Remember Pat Tillman

Click to read anArticle written by Kevin Tillman, Pat's brother and veteran as well.
Do you remember Pat Tillman? Pat Tillman thought he was doing the right thing, the patriotic thing, when he gave up his professional football career with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist (that’s right enlist) with his brother in the United States Army to be Rangers. It was a true American story of the spirit that made America great. A promising safety in the NFL turned down a $3.6 million dollar - three year contract to enlist in the U.S. Army. Enlist! Think about it. A millionaire consciously decided to take a pay cut, a lifetime opportunity kind of pay cut, to a poverty level to be enlisted in the Army. Check out how much lower enlisted receives for base pay (ok so Tillman would rake in an additional $110 a month jump pay, woo wee).

Pat’s brother gave up a similar future in baseball for the same reason. They did it together. They both carried out their goal, doing what some of us have done, completing basic training, AIT, Jump School, Ranger Indoctrination and eventually Ranger School all in order to accomplish being all they could be.

What’s wrong with this story? After he and his brother served with second battalion 75th Ranger Regiment in the invasion of Iraq, Pat was killed in action after redeployment to Afghanistan. If you remember Pat was killed, supposedly in a firefight with enemy combatants. Then it came out that there were no enemy involved. Pat was killed by friendly fire. The family was immediately informed of the death of Pat Tillman but not that it was by friendly fire. His brother, in the same unit but not at the location at the time of Pat’s death, wasn’t even informed that it was friendly fire for over a month. Since it all started the family of Pat Tillman has had a horrible time getting answers (click to read all about it.)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Tillman