Pat Tillman killed in Afghanistan

MSNBC ^ | 04/23/2004

[jtminton]

Ex NFL Cardinal Pat Tillman has been killed in Afghanistan. Details unknown.

[Glenn]

That's bad. Wasn't he the one who was there with his brother?

[Catspaw]

I just heard this on MSNBC. No details. They report he died sometime this week.

[jtminton]

From NFL.com:

Tillman follows beat of a different drum

By Tom Barnidge
NFL Insider

(March 20, 2003) -- Those who know Pat Tillman know that he always has welcomed a challenge.

As a youth, he high-dived from bridges and cliffs. At Arizona State, he hopped the fence at Sun Devil Stadium and climbed a light tower. Before reporting for training camp with the Arizona Cardinals two years ago, he competed in a 70-mile triathlon.

"He's like Forrest Gump. He tries everything," says Frank Sanders, his former teammate.

So no one should have been surprised last spring when Tillman, entering his fourth NFL season, shucked it all and joined his brother, Kevin, in setting out to become an Army Ranger. What's a three-year, $3.6 million pro football contract when you can collect $18,000 a year from Uncle Sam?


Pat Tillman gave up the glamour of the NFL to serve his country.

"Pat has very deep and true convictions," Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis said at the time. "He's a deep thinker, and believe me, this was something he thought out."

Tillman made no public statement. He wasn't in this for the publicity. But you didn't need to dig too deeply to find an explanation for his actions. Friends said that the 9/11 terrorist attacks had affected him deeply. Cardinals defensive coordinator Larry Marmie, after a conversation with his former player, said Tillman felt he needed to "pay something back" for the comfortable life he had been afforded.

Whatever his rationale, he clearly was serious about his pursuit. He and Kevin completed basic training in July and advanced through individual training in October. They graduated from parachute school in November, and completed the Ranger Indoctrination Program in December. Just that quickly, Tillman was assigned to the second battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Lewis, Washington.

"He's a full-fledged Ranger now," Army spokesperson Carol Darby reported. "He's ready for combat. He will move with his unit for whatever that unit is involved in."

The 75th Ranger Regiment was deployed recently, presumably to the Middle East. If the description that the Army attaches to the unit ("flexible, highly trained, and rapidly deployed light infantry force with specialized skills") is any measure, the 75th likely will wind up in the middle of the most serious action.

You can be sure that Tillman will be prepared for the challenge. He succeeds at just about everything he sets out to do.

Consider…

He arrived at Arizona State in 1994 on the school's last remaining football scholarship, landing a spot on the end of the bench, where dreams go to expire. He left four seasons later as the Pac-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

He was selected by the Cardinals with the 226th pick of the 1998 draft -- the league packed up and went home after pick 241 -- and five months later, he was Arizona's starting strong safety.

This is a fellow who doesn't know the meaning of fail -- on the field, in the classroom, or anywhere else. He had a 3.84 grade-point average at ASU and graduated with a degree in marketing in 3½ years.

Pat Tillman is nothing if not unusual. In college, he played linebacker, where he was thought to be too small. In the NFL, he played safety, where he was thought to be too slow. When he set a club record for tackles in 2000 and attracted the interest of another team, the St. Louis Rams, he declined their five-year offer sheet out of loyalty to the club that had drafted him.

NFL players hardly have been strangers to military service. Roger Staubach served four years after graduating from the Naval Academy before joining the Dallas Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie in 1969. Rocky Bleier of the Pittsburgh Steelers nearly lost a leg to a land mine when he did a tour of duty in Vietnam.

But the list of names grows a little shorter when it comes to NFL players who have walked away from million-dollar contracts in the prime of their careers.

The story that comes to mind is one told by Bruce Snyder, Tillman's coach at Arizona State. It seems that Snyder planned to redshirt Tillman as a freshman, extending his eligibility by a season. Of course, that would necessitate Tillman remaining in college for an extra year.

"You can do whatever you want with me," Tillman said, "but in four years I'm gone. I've got things to do with my life."

Obviously, he still does.

[zarf]

THis hurts. Oh, man. What a great guy.

[The Toll]

Just heard about it. How terribly sad.

[Catspaw]

Yes, he joined after 9/11. Wanted no publicity. Jim Mik. said he was with the Rangers. Left a lucrative NFL career to serve his country.

[TomGuy]

I thought he was on duty in Afghanistan? Was he reassigned?

[threat matrix]

Hope to God it isnt true.

[BADROTOFINGER]

Me too...JFK

[2banana]

Didn't know t Rangers were still over there. I have heard nothing on any missions in the news...

[TomGuy]

[Catspaw]

Jim Mik. (you figure out how to spell his last name) was reporting this for MSNBC from the Pentagon. It's true. We lost another hero.

[rintense]

Incredibly sad... but Tillman died with a purpose, a purpose he found after 9-11. God bless you, Pat, for sacrificing yourself for your country.

[Constitution Day]

Wow. This is the first I've heard of his death; how very, very sad.

[Maigrey]

NOOOOOOO!

Prayers for the family of this warrior and patriot.

[jtminton]

[Jhensy]

Aww, man. Terrible news. RIP, hero.

[Timeout]

I, too, hope and pray this isn't true.

Either way...God Bless You, Pat Tillman.

[Coop]

We lost another hero. Rest in peace, Pat.

[threat matrix]

Just damn.. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4815441

[July 4th]

Damn. Lost another great one. (They're all great).

[section9]

I'm afraid it is.

This Ranger could have made millions by remaining in the NFL. Instead, he took a bullet for all of us.

We need to earn his sacrifice.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Catspaw]

Jim Mik. also said that this was announced after his parents were notified of his death.

[dixie sass]

May he rest in peace in the arms of the Lord. This man was what heros are made of. The type of person that you want your children to look up to and try to immulate.

[TXBSAFH]

Prayers.

[RobFromGa]

please remove the ! in the title

[jtminton]

Check your link

[longhorn too]

I haven't felt this bad since 9/11. When ever someone looks up the word Hero in the dictionary there shoud be a picture of Pat Tillman there. This is really sad, a great, great man.

[crz]

He had it all. Instead he gave all. That is a true hero.

[BayouCoyote]

This man gave up a career full of personal gratification to fight for America. I truly admired him then and more so now. God bless him.

[dead]

God bless him. They don't make many like him.

[optik_b]

[JackDanielsOldNo7]

Why does God let MEN like this die young and jackasses like Ted "the drunk" Kennedy live an eternity(on earth)?

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

CNN confirms that he was killed in Afghanistan.

[jtminton]

please remove the ! in the title

Sorry. I guess it could read the wrong way. Thanks for pointing that out.

[1Old Pro]

Yes, he joined after 9/11. Wanted no publicity. Jim Mik. said he was with the Rangers. Left a lucrative NFL career to serve his country.

WOW, hero status, as are all of the men and women who serve our country.

[Jhensy]

He was killed in Afghanistan, CNN reporting now.

[No Blue States]

What a true Hero, I didnt know about this guy.

May the Lord comfort his grieving family.

[Catspaw]

Confusing--CNN first said he died in Iraq; is now saying he died in Afghanistan.

Barbara Starr is reporting he died in action in southeastern Afghanistan yesterday. On a mission to mop up remnants of Taliban & al Qaeda. A number of Afghan soldiers were also killed in the action. Pentagon will not announce officially under family notification procedures which gives a 24 waiting period until official announcement.

[jtminton]

Look at it this way: God would probably rather hang out with Tillman way more than he'd want to hang out with Kennedy.

(Waiting for lightning bolt strike. . . )

[Nexus]

Please change to Afghanistan.

[threat matrix]

At least Pat's dad got to accept both brothers ESPN Arthur Ashe Courage Award last year and meet all of his sports heroes.. http://defendamerica.mil/profiles/jul2003/pr071803a.html

[gramho12]

This man gave up a career full of personal gratification to fight for America. I truly admired him then and more so now. God bless him.

Amen. A true hero, one that our children can really look up to. God bless his family.

[TomGuy]

Some historical FR links for this fallen hero


   

Pat Tillman Update
			Posted by BroncosFan On News/Activism 12/23/2003 8:23:27 PM CST with 2 comments The Arizona Republic ^ | Kent Somers Tillman drops by to stay in touch Kent Somers The Arizona Republic Dec. 22, 2003 12:00 AM SEATTLE - As a U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman probably is accustomed to stealth missions. He made another one this weekend, visiting his old team, the Cardinals, on their trip to Seattle. Tillman, a former Cardinals safety, is stationed at Ft. Lewis, about a 50-minute drive south of Seattle. So he, along with wife Marie, his brother Kevin, and a couple of friends visited the Cardinals on Saturday and Sunday. Kevin is also a Ranger. They stayed at the team hotel, watched the...
(Former NFL Player/Current Army Ranger) Tillman drops by to stay in touch
			Posted by mark502inf On News/Activism 12/23/2003 8:15:22 AM CST with 14 comments The Arizona Republic ^ | Dec. 22, 2003 12:00 AM | Kent Somers SEATTLE - As a U.S. Army Ranger, Pat Tillman probably is accustomed to stealth missions. He made another one this weekend, visiting his old team, the Cardinals, on their trip to Seattle. Tillman, a former Cardinals safety, is stationed at Ft. Lewis, about a 50-minute drive south of Seattle. So he, along with wife Marie, his brother Kevin, and a couple of friends visited the Cardinals on Saturday and Sunday. Kevin is also a Ranger. They stayed at the team hotel, watched the game from owner Bill Bidwill's suite and met with players Sunday morning and after the game. Tillman...
Tillman brothers back safely from overseas
			Posted by eeman On News/Activism 07/09/2003 11:50:55 PM CDT with 4 comments The Arizona Republic ^ | Jul. 8, 2003 | Tim Tyers Pat and Kevin Tillman have returned stateside from Operation Iraqi Freedom and have been selected by the Army to participate in a three-month-long elite Ranger training regimen. "The boys have been back for a couple of weeks now, and now they are stationed in the Tacoma, Washington, area," their father, Patrick Tillman Sr., said on Monday. "They are both healthy and fine, and we, of course, we are very relieved and very happy." Pat Tillman walked away from a three-year, $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals, and his brother Kevin gave up a minor league baseball career to enlist...
Tillman and his brother served with elite rangers in Iraq Will Receive ESPY Courage Award
			Posted by LavaDog On News/Activism 07/02/2003 2:24:47 PM CDT with 13 comments Associated Press | July 1 2003 PHOENIX -- Former Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman and his brother were selected to receive the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPY Awards ceremony this year. Pat and Kevin Tillman both enlisted in the U.S. Army and served with elite rangers in Iraq. Their father, Richard Tillman, was expected to accept the award on their behalf at the ESPY ceremony in Los Angeles on July 16. Pat Tillman played four seasons with the Cardinals as a safety before turning down a $3.6 million contract to join the Army in May 2002. He and Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect...
The Pat Tillman (little) effect
			Posted by dewee On News/Activism 04/21/2003 8:37:37 PM CDT with 3 comments espn.go.com ^ | Thursday, April 17 | By Greg Garber The Pat Tillman (little) effect ---------------------------------------- By Greg Garber ESPN.com While Pat Tillman's former Arizona Cardinals teammates sweat and grimace their way through an off-season conditioning program -- a heavy rotation of weight lifting and aerobic exercises -- Tillman faces the prospect of the ultimate sacrifice. A soldier from the 75th Ranger Regiment, possibly Pat Tillman, forges the way for U.S. ground troops to follow in southern Iraq. A member of the elite Army Rangers, Tillman presumably is on the ground somewhere in the splintered country of Iraq. Deployed in early March along with the rest of the 75th Ranger...
The Pat Tillman (little) effect
			Posted by ilgipper On News/Activism 04/20/2003 12:15:41 PM CDT with 18 comments ESPN ^ | 4/17/03 | Greg Garber The Pat Tillman (little) effect By Greg Garber ESPN.com While Pat Tillman's former Arizona Cardinals teammates sweat and grimace their way through an off-season conditioning program -- a heavy rotation of weight lifting and aerobic exercises -- Tillman faces the prospect of the ultimate sacrifice. A member of the elite Army Rangers, Tillman presumably is on the ground somewhere in the splintered country of Iraq. Deployed in early March along with the rest of the 75th Ranger Regiment, he and his comrades are working to liberate Iraq from the grip of Saddam Hussein. Tillman, at 26 years old, left a...
Ranger Pat Tillman [Former NFL Safety-Ariz. Cards] May be En Route to Iraq.. (Hello Baghdad)
			Posted by ewing On News/Activism 03/23/2003 12:29:06 PM CST with 12 comments Florida Sun Sentinel ^ | March 21, 2003 SGT | Sam Farmer Less than a year after giving up a lucrative National Football League career to serve his country former Arizona Cardinal safety Pat Tillman has become an Army Ranger and has been deployed, presumably to the Middle East.Tillman and his brother Kevin, a former Cleveland Indians minor league baseball player, are now a part of the 75th Ranger Regiment, consisting three battalions and 2,300 men.The Tillmans had been stationed in Fort Lewis Washington but were deplyed in the past two weeks.

[mystery-ak]

It has to be Afghanistan...I don't think the Rangers are in Iraq......

[Gypssy]

I just saw it on MSNBC. I'm very sad over this. I was so proud when I read what he did after 9/11. God Bless his family.

[jtminton]

They just corrected themselves on the radio. He died in Afghanistan.

[RobFromGa]

We should all take a moment to remember that every soldier who dies or is wounded had dreams for the future and was sacrificing some part of himself or herself that they believe is worth it. Tillman just had a life that we know more about, and his sacrifice is visible to us all. he was truly a hero and a role model.

When these fine men and women are killed or wounded defending us, it is up to us to remember that without them there would be nothing to defend. This Memorial Day, every American should do something in between the Picnic and the ball game--

Remember.

[Petronski]

Some gave all.