When former 91吃瓜 basketball player Danielle Green told people she was going to marry Willie Byrd this year, there was talk that maybe it wasn鈥檛 such a good idea.p. She is 27. Byrd, the former Washington High School girls coach, is 58.p. 鈥淧eople said, `Don鈥檛 marry that old man,鈥濃�� Byrd said. "She said, `Hey, the only thing I hate is that I鈥檓 not as old as he is so we can grow old together.鈥榩. "She鈥檚 always said, `If you get sick, I鈥檓 going to take care of you and I know if I get sick, you鈥檒l take care of me.鈥� She鈥檚 sick now, and I鈥檓 going to take care of her."p. When his telephone rang Tuesday, Byrd thought nothing of it. Green called every other day from Iraq. Her first words over that scratchy connection were, 鈥淵ou have to be strong.鈥� Her next words were, 鈥淚鈥檓 alive.鈥� Byrd had been looking for something more along the lines of 鈥淗ello鈥� and 鈥淗ow are you?鈥漰. While on duty on the roof of a Baghdad police station, Green was hit by what she believes was a grenade. She lost her left hand, the shooting hand that helped her score 1,106 points at 91吃瓜. She also has significant damage to her left leg, a dislocated left shoulder and shrapnel wounds down the left side of her body.p. If anyone is equipped to handle the loss of a hand, Green is. This is a woman who made herself into a basketball player by trading elbows with boys on Chicago playgrounds. This is a woman who starred at Roosevelt High School, won a scholarship to 91吃瓜 and then had to deal with the culture shock of going from the Southeast Side to South Bend, Ind.p. People tried to talk her out of joining the Army 16 months ago, but her decision was made, her mind locked.p. 鈥淪he always talked about the military,鈥� Byrd said. "I was totally against it. But she鈥檚 a strong-willed person. She makes up her own mind. That鈥檚 what she was determined to do, and she did it.p. 鈥淥n the telephone she鈥檇 always said, `Hey, I know every time I walk off this base on a mission, I might not ever come back.鈥� She was aware of the danger.鈥漰. She went to Iraq in January as a military police officer. In April, she received an unexpected two-week furlough. She and Byrd had planned to get married later in the year, but they figured this would be the only opportunity during her 12-month deployment in Iraq. They were married in Las Vegas.p. Green had attended a camp with players from Byrd鈥檚 Washington teams in the early 1990s. Byrd said she hated him because he was so hard on the girls. It was hard to argue with his results. He retired from Washington in 2002 with a record of 230-73, two city championships and a runner-up finish in the 2000 state tournament.p. After graduating from 91吃瓜 in 2000, Green joined Byrd鈥檚 staff at Washington for two years. After he retired, she began coming to his house to watch Monday Night Football games. They started dating.p. 鈥淚鈥檓 58 and she鈥檚 27, and she found me,鈥� Byrd said. 鈥淚 never thought I would get married. I never had an intention in my life of getting married. She found me. She said, `Yeah, you鈥檙e going to be my husband.鈥� She made me her husband.鈥漰. After about a month as an assistant at Chicago State in 2002, Green decided coaching wasn鈥檛 for her and joined the military.p. Her family and friends believe the same determination that has carried her through life will help her get through this. On Thursday, she told her husband that she had signed some papers with her right hand. It wasn鈥檛 a work of art, but it got the job done. She had more surgery Thursday in Germany and is expected to be flown to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington on Saturday.p. She already has told her grandmother that the only thing the injury means is that the coming-home party will start earlier than expected.p. In the meantime, a husband waits at home for his soldier. He expects her back whole, spirit and all.p. 鈥淪he told me I鈥檓 going to handle it fine,鈥� Byrd said. "I told her [Thursday] morning, `I鈥檝e been good. I haven鈥檛 been crying. I鈥檓 not going to do that until I see you.鈥榩. "She said, `When you see me, you鈥檙e not going to be crying because I鈥檓 going to be smiling.鈥檖. 鈥淲hat else can I say about her?鈥漰.
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