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Pittsburgh Steelers left deal with and Army Ranger veteran Alejandro Villanueva was featured in a video message launched by The Gamers’ Tribune on Memorial Day.
The video, titled “One thing Larger,” was launched through The Gamers’ Tribune’s verified Twitter account Monday. It discusses Villanueva’s journey into the army – one thing he calls “really the most effective determination of my life” – and the teachings discovered, a few of which he can nonetheless apply to taking part in in NFL video games.
“That first deployment, identical to in a soccer sport, you’ve achieved it in coaching – however in some unspecified time in the future, you needed to do it in actual life,” Villanueva mentioned whereas sporting a shirt with a patch of an American flag on it.
Villanueva, 31, took over because the Steelers’ beginning left deal with in 2015 and was named to the AFC Pro Bowl roster after the 2017 and 2018 seasons. He’s coming into the final year of his contract in 2020.
Villanueva, who performed soccer at Military West Level, was embellished with the Bronze Star for valor after three excursions of obligation in Afghanistan.
“I needed to be a part of one thing larger than myself. It really was the most effective determination that I ever made in my life.”@steelers offensive deal with and U.S. Military veteran Alejandro Villanueva shares his story in a salute to all those that serve. #MemorialDay pic.twitter.com/R0PtYVxPUu
— The Gamers’ Tribune (@PlayersTribune) May 25, 2020
“Being out the army for 5 years now, the factor you do bear in mind will not be the fireplace fights, not the scary moments, not the bombs that you just blew up,” Villanueva mentioned. “Simply the troopers you had been serving with and the relationships you had with them.”
Villanueva discusses his determination at age 16 to pursue a profession within the army. He talks about how nearly all of time spent throughout a deployment is “merely hanging out with the opposite troopers.” He additionally remembers his time in coaching as when he most discovered that creating bonds with classmates and discovered to unflinchingly with the ability to depend on one another had been an important classes.
Villanueva mentioned the troopers he served with turned “the most effective friendships that I’ve had my whole life.”
.@JoeStarkey1 column: Military vet Alejandro Villanueva earns instantaneous respect with @steelers http://t.co/crkzlNUiFn
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) September 4, 2014
“Your willingness to struggle for one another is all the time extra worthwhile than how briskly you might run two miles or what number of pushups you are able to do,” he mentioned. “It’s by no means about you, it’s by no means about what you possibly can you carry to the desk – it was extra of a ‘What’s it that you are able to do for others and the way are you going to sacrifice for others?’
“For me,” Villanueva mentioned moments earlier, “it was by no means about one thing that I needed to do personally. I simply needed to be a part of one thing larger than myself.”
The video was sponsored partly by USAA Insurance coverage, for which Villanueva has been a paid endorser for a number of years.
Villanueva spent a complete of 20 months in deployment, reaching the rank of captain.
“Each single time I’ve had a chance to thank anybody who joined the army, I all the time take the time to thank them for his or her service, their sacrifices and their households,” Villanueva mentioned.
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Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Overview employees author. You’ll be able to contact Chris by e-mail at cadamski@triblive.com or through Twitter .
Classes:
Sports activities | Steelers/NFL
— to triblive.com