A walking contradiction

I know the day will come when today's investigations about the elleged cover ups involving the death of Pat Tillman will have faded from memory. The inspiring life he lead and his ability to explore the ethical and philisophical debate that followed the 9/11 attacks will never be forgotten. He seemed to have been the anti-"bumpersticker patriot". He was quite obviously the real deal. And so to his family and friends who have made that sacrafice with him I'd like to say thank you for your incalcullably huge sacrafice.



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He had this great energy. Everybody loved him.‚” His former comrades and family recall Tillman as a born leader yet remarkably humble. White, the Navy SEAL, recalls one day when ‚“some 19-year-old Ranger came and ordered him to cut an acre of grass.

And Pat just did it, he cut that grass, he didn‚’t complain. He could have taken millions of dollars playing football, but instead he was just taking orders like that.”

Tillman subscribed to the Economist magazine, and a fellow soldier said Tillman created a makeshift base library of classic novels so his platoon mates would have literature to read in their down time. He even brought gourmet coffee to brew for his platoon in the field in Afghanistan
This next story illuminates Tillman the man of concience. He is there on the front line at risk of life and limb but he never loses his humanity or sense of right in wrong in the ethically ambivilant field of battle. He shows the best of America. People who are willing to be on the front line but who maintain a sense of our countries infinite possibilities.

Baer, who served with Tillman for more than a year in Iraq and Afghanistan, told one anecdote that took place during the March 2003 invasion as the Rangers moved up through southern Iraq.

“I can see it like a movie screen,” Baer said. We were outside of (a city in southern Iraq) watching as bombs were dropping on the town. We were at an old air base, me, Kevin and Pat, we weren’t in the fight right then. We were talking. And Pat said, ‘You know, this war is so fucking— illegal.’ And we all said, ‘Yeah.’ That'’s who he was. He totally was against Bush.

Another soldier in the platoon, who asked not to be identified, said Pat urged him to vote for Bush'’s Democratic opponent in the 2004 election, Sen. John Kerry.