Awesome Story

[757Hokie83]

interview is on tonight at 8 on HDnet it looks like....i'll be watching

 

[amszete]

Frank Beamer to appear on 'Dan Rather Reports' story about Army veteran, football hopeful Daniel Rodriguez

QUOTE:

"Daniel was treated for his wounds in-country and completed his 12-month tour. He is home now, and is taking advantage of the GI Bill by attending school at Germanna Community College in Fredericksburg. He wants to transfer to a four-year institution and resume his football career—and his dream is to do it at Virginia Tech."

...and...

You'll note that Beamer does not comment specifically about Rodriguez. NCAA rules prohibit him from talking about prospective players who have not signed a national letter of intent with the school. This is a long way from being a done deal at Virginia Tech (or any other school, for that matter). Rodriguez would have to get into school before he could try out for the football team.

But, Beamer sounds open to the idea. As he said in the clip from the Rather show: "Over the years, I think we've been a team that hasn't always gone on how big are you or how fast are you. It's how you play the game. ... And with that in mind, I think it's likely that I'd give an under-sized, over-the-age, Army guy a chance."

TY sir.

 

[amszete]

interview is on tonight at 8 on HDnet it looks like....i'll be watching

I see you have the old avy back my friend. Nice.

 

[HokieGhost]

Incredibly good article...kid's been through the wringer. When most kids his age are either thinking about college or going to work for a living, Rodriguez went to Hell and back.

Still Scarred By Two Wars, American Hero Daniel Rodriguez Chases His Football Dream

QUOTE:

The nights are torturous for Daniel Rodriguez. Body twitching, mind racing, he's transported back in time long after the battle has ended. Once again he's surrounded by gunfire, a rocket-propelled-grenade flying past his helmet. He relives the devastating moment his best friend dropped to the ground, as a single bullet took his life. He can feel, smell, hear everything, until he is torn from his sleep, covered in a cold sweat.

The 24-year-old former Army infantryman calls them night terrors. They are brought on by post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injury from an RPG attack in Iraq. And there's only one way he knows to cope every day.

 

[hunzworth]

Where are we at on this guy? Does anyone know?

was told he could enroll in the summer.

 

[HokieGhost]

was told he could enroll in the summer.

Excellent news!!

 

[robV703]

The interview is up on VTPhreak's channel:

Part 1:
[YOUTUBE]6m5xTGr-BOI&feature=youtu.be[/YOUTUBE]
Part 2:
[YOUTUBE]OXogZaRCVJk&feature=youtu.be[/YOUTUBE]

 

[amszete]

Total views on his recruitment video went from 59k last night to 127k today after yesterday's show. Good for him.

 

[sparko]

was told he could enroll and walk-on ???

 

[sparko]

with the gi bill -- i'm sure the kid could care less about a scholly .. at least from the get go .. may not care about it at all

 

[jgHokie]

with the gi bill -- i'm sure the kid could care less about a scholly .. at least from the get go .. may not care about it at all

the gi bill is not THAT much....it will not pay for a full ride to tech. and if he has used any portion of it for school while in..that also will affect it. I had wanted to use mine for that as well..

 

[HokieGhost]

the gi bill is not THAT much....it will not pay for a full ride to tech. and if he has used any portion of it for school while in..that also will affect it. I had wanted to use mine for that as well..

This is from the "Understanding the Post-9/11 GI Bill", pages 4 and 5...

If you enroll in a publically operated (state) college or university you will get up to 100 percent of your “in-state” tuition and fees covered.

Additionally, As an eligible veteran or member of the National Guard or Selected Reserve you may receive a monthly housing allowance (living stipend) based on the zip code of the location of the school you are attending — not your home zip code. This stipend currently averages more
than $1,200 a month.

Also, receive an annual book stipend of up to $1,000. This stipend will be paid at the beginning of each term. It is paid based on the number of credits taken by each student at $41 per credit hour.

 

[hunzworth]

was told he could enroll and walk-on ???

yep.

with the gi bill -- i'm sure the kid could care less about a scholly .. at least from the get go .. may not care about it at all

yep

 

[jgHokie]

This is from the "Understanding the Post-9/11 GI Bill", pages 4 and 5...

If you enroll in a publically operated (state) college or university you will get up to 100 percent of your “in-state” tuition and fees covered.

Additionally, As an eligible veteran or member of the National Guard or Selected Reserve you may receive a monthly housing allowance (living stipend) based on the zip code of the location of the school you are attending — not your home zip code. This stipend currently averages more
than $1,200 a month.

Also, receive an annual book stipend of up to $1,000. This stipend will be paid at the beginning of each term. It is paid based on the number of credits taken by each student at $41 per credit hour.

that's all well and good...IF he has the post 9/11 gi bill. you had to actively make the switch to the post 9/11 gi bill. and even still, when you go to actually use this, that "UP TO 100%" tuition becomes alot less. there is alot of red tape and rules that go along with it. again..if he used any portion of his gi bill while he was active it comes out of that as well. as for the bah...blacksburg is 1000 and you only get that IF you chose to switch to the post 9/11 gi bill. anyway..not trying to argue.. i hope he does get to come to tech..the man has earned it...just talking about the issues i MYSELF have ran into trying to use my gi bill to go to tech. (although it's WAY too late now...after 12 years in the military...i think i may be too old to go back to school..lol)

 

[jgHokie]

also..just saw this "He is home now, and is taking advantage of the GI Bill by attending school at Germanna Community College" so that cuts into what he has left of the gi bill. I'm sure he'll welcome that scholly if it's offered.

 

[hunzworth]

just to be honest from what i have heard, the chances he is offered a schollie are slim or less. Although ive never seen it stated directly, it has been implied that his GI bill will pay for his college of choice.


FTR: i know absolutely nothing about GI bills or how they work.

 

[jgHokie]

it has been implied that his GI bill will pay for his college of choice.

up to a point..that is true.but there are limits to what it pays. it will help GREATLY that's for sure..and i'm sure he could qualify for some grants or assistance of some sort. again i really hope the MAN gets to go to tech..he has MORE than earned it.

 

[HokieGhost]

that's all well and good...IF he has the post 9/11 gi bill. you had to actively make the switch to the post 9/11 gi bill. and even still, when you go to actually use this, that "UP TO 100%" tuition becomes alot less. there is alot of red tape and rules that go along with it. again..if he used any portion of his gi bill while he was active it comes out of that as well. as for the bah...blacksburg is 1000 and you only get that IF you chose to switch to the post 9/11 gi bill. anyway..not trying to argue.. i hope he does get to come to tech..the man has earned it...just talking about the issues i MYSELF have ran into trying to use my gi bill to go to tech. (although it's WAY too late now...after 12 years in the military...i think i may be too old to go back to school..lol)

Rodriguez enlisted well after 9/11. He graduated from high school in 2006.

I may be wrong, but with training and combat tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq I don't think he had that much time to go to school while he was in the military.

Right now he's attending school at a community college. From what I understand from a previous post, if everything works out, he will be enrolling at Tech in the Summer.

 

[jgHokie]

Rodriguez enlisted well after 9/11. He graduated from high school in 2006.

I may be wrong, but with training and combat tours in both Afghanistan and Iraq I don't think he had that much time to go to school while he was in the military.

Right now he's attending school at a community college. From what I understand from a previous post, if everything works out, he will be enrolling at Tech in the Summer.

the post 9/11 gi bill didn't even come into law until 2008 and it didn't go into effect until august of 2009. so like i said...IF he chose the post 9/11 gi bill....and also like i said..he's used part of it already going to the community college his is in now. again..i'm not trying to argue, but when it's a topic i know about...i'm going to speak up.

 

[hunzworth]

@Jg Isnt it possible that he is paying out of pocket or has a pell grant for CC, or if you are eligible for the GI bill do you have to use it?

oh and btw i dont think anyone thinks you are arguing.