Pat Tillman died serving the United States in Afghanistan ten years ago today. Pat Tillman is the former NFL player from San Jose who left football to join the army. Tillman famously left behind a $3.6 million NFL contract to fight for his country after the events of September 11, 2001.
Marie Tillman, Pat’s widow, told NFL.com recently, “It was certainly a gut reaction he had after (the attacks of) September 11th, but really, the process that went into making the decision was much more thoughtful than just sort of an emotional reaction. There was a lot of research and time and thought that went into finally coming to that decision.”
CBS Detroit attributed the following perspective on life to Pat Tillman, “Passion is what makes life interesting, what ignites our soul, fuels our love and carries our friendships, stimulates our intellect, and pushes our limits. A passion for life is contagious and uplifting. Passion cuts both ways. Those that make you feel on top of the world are equally able to turn it upside down. In my life I want to create passion in my own life and with those I care for. I want to feel, experience and live every emotion. I will suffer through the bad for the heights of the good.”
Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. It’s still not clear who shot him, except that it was likely by one of three army rangers. And, for the first time, one of those rangers is speaking about what happened that day.
Army Ranger Stephen Elliot told ESPN recently,
“You aim at a point, and you fire a burst. You are holding your trigger for a fraction of a second, but that fraction of a second releases three to five rounds. If it looked like you had (three) rounds and very close to one another, well, that was very consistent to how I was firing my weapon at that point…. It would be disingenuous for me to say there is no way my rounds didn’t kill him, because my rounds very well could have. The mantra is that when all else fails you do what your team leader does, you go where your team leader goes and you shoot where your team leader shoots, and so effectively…effectively him (Baker) firing at that position is, is the same as his giving an order to fire….And it breaks my heart to say that, because I know that he regrets that—so much.”
Every year the Pat Tillman Foundation sponsors “Pat’s Run” in Tempe, Arizona. Marie Tillman attends every year. She told NFL.com, “Pat is a big part of our life. We all go out to (Pat’s Run) every year, and the older boys have participated. This will be their fourth year. The little ones are a little bit too little to understand yet. (Pat) is very much a part of our life and someone who I talk about — and so it’s nice that we can all participate in something together.”
