Many people wandered around campus last Friday oblivious to the fact that it was one year to the day that Pat Tillman gave his life in service of his country. Now, 370 days after the former Sun Devil and Arizona Cardinal was killed in Afghanistan, his story is worth telling again.
This is not a glorification of Pat Tillman, nor am I putting him above others who have given their life in the same service. Instead, I’m writing this so that his story is not forgotten, because five days ago, unless you happened to turn the TV to ESPN at 9 a.m., or drove to Phoenix to pick up an Arizona Republic, the one-year anniversary of his death passed quietly.
In a way, it’s what Tillman would have wanted. This is a man who gave no interviews following his enlistment, because he felt that he deserved no special treatment.
Funny the difference one year makes. A year ago, the media was drooling over Tillman’s story, the story of a man who gave up millions of dollars to go to war because, in his words from an interview he gave on Sept. 12, 2001, he felt he hadn’t “done a damn thing as far as laying myself on the line like that.”
It was a story that hadn’t been written since former Bills tackle Bob Kalsu was killed in Vietnam, or baseball players like Ted Williams fought in World War II. Every major news medium had someone covering the story; it was their gold. From NBC to ABC, The Washington Post to the China Daily, Tillman was a real-life hero.
Of course, people ate it up — the country was in need of a hero in the midst of all the controversy surrounding Iraq. His sacrifice on the battlefields of Afghanistan was going to be remembered forever by American citizens.
But wait — what happened on Friday? Where was all the coverage from the media?
Outside of ESPN, which aired a one-hour special devoted the former Army Ranger’s life, the date was but a blip on the media’s radar. The coverage in the week surrounding his death last year was immense because it was, in journalistic speech, “newsworthy” (In other words, it would sell newspapers, attract viewers and rope in listeners).
Is Tillman’s story no longer newsworthy one year later? Will the example that he set forth no longer inspire, not only athletes, but citizens of this country in general, for generations?
In a professional sporting landscape where genuine role models are few and far between, Tillman was the exception. He had values, and he stuck to them.
Though it has been reported over and over, it is necessary to reiterate: In 2001, when the Rams offered Tillman $9 million over five years to leave the Cardinals, he swiftly turned them down out of loyalty to the Arizona franchise. There are not many professional athletes in today’s leagues that knew such a thing even existed.
As a Ranger, Tillman was chosen as his unit’s flag bearer, but Tillman the football player, was pretty impressive too, even against our beloved Wildcats.
In the 1996-97 season, the Sun Devils stormed through Tucson on their way to the Rose Bowl, tromping the Cats 56-14. Tillman, then a linebacker, had four tackles and a sack in leading his team to victory.
During the four years that he terrorized the Pacific 10 Conference, winning its Defensive Player of the Year honors his senior season, that victory in ’96 would be the only one he would taste against his in-state rival.
Following his senior season, the Cardinals drafted the linebacker, whom they would convert into a safety in the seventh round. In return, Tillman would convert himself into a Pro Bowl safety over the course of his four-year career.
Then, on Sept. 11, 2001, like many other Americans, Tillman’s life changed.
Deeply moved by the attacks, he enlisted in the Army with his brother, Kevin, a minor league baseball player, where both later joined the prestigious Rangers.
By now, everyone knows the rest of Tillman’s story. While serving in Afghanistan, his unit was ambushed in a canyon, where, in the confusion, he was struck by friendly fire that would eventually take his life.
The media hailed him as a hero last year, and rightfully so. It was impossible to look anywhere without seeing Tillman’s likeness. It was a story that needed to be told.
Fast-forward one year later to last Friday, where there was no mention of America’s hero. Outside of the ESPN feature, all was quiet on the news front.
There comes a point that even though the news isn’t happening in the here and now, it is still worthy of mention. Unfortunately, many news mediums failed to realize that. While the story of his death was no longer a breaking news story, it still deserved to be told to the millions of Americans who would love to recognize his sacrifice.
Let us not forget the things Tillman stood for, and let us hope that 360 days from now, the story of Pat Tillman, the football player, the Ranger and the person, will once again make the rounds.