Pat Tillman

[Rocky]

This has been on my mind since last night (friday 4/23). Ex-Arizona nfl player Pat Tillman who joined the Army Rangers was killed in combat in Afganistan on Thursday night. I remember reading about him a few years ago when he turned down millions of dollars to be traded from Arizona to St Louis. He felt he should stay with the guys he called "his team". Then he decided to give up his nfl career and join our armed forces. His brother joined also.
Pat wasn't a big guy by nfl standards, but at 5'11" and 200 pounds he was built solid. And strong as a bull. A very handsome guy with chiseled features, he challenged himself to many events such as triathalons.
He represented everything that a man of character should be like. Brave, strong, and a heart bigger than this world. And according to news reports Pat was a man who did not want the spot light to follow him into the service. He wanted to be a soldier and fight for everyones freedom. Not just the usa, but for the world.
If we all could be as brave as Pat Tillman, I do believe this world would be a better place. PAT TILLMAN A REAL WORLD HERO.
......Rocky........

[ashleydelfin]

I'd just like to say that while Pat was admirable, that whole bit of "if the whole world was like him..." is totally false. If that was the case the world would be totally boring! Great things happen when two people when different points of views come together and become allies instead of enemies.

But anyway...

War sucks, the fact that actual people die in it sucks even more. The press, however, would've been much more respectful to Mr. Tillman if they had treated his death like the death of any other soldier. He was a great man, yes, but what about the OTHER great men that fought and died alongside him?

AGH! Okay, this is so totally out of topic for this board, so I'll stop now. That and I'm this close to beginning a rant. So instead I'll go and eat chocolate.

[wrestlejock646]

I also feel strongly about the death of Pat Tillman. The course he set for himself throughout his life was admirable and heroic. I hope he is remembered as much for his life as for his death.

I don't think the press has acted in any way disrespectful of Pat Tillman. On the contrary, I think they've given him the due that every other soldier who's fought and died in both Afghanistan and Iraq has deserved and NOT gotten. 712 dead American soldiers and counting with 115 killed in the month of April 2004 alone. Thousands more injured to varying degrees. All of those serving facing emotional scars when they return home. Most of them remain anonymous to everyone other than their immediate families and loved ones. I wish every one of them were memorialized and honored by the media the way Pat Tillman has been.

I know this isn't a political forum. I don't think this qualifies as a political post. I'll trust any administrator to delete my post if they disagree. I do think that the media has failed to do its job adequately, however. War isn't a video game and it should be covered in a less sensational way that reflects the hell it is.

[ashleydelfin]

"I don't think the press has acted in any way disrespectful of Pat Tillman. On the contrary, I think they've given him the due that every other soldier who's fought and died in both Afghanistan and Iraq has deserved and NOT gotten."

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Wow, that sounds so much better. And you're totally right, too.