Rodriguez was joined by his wife, Liannie, who shared her experience as a family member seeing how hard they trained and how much they were looking forward to the Warrior Games.
“I know how much it hurt, but I am so proud of each and every one of you guys and so honored for all that you all do for us, so thank you very much,” she said.
She held their daughter, Leila, as she spoke. Their son, Elijah, joined them toward the end of the event and greeted the attendees, which caused big smiles and a bit of laughter. The entire family was smartly dressed in matching Army black and yellow.
After the event, Rodriguez said that the experience was a bit overwhelming.
“I was definitely flooded with emotions,” he said.
Rodriguez explained that competing is a major part of his life and that he was honored.
“It was an incredible experience,” he said.
Retired Spc. Brent Garlic competed in the 2018 and 2019 Warrior Games and the Military Adaptive Sports Virtual Challenge. He attended the event honoring the Warrior Games athletes and said it was an amazing experience. It was the first time he had seen Austin. He said it was great that Austin and Biden shared their time. It was something he wasn’t expecting.
Sept. 13 also marked the beginning of the Military Adaptive Sports Virtual Challenge, which was not a Warrior Games sanctioned event. Competing athletes represented the United States Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Special Operations Command, Coast Guard and ally nation Ukraine. It featured 11 sport events and concluded on the Sept. 17.
The Army Warrior Care and Transition Program is now the Army Recovery Care Program. Although the name has changed, the mission remains the same: to provide quality complex case management to the Army's wounded, ill and injured Soldiers.