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EARLY LIFE OF PAT
TILLMAN
Pat Tillman was born to Mary and Patrick Tillman on November 6, 1976, in
San Jose, California.
Tillman excelled in football while attending Leland High School.
He led his team to the Central Coast Division 1 Football Championship.
He landed a scholarship to Arizona State University, which is where he attended
after high school.
The linebacker helped his team achieve an undefeated season and to make
it to the 1997 Rose Bowl game.
DRAFTED TO THE NFL
Tillman was selected in the NFL draft by the Arizona cardinals in 1998.
Over time he earned his place as a starting player and set a new team
record for the number of tackles (224) in 2000.
Tillman was loyal to his team and turned down a lucrative contract with the
St. Louis Rams to stay with the cardinals in 2001.
JOINING THE ARMY
When the United States' invaded Afghanistan, Tillman decided to
put his professional career on hold in order to join the U.S.
military.
After finishing the 2001 season, he planned on enlisting in the
U.S. Army with his younger brother, Kevin.
His decision to leave the sport to join the military garnered a lot of
media attention.
Tillman turned down a three-year, $3.6 million contract with the
Cardinals to enlist.
Before starting his military service, Tillman married his high
school girlfriend Marie.
TIME IN THE ARMY
Tillman, along with his brother, went through training to become
Army Rangers and were BOTH assigned to the second battalion
of 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Lewis, Washington.
Tillman served in several tours of duty, including time in Iraq as
part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
he also stayed in Afghanistan to serve in Operation Enduring
Freedom.
THE DEATH OF TILLMAN
On April 22, 2004, Tillman was killed in action while in a canyon like ravine in
eastern Afghanistan.
The first reports indicated that he was shot during a clash with enemy forces during
an ambush.
there were still many unanswered questions and conflicting accounts concerning
the circumstances surrounding his death.
Tillman's family began demanding answers from the military.
By the end of May, media outlets reported that Tillman was actually killed in an
accidental friendly fire.
Official documents LATER REVEALED that the U.S. Army was aware of the possibility
of friendly fire in regards to Tillman's death even before his memorial service.
THEY withheld this knowledge from the public and from Tillman's family until well after the
memorial.
THE TRUTH
What CAME TO BE known was that Tillman's platoon was forced to split up
when one of their vehicles broke down during a routine search of an Afghan
village.
Half the platoon members were ordered to tow the vehicle, but were
attacked by Taliban insurgents.
When Tillman and his half of the platoon came to the rescue, they were
mistaken for enemy soldiers.
Tillman was shot three times in the head while protecting a young soldier,
and two other Americans were wounded.
THE PAT TILLMAN SCANDAL
Documents that surfaced years later also proved that those
involved in the incident were aware that Tillman had died from
friendly fire.
After Tillman's death, the investigation proved that Army
commanders and members of the Bush administration concealed
the truth behind the soldier's shooting.
destroying items of his clothing
his notebooks
hiding parts of Tillman's body to cover up evidence
TILLMANS LEGACY
PAT Tillman received a Purple Heart and Silver Star medals from the military
Tillman's numbers for the ASU Sun Devils and the Arizona Cardinals were retired
in his honor.
In May 2010, he was chosen to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
During June of the same year, the NFL and the Pat Tillman Foundation joined
forces to create the NFL-Tillman Scholarship to honor an individual who
"exemplifies Pat Tillman's enduring legacy of service."
A documentary about Pat's life, called The Tillman Story, was released on August
20, 2010.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqLK5P8YrYA
SOURCES
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/20/10-yearson-pat-tillmans-widow-at-peace-with-past/7926841
/
http://www.infoplease.com/biography/var/pattillman.html
http://www.medalsofamerica.com/Item--i-F29_Full_Size_List
http://
www.sportsecyclopedia.com/memorial/azcards/tillman.html
http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/the_tillman_story_2010/
(documentary)
