A real hero

Hey all, I have been struggling with this all day. It's something I wanted to express but was not sure how to. We are talking about the sacrifice of solider Patt Tillman. There is a lot to be said about him. First off, he is a hero because he sacrificed his time, career, self, and ultimately his life to serve our country. Everyone who sacrifices themselves for our country is a hero without question. This story is a bit deeper though, because Patt gave up a million dollar a year job as a pro football player with the Cardinals to fight for the United States after 9/11. I do not mean to take away from the thousands of great people servicing our country now, but we must take special notice of Pat Tillman. I want to express this next point delicately, because it could be easily taken out of context. Many of the people in the services join because they have few other opportunities for whatever reason. For many in society, our military is a way out of misfortune. Some join because they have little choice, and they are great people because they are serving. But, Patt Tillman was super successful and living a lifelong dream when he gave everything up to serve. He did not go into the service as a pro-football player, a millionaire, nor a hero... but as someone who wanted to do their part. His character is something we can all learn from. Pat was given a chance with the Arizona Cardinals early on. Once he established himself with them he was offered a very lucrative contract for 9 milion dollars to sign with the world champion St Louis Rams. Instead he opted to stay at Arizona for a third of the salary because "The Cardinals took a chance on me, so I will take a chance on them." You didn't see that anywhere in Jerry McGuire did you? That is some insane loyalty, because the Cardinals suck. It was that kind of loyalty he demonstrated to us as Americans. After 9/11 he joined the Army Rangers and did no press about it. He asked not to be given any special or preferential treatment in the service, and so quietly he went to serve. He died today fighting for America, which puts all of this in perspective. For what these people do, we owe everything. My truck is dumb, my job is dumb, this blog is super dumb... none of that means shit compared to these people who are out there dying so I can sit and type in safety and comfort. This is why Pat Tillman is a hero, and our best wishes go to his family at this time.