By Heath Bradley.

By Heath Bradley

CLEMSON – This past October 3 was not just any day for Daniel Rodriguez. It marked the third anniversary of the day that will forever shape his life.

“It was a tough day. I try not think about it,” the Clemson wide receiver said Monday. “But everything hits you. It is so significant in my life. Everything just sticks out, like expiration dates. You see 10-3 and it hits you. You try to forget and you try not to relive that moment.”

But Rodriguez relives that moment every year. It was on October 3, 2009, when more than 300 Taliban forces assaulted Rodriguez—then a combat soldier in the U.S. Army—and the American Combat Outpost Keating, near the town of Kamdesh in eastern Afghanistan. The attack was one of the bloodiest battles for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, resulting in the death of eight American soldiers and 22 wounded. One of the wounded was Rodriguez, who was shot in the shoulder.

“It’s like your brain knows,” Rodriguez said. “I woke up that night having trouble breathing and panicking a little. I had trouble sleeping and I was kind of bumped out. It was three years ago that day when I lost a lot of good friends and was injured myself. I just try to keep pushing through it.”

The Battle of Kamdesh, though, is one of the driving forces as to why Rodriguez will run down the Hill carrying the American Flag into Memorial Stadium Saturday when No. 13 Clemson hosts Virginia Tech on what has been designated as Military Appreciation Day.

“His story is amazing,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “Here is a young man (24 years old) that has been through so much. He has seen things and lived through things none of us can even imagine.”

Three years ago, Rodriguez could not even imagine playing in a college football game, much less leading his team into the stadium while hoisting the American Flag in the process.

“I am honored to do it. It is great,” said Rodriguez, who will also be an honorary captain for Clemson.

Saturday will have even more of a special meaning for the Stafford, Va., native. Rodriguez, a Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal with Valor Device recipient, grew up a Hokie fan and had aspirations of playing for Frank Beamer and Virginia Tech one day.

Virginia Tech was one of the schools he was trying to get into when he decided he was going to give college football a shot. But he was unable to transfer his college credits into the school this year, which is what led him to Clemson.

“It is kind of cool it will be Virginia Tech and it is Military Appreciation Day,” he said. “I’m playing against the team I grew up aspiring to play for. It is cool the way things turned out. Hopefully we come out of there with a W that day.

“It is kind of crazy how things align, how things fall into place. It is pretty blatant that I was a VT fan my whole life. I was born and raised a Hokie fan.”

But now he is a Clemson Tiger, and now he has another anniversary to celebrate in October. Except on this one, he will be able to smile.

—Will Vandervort contributed to this story