Pat Tillman: A Hero or A Waste of Life

Pat Tillman: A Hero or Waste of Life?

Many peoples’ ideas differ about the subject of Pat Tillman. Pat Tillman, 27, was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment based at Fort Lewis, Washington. Tillman was a great football player prior to joining the army. He turned down a three year, 3.6 million dollar contract for the Arizona Cardinals in 2002, to join the army in the wake of the September 11th attacks. Pat Tillman was a skilled football player who was known for his smart, hard-hitting ability, while being one of the smallest on the team. Pat Tillman was shipped out preceding his army training to become a Ranger. He and his brother Kevin were shipped to Iraq in 2003 to help in “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” Pat and his brother were later sent to Afghanistan to assist in the hunt for Osama Bin Laden. On April 22, 2004, the 75th Ranger platoon was supposedly ambushed on a road outside of Sparah. The Pentagon later released the statement that there actually was no ambush, but instead, that two allied groups were confused when a mine exploded in between them, causing them to fire on each other. Tillman’s death was due to friendly fire.

Pat Tillman was a great person and should be considered a role model by the younger generation. Unfortunately in life today, television and radio have an impact on the way a person acts. Young children watch Superman and The Power-Puff Girls on TV and see the great things they do, and want to do something similar. Without all the fantasy, Pat Tillman is a real life hero that should be recognized and appreciated by all. The 9-11 tragedy hurt Pat so much that it drove him to quit his glamorous job as a professional football player and to join the Army to contribute all he could to the effort to breakdown the al-Qaida terror network. Pat Tillman ultimately decided that the pride for his home country was more important than money, which shows how great of a hero he really is. He understood that money is not always the most important thing in life, though it can be hard to distinguish these days.

Pride as a sense of one's own proper dignity or value, made Tillman a hero. Pat Tillman showed his pride for the United States by enlisting and contributing a large part to assist the decisions of his home land. A true American has pride in his land and supports the decisions and actions taken by his country, no matter what. Some Americans have become so outrageous that they