A Hero’s Call
Patrick Tillman was one of the greatest patriots to play in the NFL. After the tragic events of 9/11and four years in the league all with the Arizona Cardinals, he decided to leave a 3.6 million dollar contract on the table and walk away from the NFL to join the Army Ranger Program in the offseason. Pat Tillman is a hero because he decided to leave a life of luxury to fight for his country in Afghanistan.
Pat Tillman was born on November 6, 1976 in Fremont, California. Growing up, Tillman lived a troubled youth and used football as an escape from his problems. He eventually received a football scholarship to Arizona State University, where he was a standout student athlete receiving a 3.85 GPA along with the Pac-10 Defensive player of the year award. In the 1998 NFL draft Pat Tillman was selected 226th overall by the Arizona Cardinals. During his time with the Cardinals, Tillman racked in 238 tackles, 3 interceptions, and 2 and a half sacks.
Out of loyalty to his team Pat Tillman turned down a five year 9 million dollar contract with the St. Louis Rams to stay with the Cardinals. It was out of loyalty to his country that he would turn down the Cardinals extension to join the military. On May 31, 2002, Pat along side his brother Kevin enlisted with the United States Army. Tillman entered Army Ranger School in 2003 after participating in the initial invasion of Operation Iraqi Freedom; he later graduated in the November of 2003. All for a war he did not believe in.
The moral ambiguity surrounding the Iraq war was not unclear for pat. Nevertheless, he continued his Ranger training until he was eventually deployed in Khost, Afghanistan. Serving in Alpha Company, Second Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment as a team leader and a saw gunner of a caravan. Tillman, along side two other squad members had orders to travel from Magarah to Mana, while his brother Kevin, trailed in the second serial of the convoy. The caravan was separated after Kevin’s group was assigned to tow a vehicle back to be repaired. While on the way back the convoy was ambushed, Tillman alongside Private O’Neal hurried to rescue their Ambushed soldiers. Pat Tillman would be fatally shot that day by what is now known to be fratricide. However the death of Tillman would remain a secret and covered up by the United States Army for years after his death. Pat’s father would later say “After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this. They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it,