A real American hero

Thursday evening former NFL player Pat Tillman was killed in action in Afghanistan. This man turned down a multi-million dollar contract to join the US Army Rangers and serve his country. I tend not to be the country's biggest jingoistic flag-waver, but I do appreciate true valor and heroism when I see it.

It's also relevant to me because I saw Tillman play in person when I was in the Arizona State marching band in 96-97. I remember him as being one of the three standout players that season, along with Jake Plummer (now QB for Denver Broncos) and the running back, whose name I forgot. I remember a guy, rather small for football standards, who never let his stature stop him, and who dished out some of the most devastating hits as a linebacker.

I never met the man, but having seen him play college football in person for a season fostered enough of a connection that I was truly saddened and inspired when I read about his fate.

A high school friend of mine is serving in Baghdad with the 82nd Airborne as well, and one of the guys I re-enacted with enlisted and was going to go to Officer's Candidate School... I'm not sure if he's going to volunteer to go into combat or not. I see my peers serving their country and it makes me feel impotent that my asthma prevents me from doing so. If I had a healthy respiratory system I'd have already enlisted and volunteered to go fight. Apparently that's not in the cards for me though.

I'll let the words of the CNN/Sports Illustrated article say it best about Tillman. (excerpted, full article here)

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Former NFL player Pat Tillman was killed Thursday while serving as an Army Rangers soldier on a mission in southeastern Afghanistan, Pentagon officials have told CNN. He was 27.

Tillman, who walked away from a $3.6 million contract as a safety with the Arizona Cardinals to join the military after the Sept. 11 attacks, was in an area where numerous U.S. troops have been killed in battles with suspected al Qaeda and Taliban fighters.

Tillman was a specialist in the 75th Ranger Regiment, a light infantry unit out of Fort Benning, Ga. The White House put out a statement of sympathy that praised Tillman as "an inspiration both on an off the football field."

Former Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis said he felt both overwhelming sorrow and tremendous pride in Tillman, who "represented all that was good in sports."

"Pat knew his purpose in life," McGinnis said. "He proudly walked away from a career in football to a greater calling."

"In sports we have a tendency to overuse terms like courage and bravery and heroes," said Cardinals vice president Michael Bidwill, son of the team's owner Bill Bidwill, "and then someone like Pat Tillman comes along and reminds us what those terms really mean."

A memorial was set up outside Cardinals' headquarters in Tempe, Ariz., with Tillman's No. 40 uniform in a glass frame alongside two teddy bears and two bouquets. A pen was left for people to write messages to Tillman's family.

Gov. Janet Napolitano ordered flags at Arizona State University, Tillman's alma mater, flown at half-staff.

Denver quarterback Jake Plummer was a teammate of Tillman for seven years, three at Arizona State and four with the Cardinals.

"We lost a unique individual that touched the lives of many with his love for life, his toughness, his intellect," Plummer said in a statement released by the Broncos. "Pat Tillman lived life to the fullest and will be remembered forever in my heart and mind."

In college, Tillman was a long-haired wild man on the field, an all-Pac-10 linebacker always going full speed. Bone-jarring hits were his trademark.

He and Plummer led the Sun Devils to the 1997 Rose Bowl. The next season, Tillman was the Pac-10 defensive player of the year. He graduated summa cum laude in December 1997 with a marketing degree and a 3.84 grade-point average.