How did patrick tillman died
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In 2000, he broke the team record for tackles with 224. After earning his jump wings, he then graduated from the Ranger Indoctrination Program in December 2002.
On Jan. 14, 2003, he was assigned to Company A, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Lewis, Wash.
He gave up fame and fortune to serve; in turn, he sacrificed his life for his nation. His leap from NFL star to enlisted soldier captured the nation’s admiration.
Service Beyond the Spotlight
Tillman completed Ranger School and deployed first to Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan in 2004 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. I did it (admittedly) in such an insensitive way, that the article was not worth publishing.”
The newspaper’s editorial board ran a letter to readers in Thursday’s edition saying Gonzalez’s views do not reflect The Collegian’s opinion.
— Associated Press
Tillman family grieves in silence as soldier is brought home
PHOENIX — Pat Tillman’s grieving family has maintained its public silence and indicated it will do so for some time.
Tillman, the 27-year-old former football star who gave up his pro career to join the Army, was killed in combat Thursday in Afghanistan.
He said the soldier died after a firefight with anti-coalition militia forces about 25 miles southwest of a U.S. base at Khost, which has been the scene of frequent attacks. The Army gave few details of how Tillman was killed, but said he was fatally shot while fighting “without regard for his personal safety.”
Shriver said Tillman epitomized the message her uncle, John F.
Kennedy, delivered in his presidential inauguration 43 years ago.
“My uncle once said, ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ You, Pat, have lived those words,” she said.
NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue and Hall of Famer Gene Upshaw, executive director of the players’ union, were among those who attended the public memorial at a municipal rose garden.
“The underlying thing was his courage and selflessness on the athletic field, in his community and now as a soldier,” Tagliabue told reporters before the service.
Last week, the military posthumously promoted Tillman, a member of the Army’s elite Ranger unit since 2002, from specialist to corporal.
His family’s relentless pursuit of transparency exposed flaws in military communication and the politics of public narrative. Hannes said the sergeant major had made it clear that the Tillmans were to be treated just like everybody else.
“He was a private like everybody else was a private,” Hannes told The News Tribune of Tacoma.
That to me is a real hero.”
Schwarzenegger was in Germany meeting with U.S. troops and others on Monday.
Tillman, 27, died April 22 in Afghanistan in a firefight near the Pakistan border as he was leading his team to help comrades caught in an ambush. The Tillman brothers were assigned to the 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Lewis, Washington, and did tours in Iraq in 2003, followed by Afghanistan the next year.
On April 22, 2004, Pat Tillman was killed by gunfire while on patrol in a rugged area of eastern Afghanistan.
Col. Matt Beevers, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Kabul, confirmed that a U.S. soldier was killed April 22, but would not say whether it was Tillman. “Memorandums of concern” were also sent to several brigadier generals and lower-ranking officers who the Army believed acted improperly in the case.
April 22, 2004 – Spera, Afghanistan — Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr., known to fans as Pat Tillman, the Arizona Cardinals safety who walked away from a lucrative football career to serve his country, was tragically killed at age 27 while serving as an Army Ranger during Operation Mountain Storm in eastern Afghanistan.
“He first would say thank you.
Tillman was a member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, headquartered at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Past winners of the patriotism award include World War II Gen. Omar Bradley; the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment for its service in Vietnam; former astronaut John Young; and the late country singer Johnny Cash.
Tillman was praised as a national hero, awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals and posthumously promoted to corporal. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks affected him deeply.
Tillman was the first NFL player killed in combat since Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Bob Kalsu died in the Vietnam War in July 1970.
He proudly walked away from a career in football to a greater calling,” said former Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis
At press time April 23, however, military officials said they could not confirm Tillman’s death. Though he could not wear the uniform beyond April 2004, the impact of his choice continues to resonate—encouraging others to reflect on sacrifice, courage, and the meaning of true leadership.
Pat’s journey—from collegiate standout to NFL fixture, and ultimately to elite Army Ranger—embodied a rare blend of athletic prowess and moral purpose.
— Pat Tillman’s decision to walk away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to fight for his country made him a hero to some of the people he used to admire.
Many celebrities and politicians were among the approximately 3,000 people who came out in his hometown Monday to remember a man so moved by the Sept. His death, caused by friendly fire, marked a loss felt far beyond sports—stirring national reflection and debate over honor, truth, and the cost of service.
From NFL Stardom to Voluntary Service
Born November 6, 1976, in Fremont, California, and raised in San Jose, Tillman rose to football prominence at Arizona State University, earning All-American honors and becoming Pac‑10 Defensive Player of the Year in 1997.
“He was a most honorable man.”
Though he never publicly offered reasons for his decision to join the Army, several friends have said the terrorist attacks affected him deeply.
“He wasn’t interested in headlines,” Upshaw said. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that he left the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army.
“I was told he admired me but it’s the reverse ...,” Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote in a letter read by his wife, Maria Shriver. “I hope you understand.”
Asked if the family planned to issue a statement soon, Tillman responded, “No, we won’t be saying anything for quite a while.”
Meanwhile, funeral arrangements were pending for the former Arizona State University and Arizona Cardinals defensive star.
Military officials have arranged for the fallen soldier’s final journey home.
Tillman’s body will be sent directly to a military mortuary at Dover, bypassing the U.S.
military’s medical facilities in Germany, where most casualties usually make their first stop, said Shari Lawrence, deputy public affairs officer for the Army Human Resources Command.