Fraters Libertas

A Real Gridiron Hero

Ex-NFL player Tillman killed in Afghanistan:

Pat Tillman, who gave up a lucrative NFL contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army Rangers, was killed in action in Afghanistan, military officials said Friday.

Rush spoke quite eloquently on this in his first hour today, and I don't really know what I could possibly add. I don't subscribe to the notion that there is always something good to be found in bad news. However, in this case there may be. Tillman died fighting for his country, so his death was obviously not meaningless, but perhaps, because of his status, it can have an even greater impact.

It seems that there is a disconnect in the minds of many Americans when it comes to the war. They might watch the news and hear about battles in Iraq or see that someone from their town was killed in action if they happen to glance at a paper. But, unless they have a family member or close friend serving overseas, their daily lives continue on as normal. The war doesn't seem real to them.

And, other than Jessica Lynch, how many personal stories have we had about the heroic men and women fighting and dying in Iraq and Afghanistan? All we hear is that two soldiers were killed in a roadside blast. We might get their names and a quick shot of their faces, but that's it. We don't know who they were before they joined the military. Why they were motivated to serve their country. What they might have done leading up to their deaths.

Of course if you want to dig deep enough you can find this information. You can read the more detailed coverage of the lives of those killed in local newspapers. You can discover the accounts of bravery by the Marines in Fallujah if you scour the internet.

But I don't believe that many Americans are doing that. They either don't have the time or the inclination. However, they will hear Tillman's story. It will be all over the various news outlets. ESPN will be talking about it tonight. You will not be able to avoid this one.

Hopefully, it will cause some of those who have tuned the war out to pause and contemplate the sacrifices that men and women like Pat Tillman are making every day on their behalf. They might even be moved to ask what they could do to ease the burden on those giving up so much to keep them safe and free. And that would be a good thing.

Pat Tillman R.I.P.