Soccer star strengthens bond with OEF OIF veteran Dad

Danny Cruz of D.C. United strengthens bonds with his father, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan
By Steven Goff,

(Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post) - D.C. United midfielder Danny Cruz, left, and Montreal midfielder Felipe Martins go for a header during the second half of the game at RFK Stadium.

As he spoke with wounded soldiers last week, his eyes tearing when told of roadside bombs and lost friends, D.C. United’s Danny Cruz thought of his father.

Al Cruz, Army sergeant first class, is stateside these days, preparing for reassignment to Illinois from Arizona. He served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan totaling more than 40 months since 2003 but was never injured.

“When I was listening to them tell their stories, I was thinking, ‘My dad was doing that,’ ” Danny, 22, said the day after a team-sponsored visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. “He was gone so long, it’s remarkable he’s okay.”

With combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, the elder Cruz, 45, doesn’t think he’ll go back. He told Danny he was proud he visited Walter Reed, saying, “You saw the war that most people don’t see.”
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