Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Tillman joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in combat before he was killed in the mountains of Afghanistan. He was the first professional football player to be killed in combat since Bob Kalsu, who died in the Vietnam War in 1970. He is survived by his wife, Marie Ugenti Tillman, and his two brothers, Kevin and Richard Tillman.
About Pat Tillman in brief
Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr. enlisted in the U.S. Army in May 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Tillman joined the Army Rangers and served several tours in combat before he was killed in the mountains of Afghanistan. He was the first professional football player to be killed in combat since Bob Kalsu, who died in the Vietnam War in 1970. His service in Iraq and Afghanistan, and subsequent death, were the subject of national attention when he was. killed in action as a result of friendly fire. In 2010, Tillman was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010. He also received posthumous Silver Star and Purple Heart medals. He died on May 28, 2004, at the age of 29. He is survived by his wife, Marie Ugenti Tillman, and his two brothers, Kevin and Richard Tillman. The two brothers completed basic training together and were assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion in late 2002 and were deployed to Fort Lewis, Washington, before being deployed to Afghanistan. In September 2002, the Tillman brothers completed the basic training program at Fort Lewis and were sent to Afghanistan where they were deployed for two tours in late 2003 and early 2004. In May 2004, the Army reported that Tillman had been killed by enemy fire. A month later, the Pentagon notified the Tillmen family that he had been. killed by fire from his own side; the family and other critics allege that the Department of Defense delayed the disclosure for weeks after Tillman’s memorial service out of a desire to protect the image of the military.
The Tillman family and others have accused the Pentagon of a cover-up. The Pentagon has denied that this is the case and has said that the Pentagon has been transparent with the family about the circumstances surrounding Tillman’s death. In 2008, the family released a statement saying that the Army had been wrong to report Tillman as having been killed in enemy fire, and that the family had been misled by the Army about the nature of the fire that killed him. In the 1998 National Football League Draft, Till man was selected as the 226th pick by the Arizona Cardinals. He moved over to play the safety position in his rookie season and started ten of 16 games in his debut season. Till man finished his career with totals of 340 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, 15 pass deflections, and 3 fumble recoveries. In addition he also had 1 rush attempt for 4 yards and returned 3 kickoffs for 33 yards in 15 games of the 2001 season. At one point in his NFL career, TillMan turned down a five-year, USD 9 million contract offer from the St. Louis Rams out of loyalty to the Cardinals. In 2000, he was voted the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. The next year, he helped his team go undefeated that season as well as helping them make it to the Rose Bowl that year. In 2002, he married his high school sweetheart whom he married just prior to enlistment in the Army.
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This page is based on the article Pat Tillman published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 07, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
