afghanistan war veteran Josh Sweeney was selected as the first recipient of the Tillman Award, the Army Times reported. Sweeney is a Paralympian who played on the U.S.'s gold medal sled hockey team.