Pat Tillman: Portrait of an American Hero

On May 31, 2002, Pat Tillman and his brother Kevin walked into a local recruiting office and enlisted in the US Army. Pat walked away from a $3.6 million professional football contract and Lord knows what else so he could serve his country in the immediate aftermath of 911. Pat Tillman’s story is that of a conflicted man and a horribly flawed system. However, his is a tale of epic sacrifice and genuine selfless service.

Pat Tillman was the eldest of three sons born to Patrick and Mary Tillman in Fremont, California. By NFL standards, Tillman was not a terribly big man. He stood 5’11” and weighed 202 pounds when dressed out as a safety for the Arizona Cardinals. Pat personified the axiom, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog.”

FROM HERE

-Alemaster

*****

Me not being a sports fan at all, I had never even heard of Pat Tillman until I heard the guys at work talking about him enlisting.

I thought it was an incredibly Patriotic thing he did, delaying or giving up a multi-million dollar career to serve his Nation.