Former NFL player Pat Tillman killed in action while serving in U.S. Army in Afghanistan, CNN confirms.
We talk a lot about heros on this board. You want to know a hero, learn this guys life story. This is a tragic loss.
Another of our brothers has fallen but fear not for as he ascends the heavens, from this day forth, those who enter the halls of the regiment will always know his name as Pat Tilman has become the Airborne Ranger in the sky!
I asked nothing for those who gave nothing
and reluctantly accepted the thought
of eternal loneliness…should I fail.
I have seen the stark face of terror;
felt the stinging cold of fear;
and enjoyed the sweet taste of a moment’s love.
I have cried, pained and hoped…but most of all
I have lived times others would say were best forgotten.
At least someday I will be able to say
that I was proud of what I was…
A soldier.
Michael - RLTW
this truly is tragic…a guy who walks away from an NFL career to fight for his country. i agree this guy meets the bill of what a hero is and this is a sad moment.
A true role model.
Yes, I agree with you all. The loss of his life and the loss of life of his and our brothers and sisters who stood beside him is truly tragic. And yet I wonder how long it will be before someone steps forth to diminish his sacrifice by saying, “He did it for no worthwhile purpose whatsoever.” That will be even more tragic.
he also did a half-im before joining the rangers. i remember reading of it just before i got into tri’s and thinking, wow, this dude knows how it is.
darrell
I am just agreeing with everything that has been said here. I have a buddy that is constantly trying to make an NFL roster by being invited to tryout camps, training camps, etc. Pat Tillman represents everything “good” for my friend. I haven’t talked to him this week,but I can imagine that he and many others that related to and respected Tillman are heart-broken.
Tillman chose to serve his country over having a lucrative career in pro football. He didn’t choose to serve his country after he had been vcut from a roster or traded, etc. He literally turned down 6 figures a year to serve his country because it was what needed done.
I have a lot of respect for Tillman and am proud for being from the same country as the guy, as aI am proud of all the others serving our country, my brother-in-law included.
My condolences go to the Tillman family.
Tillman chose to serve his country over having a lucrative career in pro football. He didn’t choose to serve his country after he had been vcut from a roster or traded, etc. He literally turned down 6 figures a year to serve his country because it was what needed done.
According to the liberal politicians and the press, only poor, uneducated people who can’t get jobs because Bush ruined the economy join the military. I guess Pat didn’t know that.
tri_bri2, why not keep politics out of this thread, and concentrate on Pat Tillman and his family.
It seems to me that this thread was intended for people to express their respect and mounrning for Pat Tillman, who, by all accounts, lived an exemplary life and died a tragic death while serving his country.
Your callous attempt to use his death as a means to forward your political views is a sad comment on the depths to which people will sink and will not be forgotten.
mp
Hang in there Tribri. I understood what you said.
As a former Marine officer, with a son in the Army, a nephew in Iraq, and a good friend who was one of the very first KIA in Iraq, it is, in my opinion, the attempts of others to depict our servicemen and women as facile idiots or pawns of a failed economic system that is callous and an attempt to forward their political views. Every one of them are heroes as much as Pat Tillman was and I am sick and tired of the press and others distorting and demeaning their true motivations.
And, no, I don’t forget either.
Pat Tillman was one of the few people in this world who I truly and deeply admired.
Just read the article on MSNBC.com. He made this world a better place and will be deeply missed.
I believe something good can come out of this. More people will know who Pat Tillman is and the sacrifices he made on and off the field. They will know of his values and where his heart was.
I did not know him personally but wish I could have.
My prayers are with his family.
I had a friend in the same company as Tillman was. He told me this guy was the real deal, humble as they come, and pretty much what they had in mind when they wrote the Ranger Creed. Really sad!
Chris
And here is the answer to those who say “if you don’t want to read the political stuff then don’t click on the political threads.”
For god’s sake, you simply can’t avoid it when people pontificate like this.
And not a single person on this thread had done any such thing, until you brought it up - the only thing I read on this thread until I read your post were expressions of grief, sympathy and respect for Tillman and the sacrifice he made in the service of his country.
As a former Marine officer,I would expect you to have a thicker skin. No one here has even attempted to demean or distort Tillman’s motivation. You sir, demean him by using his death to further your poitical views.
mp
I heard on the news that Tillman did some triathlons, I dont know what distance? My thoughts and prayers go out to this fine gentlemans family.
Who even said anything about social-economic background, or the intentions, of the soldiers who choose to fight. There is no need to inject politics into this. It is just really bad taste. Shame on you.