ARLINGTON, Texas – AT&T Stadium hosted the third annual Dallas Cowboys Military Combine Finals on Saturday, April 13th. Caliber Collision partnered the event and the afternoon was highlighted by autograph signings from current and former Cowboys players, performances from the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders and Rhythm and Blue Dancers, along with the drumline and Rowdy the mascot in attendance.
The free family event featured more than 50 elite military heroes showing off their athleticism as they took on six official NFL Combine Drills on the field:
40-yard Dash
Vertical Jump
Short Shuttle
Bench Press
Broad Jump
600-yard Shuttle
In addition, Caliber Collision presented three vehicles to military veterans in need of transportation. I spoke with the Director of Community Affairs for Caliber Collision, Mat Hildreth, on the impact of the day’s event,“ It is growing every year and we have really transitioned this partnership with the Cowboys, to not just a combine, but also a day of appreciation for our veterans…this year was phenomenal, specifically the energy level. We had about 60 participants. In addition to 17 corporations, we had 29 non-profit military organizations that we partner with… It is such an honor. When you see these people and what you are doing to change their lives, and restore the rhythm of their lives- everybody wants to do it. “
Caliber Collision is one of the nation’s largest collision repair companies. They partner with other companies who find recipients in need of transportation, and insurance partners who find totaled vehicles. They refurbish the cars from parts and materials provided by companies in connection with them, and they give the vehicles to families in need for free. Their mission is “we’re not just fixing cars. We’re fixing lives.”
One such individual, TaSauna Graves. TaSauna was awarded with one of the vehicles at the Military Combine in a time of desperation for positive news. Her mother was put on hospice a few days prior to the event, and a day that was supposed to be filled with joy and gratitude for a new vehicle, became filled with fear and sorrow. Her mother gave her the blessing to come and she did so with a heart of gratitude, and a smile for the gift she had been chosen to receive. The Ohio native has persevered through many adversities in her life and today was recognition of her courage, faith, and willingness to never give up.
Her father passed away when she was 13 and his loss defined a portion of her story, and led her to the path she forged toward the military. During her deployments in the U.S. Army, she faced the struggles of being away from her family and the toll it took on her loved ones. She also had the difficult task of separating her personal life from her on-duty one, and the things she witnessed. “ The things I was faced with as an 18-year-old, you just never forget. That stuff is engrained in your memory.”
TaSauna’s faith in God and the support of her friends, family, and military family are what got her through the tragedies of war and the hardship of life itself.
“The people in the community helped me. In the military, you start to build your own family. Through deployments, you just build a family with the people you are there with. “
Today, many of those people were there to celebrate with her on the field and give back a portion of the love she has shown to them. As the car door opened to her brand new SUV, TaSauna’s eyes filled with tears as a burden was lifted off her shoulders. I cannot think of another person more deserving. It is the simple things in life that have the greatest impact. Today for TaSauna, it was the gift of transportation, and for me, it was the inspiration of her story!
