Digression IV: Pat Tillman

During one of my trips to ESPN.com today, I discovered, along with the rest of America, that former NFL safety Pat Tillman was killed today in combat in Afghanistan.

In 2002, Mr. Tillman enlisted in the Army and joined the Rangers, leaving a three-year, $3.6 million deal on the table with the Arizona Cardinals. The story of his death was the one and only focus on the Jim Rome Show this afternoon. ESPN’s SportsNation has given fans the opportunity to post their thoughts on the man and his sacrifice. I wanted to post there, but decided against it, because my thoughts on the situation are probably unpopular.

As a sports fan, this story makes me sad. I didn’t see Mr. Tillman play a lot, but to hear that the guy left millions of dollars behind to go fight made me an instant fan.

As a patriot, this story makes me sad. Mr. Tillman was an American soldier who gave his life while doing his job. It is a job that he signed up for, that I neither could nor would want to do if I had the opportunity. For that, he has my thanks and my deep respect.

As simply an American citizen that loves his country, this story makes me very angry. What Mr. Tillman did was heroic. But it was no more heroic than the thousands of other men and women who died before him in this war, or the tens of thousands that have died in wars before this one. Mr. Tillman’s death, while tragic, is no more or less important than any other…and to see this story take over the news, as if on an even higher pedestal than those he served with, makes me angry. They say he gave up his career, his family, his livelihood…well so too did many others who now serve in our armed forces. They deserve our thanks and deep respect too.

Don’t misunderstand me. I know that this story is newsworthy because of Mr. Tillman’s celebrity. But I guess that’s part of the problem.

If you respect Pat Tillman for his actions, respect all of our troops. If you’re going to mourn him, mourn them all. If you’re thankful for his deeds, the best thing you can do is say thank you to a veteran you meet on the street or in the grocery store. They may not have had Mr. Tillman’s name recognition, but they are heroes just the same.