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A 6-foot-9 Army officer with three deployments to Afghanistan, a Bronze Star Medal with “V” device and a Ranger tab has signed a free-agent contract to join the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles as a defensive lineman.
Villanueva graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science in Systems Engineering and was commissioned into the U.S. Army, May 22, 2010 as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Infantry. He then moved to Fort Benning, Ga., to attend the Infantry Officer Basic Course, Basic Airborne Course and the U.S. Army Ranger Course.
Upon completion, he reported to Fort Drum, N.Y., where he served in the 10th Mountain Division. While serving with the 10th Mountain Division, Villanueva deployed to Afghanistan for 12 months as a Rifle Platoon Leader. During his deployment, he earned a Bronze Star Medal for Valor for moving forward under enemy fire to pull his wounded Soldiers from their isolated position. When Villanueva returned from his first deployment to Afghanistan, he was assigned as a Rifle Company Executive Officer.
In November 2013, Villanueva volunteered for the 75th Ranger Regiment’s Assessment and Selection Program and was hired to serve with 1st Ranger Battalion at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. As a U.S. Army Ranger, he served as a Plans Officer, a Ranger Rifle Platoon Leader and a Ranger Company Executive Officer, and deployed to Afghanistan two more times for a total of eight months.
Villanueva played both football and basketball for two years at SHAPE American High School in Belgium, where his father, Ignacio, worked for NATO. Born on 9/22/88 in Meridian, MI, Villanueva spent the majority of his early years growing up in Spain, where he swam competitively and played rugby. He took up football for the first time after his family moved to Belgium.
Agencies/Canadajournal
