Patriot, hero, role model: for young Americans, the inspiring story of Pat Tillman's life should be a lesson in integrity

VFW Magazine, August, 2004 by Tim Dyhouse

What adventurous young man wouldn't have wanted to be Pat Tillman. He played in the high-profile National Football League. He served in the elite and dangerous ranks of Army Rangers. And he died courageously in Afghanistan in April 2004. Tillman will be forever remembered as a true American hero.

That he will never be able to relate these extraordinary experiences to young, impressionable minds may be the real tragedy of his death. Though he shunned the spotlight when he joined the Army, indications are that Tillman would have relished opportunities to be a role model if he had made it home alive.

"Pat spoke at a lot of schools, telling kids to chase their dreams," said Mark Brand, an assistant athletic director at Arizona State University, where Tillman played college football. "When he said he'd been told he was too small and too slow to play ball but made it anyway, well, they believed him."

A Sports Illustrated article published shortly after Tillman's death reported that at children's camps sponsored by his NFL team, the Arizona Cardinals, "The biggest gang of kids was always packed tight around him, and no one could quite say why."

If Tillman had returned home safely, perhaps he could have explained why he turned his back on wealth, fame and security in the NFL to sacrifice for a cause bigger than himself. He could have told students how deeply he was affected by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"I play football, and it just seems so goddamn--it is--unimportant compared to everything that's taken place," he told NFL Films the day after the attacks. "I feel guilty even having the damn interview. My grandfather was at Pearl Harbor, and a lot of my family has gone and fought in wars, and I really haven't done a damn thing."

But Pat Tillman won't be coming home and speaking to students. Maybe his brother Kevin, who left behind a career as a professional baseball player to join the Army and serve with Pat in the 2nd Bn., 75th Ranger Regt., will. Or it could be others, like Steve White, a Navy SEAL who served with Pat in Iraq.

"He was one of the most remarkable human beings I've ever met," White said at Tillman's memorial service. "He wasn't looking for the easy thing to do, just the right thing."

More likely, the job will be left to parents, teachers and other adults who believe Pat Tillman's story is important for the future leaders of America.

"Listening to stories about others' noble or heroic behaviors can encourage children to think about their own values and choices," said Chuck Smith, a child development specialist at Kansas State University. "The willingness to sacrifice for the welfare of others--to step up and do what you believe is right--is evidence of integrity."

For his heroic deeds in Afghanistan, Tillman received a posthumous Silver Star and promotion to corporal.

"The Army always notes that rank and promotion are not a reward of what was done well, but a recognition that you have the potential to do more," Army spokeswoman Martha Rudd told the Associated Press. "This promotion is essentially saying he would have been a fine leader."

Without a doubt, Tillman was a fine leader. He will always be remembered as an uncommon man who paid the ultimate sacrifice for his fellow citizens. It's a story that should be told and retold to all of America's youth.