To all those who have served, Thank You

In the United States today is Veterans Day, it is a day for all of us who are so free to take a little time to thank those who have served to grant us these freedoms. Quite frankly it is a sentiment that is largely lost in the American Society. Many have served, many have paid the ultimate price to preserve out freedoms, our way of life, and for the most part it is a thankless job.

In the world of sports sometimes we are quick to label guys as role models, or heroes. Let me make this point perfectly clear the real heroes, the real role models or those of us who choose to serve our country, those of us who risk it all so the rest of us may be free. Those of us who paid with their lives, so the rest of us did not have to. These are the real heroes, and we should remember them more often than on a single day in November.

In my office I have a picture of Pat Tillman, Pat is the finest example of what it means to be an American, of what it means to be a man, and is the finest example of what a role model really is. Pat was a member of the Arizona Cardinals, making millions of dollars playing a sport he loved. Then came the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Pat felt honor bound to serve, to help America in her time of need, and he quit playing football and enlisted in the U.S. Army. Pat ultimately paid the highest price for that decision, but he remains a shining example of the price people pay in serving their country.

Sports is what it is, a job for some of us, a fantasy for some, and a distraction for the rest, today and everyday I thank God that Pat Tillman knew the difference.