Staff Sgt. Joel Rodriguez Taking the Gold for Team Army

Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Loggins | U.S. Army retired Staff Sgt. Joel Rodriguez poses with his with wife Liannie and son Elijah after receiving his medals, June 25, 2019 at the Tampa Convention Center, during the 2019 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Tampa, Florida. Approximately 300 athletes representing teams from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Special Operations Command, United Kingdom Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, Canadian Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Netherlands, and the Danish Armed Forces are participating in 13 events throughout the competition. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Michael Loggins)  

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES

06.26.2019

Story by Joseph Jones 

Army Recovery Care Program

Staff Sgt. Joel Rodriguez Taking the Gold for Team Army
By Joseph Jones, Madigan Army Medical Center Public Affairs

Tampa, Fla -- U.S. Army retired Staff Sgt. Joel Rodriguez has shown though adaptive sports that limitations can be the exact opposite when resilience and determination. Team Army can add two field event gold medals to its collection since Rodriguez was awarded the gold medal in both seated shot put, and seated discus (1.0 classification categories) of the DoD Warrior Games field events.

In 2014, Rodriguez was in a devastating car accident that derailed his Army career. The accident left Rodriguez with a fractured neck and a severe spinal cord injury, but he didn’t let these life changing injuries stop him from setting and achieving new goals. He took the passion he had for serving in the Army and put it into adaptive sports.

“We’re in an age where your disability has nothing to do with what you can do,” Rodriguez said. “Find something you love and work hard at it.”

The 2019 DoD Warrior Games will run from June 21-30 in Tampa, Florida. The athletes participating in the competition are comprised of wounded, ill and injured service members and veterans representing the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Special Operations Command. Athletes from the United Kingdom Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Armed Forces of the Netherlands, and the Danish Armed Forces are also competing in this year's DoD Warrior Games.

For more information about the 2019 DoD Warrior Games visit: https://dodwarriorgames.com

• Date Taken: 06.26.2019
• Date Posted: 06.26.2019 16:57
• Story ID: 329317
• Location: TAMPA, FL, US