Ex-NFL Player and Ranger Pat Tillman Killed in Action

Post-9/11 Era Forum

Pat Tillman, a former NFL player who swapped a glamorous football career to enlist in the U.S. Army, has been killed in action in Afghanistan, ABCNEWS has learned.

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The 27-year-old former football player was killed in direct action during a firefight in eastern Afghanistan Thursday, Pentagon sources told ABCNEWS.

A former member of the Arizona Cardinals, Tillman, along with his brother Kevin, enrolled with the U.S. Army Rangers a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

According to a Pentagon source, Tillman was killed in action when his unit's patrol was attacked by small arms and mortar fire during a coordinated ambush in eastern Afghanistan.

Two U.S. soldiers were wounded and one enemy combatant was killed during the ambush.

Tillman's brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball player with the Cleveland Indians, is in the same platoon.

Last year, the brothers were awarded an Arthur Ashe Courage Award meant for individuals whose contributions transcend sports. The award was accepted by their younger brother, Richard, while the brothers were away.

Tillman, an unrestricted free agent, traded a $3.6 million, three-year contract with the Cardinals for military service. He made the decision after returning from his honeymoon with his wife, Marie, in May 2002.

The Tillman family has been notified, according to a Pentagon source. A formal announcement is expected later today.

A Shocking Decision

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound football player shocked his teammates and fans when he announced his decision.

He was first sent to Iraq with the 75th Regiment Ranger Battalion last March during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following a brief break, he was posted in Afghanistan, where U.S. troops have been battling pockets of al Qaeda and Taliban resistance since U.S.-led forces attacked the Central Asian nation in 2001.

Despite major media interest in his story, Tillman remained very private about his decision to give up football for military service. He swore his family to silence, according to media reports, and never publicly commented about his choice.

While some media reports suggested that Tillman had lost friends in the attacks on the World Trade Center, family members denied the reports.

‘Extraordinary Young Man’

Reacting to the news in a statement released today, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said he was "heartbroken" by the news of Tillman's death.

"The tragic loss of this extraordinary young man will seem a heavy blow to our nation's morale, as it is surely a grievous injury to his loved ones," said McCain in the statement. "Many American families have suffered the same terrible sacrifice that Pat's family must now bear, and the patriotism that their loved ones exemplified is as fine and compelling as Pat's."

A star football player at Arizona State prior to signing up with the Cardinals, Tillman played four seasons with the Cardinals before he joined the Army.

Source: ABC News

Pat Tillman, who walked away from his professional football career to join the Army Rangers, was killed in Afghanistan, U.S. officials said.

There were no immediate details on his death.

A military official, also speaking on the condition of anonymity, said that a soldier had been killed in action in Afghanistan Thursday, but could not confirm that the soldier was Tillman.

Some members of the Army's elite Ranger units were taking part in the hunt for al-Qaida and Taliban fighters in southeastern Afghanistan, the military official said.

"Pat Tillman was an inspiration both on and off the football field," White House spokesman Taylor Gross said. "As with all who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the war on terror, his family is in the thoughts and prayers of President and Mrs. Bush."

Tillman played four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before enlisting in the Army in May 2002. The safety turned down a three-year, $3.6 million deal from Arizona.

He made the decision after returning from his honeymoon with his wife, Marie.

Tillman's brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the Cleveland Indians' organization, also joined the Rangers and served in the Middle East. They committed to three-year stints in the Army.

Tillman's agent, Frank Bauer, has called him a deep and clear thinker who has never valued material things.

In 2001, Tillman turned down a $9 million, five-year offer sheet from the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams out of loyalty to the Cardinals, and by joining the Army, he passed on millions more from the team.

Tillman turned aside interview requests after joining the Army. In December, during a trip home, he made a surprise visit to his Cardinal teammates.

"For all the respect and love that all of us have for Pat Tillman and his brother and Marie, for what they did and the sacrifices they made ... believe me, if you have a chance to sit down and talk with them, that respect and that love and admiration increase tenfold," Coach Dave McGinnis said at the time. "It was a really, really enriching evening."

It was not immediately clear when Tillman went to Afghanistan.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pound Tillman was distinguished by his intelligence and appetite for rugged play. As an undersized linebacker at Arizona State, he was the Pac-10's defensive player of the year in 1997.

He set a franchise record with 224 tackles in 2000 and warmed up for last year's training camp by competing in a 70.2-mile triathlon in June.

Tillman carried a 3.84 grade point average through college and graduated with high honors in 3½ academic years with a degree in marketing.

"You don't find guys that have that combination of being as bright and as tough as him," Phil Snow, who coached Tillman as Arizona State's defensive coordinator, said in 2002. "This guy could go live in a foxhole for a year by himself with no food."

Tillman and his brother Kevin last year won the Arthur Ashe Courage award at the 11th annual ESPY Awards.

Source: AP

There comes a time when something that is bigger than you takes on a new shape and in turn offers a different perspective not completely realized before. A war from the safety of our homes is a war defined by the media where a degree of separation allows for a comfort level making it easy to become desensitized to the reality of a war's reprecussions.

My feelings do not stem so much from having known him and played with him on our high school football team, but from what those root feelings bloomed into. Not many in life have the courage to give up what he did to stand up to the evils that face this country and ensure your and my freedoms remain firmly within our grasp.

His passing is a bitter-sweet reminder of the ultimate sacrifice of the fallen soldiers who have gone before him and will follow as the great symbols of heroism and patriotism in this country that has made us as strong as we are today.

He is not faceless. To me he has become a personal representation of all that is good in this country. It's sad to see him go. I'm proud of ya, Pat.

Marc, I'm sorry for the loss of your high school pal. But what an amazing thing that he did, giving up a glorified football career and going to fight for what he felt was right. I applaud him for his sacrifice, as do I to all the military men and women who have given their lives, and to those still fighting.

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Marc,

I am sorry for your loss of an old friend and share the hurt.

- Matthew

Sadly, Pat Tillman is another casuality in this war. Like so many before him, he has given his life to protect his country. What makes him unique is he left an otherwise wealthy life to serve his country. Most important though is his family. They are without a son, brother, husband. His strength, honor, and loyalty are an inspiration to us all.

Rest in peace.

Chris


-HECK!

Geez,
Where are all the anti-war people coming down on this?
Soon there will be posts as to why we don't treat each soldier the same and give them all the media hype Pat got?

Pat was a true American with selfless dedication to the Freedom.

I've no doubt Pat Tillman's motives were the good and honorable. But he was a footballer and so did he really know what he was fighting for? And don't say - he was fighting for his coutry - it's 3 years since Afghanistan was apparently librerated. What gets me is that you guys can so easily elevate men like Pat Tillman while looking the other way when people dare to mention that Bush and his neocon chums all somehow managed to dodge fighting in Vietnam. This is such a cop-out and hypocritical to say the least.

George W. Bush is more of a patriot than most people are in this country, especially more than John F. Kerry who threw away his Naval awards in disgust and then denied doing it, when he is on record speaking about it in 1971 . What a pancake.

See? As predicted, here they come.

H@ts,
Pat Tillman is no more or less a hero than any other soldier who has or is serving. The point is what he gave up for his convictions.
Many of you think that America is all about the money. Pat Tillman is a testimony to your ignorance on American patriotism.
If you were an American then, you would have the right to vote for Kerry if you wish.
I could really give a crap about what happen 33 years ago. Actually I am trying to forget some of that myself. Unfortuanately he and I were in the same war so to me, hwat he has done and is doing in unacceptable behavior for a Presidential Candidate.
As for the last 4 years however, I can't vote for someone who is willing to reduce funding for our CIA, FBI and NSA. I cannot vote for someone who did not want to supply our troops with the needed equipment and then vote to send them to battle.
This is John Kerry. All for the Glory. Like pretending to throw away his medals that his country gave him and claims to be a patriot.
Everything that he did to earn his medals in Vietnam are lost on his protests and actions against the very government who honored him in the first place.
Would you really want this man leading your country? Which side will he be for tomorrow?

No, saying that he was a professional football player, who gave up millions of dollars, and glory, and much more, to sacrifice his life for our country is smart, couragous, and honorful. He knew what he was fighting for.

A person is measured by his/her actions or in some cases inactions.

Pat Tillman was doing what he thought was right. What his father before him had done and what his brother is currently doing. He commented on getting everything handed to him on a silver platter and why should he benefit without sacrifice. When 9/11 happened he saw his chance to give back for all good that he received. Pat Tillman is the true definition of a hero. As a long time veteran of this country's military I deeply respect him for his decision to make the ultimate sacrifice. Granted there are many who deserve this respect from this war and all wars. The reason Pat Tillman is in the spotlight is because he was familar to not just his family but to the entire country.

Rest in Peace and our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

yet another name on the list ofproffesional atheletes who went to war and never came back to show us thier sporting ability

Just sayinh he is not the first proffesional athelet to go off to war and not come back.

True sad but true.

Ron Ackerman said:

"Pat Tillman was doing what he thought was right. What his father before him had done and what his brother is currently doing."

No disrespect to Pat Tilman, whoever he was, but seems like he was yet another American lemming willing to commit himself to another self-inflicted American tragedy (Vietnam, Iraq 2004 etc). Good old Pat, another casualty of American indoctrination (probably spent too much type gawping at his American flag in his toilet, shool classroom, corner shop, pub, cinema or the countless other places where the colours of the US flag stain people's minds and renders them incapable of resisting the call to war and mayhem. In fact the word patriotism is the pigeon seed of the indoctrinated. Scatter a few patriotisms here and there and you'll find yourself encircled by a whole army of docile-brained creatures, namely, those that are going to forfit their lives for an illegal invasion.

Line up for your country. Throw yourselves off the cliff of existence. It's such a brave thing to do. A heroic thing to do. An American thing to do.

One man's act of bravery is another man's act of foolishness.

Pat Tillman, it was your misfortune to have been born in a pathiologically disturbed country. Rest in peace in a real democracy.

Funny how when one says "No Disrespect" that is exactly what they do.

With disrespect - what an interesting thing to say in April.

Dear Wolfe, what a careless assumption, believing yours truly to be anti-
American. What does this empty remark really mean? Does it mean I am anti-yours trees? Your bricks? Your streets? Your air? Your smiles? What specifically? Do not generalise. What in particular am I anti?

As for speaking ill of "the" dead (do not generalise again, we were speaking about A dead person, Tim what's his face? not "the dead" -). Be more specific.

I did not speak ill of him, I spoke in sympathy with him, for circumstance had conspired against him (allowing him to be born in a paranoid state) - this may sound like a generalisation, however, this is the view I have extrapolated since speaking to many Americans on this site.

How lovely April is in Berwick.

Are you saying that our Nataional Guard troops are cowards for not joining the regular Army? Are you saying that their contribution is unappreciated and is somehow lesser than the regular Army?
Obviously, you know nothing about Americans or our military.
As for John Kerry. Yes he served and probably deserved the medals he got. However, he is a slap in the face to many Vietnam Veterans.
If he had saved my ass in Vietnam I would be grateful. However, he risked the lives of his countrymen in Vietnam by his actions as well as did Jane Fonda. It is unacceptable. Hero? Yes. Patriot? No. Presidential quality? Absolutley not!

Did you ever notice that the National Guard and Reserves are the first to go to war prior to Active Duty. Reason is, Active Duty already have a full time job and sometimes just can't drop everything and go. While Reserves and NG are sitting their trained ready to go. That's why they call it Ready Reserves.

Come on, he was in, it's not up to the soldier to determine where his unit goes. If his unit got deployed then he would have gone.

I was in during Viet-Nam to Desert Storm. The closest I got was Michigan. Does that make me unpatriotic?

So, you are saying our National Guard are cowrads.
I sure wish I could put you in front of those troops in Iraq and Afganastan today. I'm sure they will disagree with you in a way you might understand.
Then again, that may be an impossible task for you.

Curley Joke, I brushed up against a raw nerve, didn't I? And you showed a classic patholigically irrational, and disproportionate reaponse. Diddums.

You said:

"You reak of anti-Americanism and contemptous disrespect for the decency of a young man's bold spirit and selfless sacrifice."

Two points:

There is no such thing as anti-Americanism. This would mean that I was anti- everything American, including your indigenous trees, animals, shopping centres, parks, lakes, dustbins etc. Be more specific please in what you mean.

Secondly:

You do not know the mechanics of human nature. There is no such thing as a "selfless" sacrifice. The German philosopher Nietzsche said "There is no such thing as a selfless act". Meaning that all human acts are self serving, see my thread on anti-free will. Your mate Tim what's his face probably died because he was full of hate for Arabs are just merely brainwashed like so many of the US army lemmings in the Middle East.

Think before you furball those daft statements.

Perhaps if you removed your silly patriot glasses you'd see the world differently with a more objective outlook.

H@ts, great question about Bush being a yellow belly for dodging Vietnam.

So weird how the republicans don't pick up on his anti-Patriotism, yet some of the Republicans like to denigrate Kerry, who actually went out to fight in Vietnam. Personally, I think Bush did a sensible thing in avoiding Vietnam. But, like you implied, I think I'd rather trust Kerry with US foreing policies, because he knows about the horrors of war as opposed to Bush, who knows next to nothing about the reality of warfare. Typical of the vacuous republicans to contradict themselves on this matter.

Cargo boy, how COULD you be anti-american when your as lazy as the worst of us? Why don't you scroll back a few posts and look up "Tim what's his face's" name and at least pay him that respect? Otherwise I could do without your shallow sympathy in my thread.

Geez,
Thank God neither of have a say! Stay where you are hey? You have spent so much time bashing Bush that you have no idea what an idiot Kerry is. This shows us how blind you both actually are.

You know... I'm really wondering HOW a thread that was started, by someone that KNEW Pat Tillman, and wanted to pay him respect has turned into this crap thread of bashing. You guys should take it elsewhere. Do you have to turn EVERY thread into something like this? Do you have ANY respect for the deceased? Or, how about to Marc, who went to school with Pat, and lost a friend? Give us all a HUGE break and leave your Anit-Americanisms, Bush Bashing, Kerry hating, non-loving comments out of here, and show a little respect.

Sorry if I offended you Marc.
KJ is correct.

Marc Flemming, if you hadn't been as idle as moi, you'd have goggled my respect for Tim...? if you'd cared to read one of my previous posts. But no, you lazily opted to assume that I had not paid some respect to the aforementioned person.

I read ALL of your posts. Did you read mine? Who the hell is TIM?

Mr Cargo... if I was you, I wouldn't argue the point with the man who owns this board.
Just use some respect when you're talking about the deceased.
Your very first comment in here was quite rude.

Cargo, do stay planted upon your Euro-island of bitterness and apathy. You deserve yourself, and your mates deserve you.

Sorry, Marc Flemming, I meant Pat Tillman. Careless of me (one should always admit when one is being careless).

Curley, geezer, I have not intention of going anywhere else. My beautiful
European Island is enough for me. But thanks for your concern.

KJ, shame you don't apply the same level of sympathey of the dead Pat T. to all the murdered innocent Iraqis who have died through the actions of an illegal occupying force, namely the US, in Iraq. Let's mourn all the dead involved in the mayhem of Iraq, not just one American.

Before I leave to rattle off to the pub: here's a challenge for you Americans out there. I want you to stress how sorry you are for all the dead innocent Iraqis who have died because of the US-led invasion of Iraq.

Actually, Cargo, I'm sorry about the who war, and all of the innocent people that have died. But, I never belonged to a group, or a cause, that killed innocent people for the kick of it, or for some sick and twisted reason. Something had to happen over there. I don't like war, but I don't like terrorist of ANY shape or size. And, it's too bad that you don't know my feelings, because I've stated them in several places before. Enjoy the pub... maybe a pint of ale will wisen you up!

Me too, that's probably why he has no idea about the rest of the world. Stuck on that little island would drive me nuts too.

I think we have heard enough. There are many more thread on this forum to voice your opinion.

Rest in peace Pat, you have our respect.

Pat Tillman was a man who was deeply moved by the tragedy of 9/11. He postponed a career that would have earned him millions of dollars a year, to join the armed services and protect his country from the terrorist threat that left it's mark in New York, Washington D.C. & Pennsylvania. He chose not to publisize his enlistment and never wanted to be hailed as a hero or icon for his decision. He simply did what he felt in his heart was the right thing to do. He was selfless in a way that more people should aspire to be.
My prayers go out to his family as well as the families of all fallen soldiers and citizens alike.


I'm surprised by some of the comments and lack of sympathy & respect in this thread.
As for the political agenda of those who wish to use this to debate, you should know that Tillman wasn't killed in Iraq, he was killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan while fighting Al-Queda...Not Iraqi citizens. His death has nothing to do with George W. Bush or John Kerry. It has nothing to do with the conflict in Iraq. He is not a person that can or should be used as a political ping pong ball. He was a real hero and patriot. Something that every country lacks nowadays.
The point is, reserve the anti-american propaganda and presidential debate for the other threads and at least have the decency that every human is capable of to respect the dead.