Danielle Green was born and raised on Chicago’s South Side. She earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Notre Dame where she graduated in 1999 with a degree in psychology. After graduation, she spent two years as a teacher at the Chicago International Charter School. Danielle left her teaching job to follow the call of a childhood dream – to serve her country in the Army.
In 2002, at the age of 25, Danielle enlisted into the United States Army as an E4. Her military occupation was a military police officer. Her unit deployed to Iraq in January of 2004. On May 25, 2004, Danielle was pulling security on a rooftop when a couple of rockets whizzed past her. Immediately, Danielle reached down to grab her weapon when a rocket-propelled grenade hit her as she began to return fire. Danielle’s comrades came to her aid, carrying her to safety. When she awoke in the hospital, her master sergeant gently told her that her dominate left arm was gone and the Brigade Commander pinned on the Purple Heart.
Danielle returned to the States to begin her recovery at Walter Reed. Four months after the injury, Danielle was running a five-mile race in Central Park in New York. Sports continue to play an integral role in Danielle life. Since the injury, she has learned how to play racquetball, golf, fish, and ski with the hopes of expecting her horizons.
Danielle graduated May 17, 2008 with a master’s degree in School/Community Counseling from Saint Xavier University. She also earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from DePaul University in 2009. Danielle received the Pat Tillman Award for Service in 2015. She currently serves as a supervisory re-adjustment counseling therapist at the veterans’ center in South Bend, Indiana.