Thursday, September 30, 2004
The Year of Pat Tillman
As you may or may not know, Pat Tillman was a safety for the Arizona Cardinals, who quit football shortly after September 11th to join the armed forces. He was killed in action (probably by friendly fire) on April 23, 2004, and was hailed as a hero all over the country. One student from UMass wrote an article calling him "Rambo", and saying he wasn't a hero. There was backlash and he was forced to recant his article. Well, I'm not recanting (under duress) anything I write here.
I want to comment on a few things about this situation. Firstly, is Tillman a hero because he died or because of what he did? Honestly, I don't know. If he were still alive, they wouldn't be dedicating this NFL season in his honor. On the other hand, there was a good amount of fuss about him when he decided to quit. Secondly, why Tillman and not the other members of the Army Rangers?
I won't question that Pat Tillman had dedication and faith in what he believed in. That much is evident; not many people could/would give up millions of dollars for what they believed in. But I do question his actual beliefs. I don't know what he thought would come out of joining the Army Rangers, whether he thought it would be more fulfilling, or whether he thought that he was contributing to world peace. I don't know.
But it is telling that he decided to give up all that money. It is an admirable quality to stand up for what you believe in. Thinking back to Patrick's last post, I do wonder whether I would have the courage to give up a rich, easy life, to defend what I believe in. But I don't think we should all be questioning our collective resolve because we all didn't join up after 9/11. After all, what most people want out of life is to live a peaceful, successful life, and I would think that many people would fight for that right. Was that right really taken away after 9/11? I don't think so, unless you believe that every murder does.
Secondly, what separates Pat Tillman from any other member of the military? I'm sure you could find thousands who believed what he believed. Why are these people not being celebrated? The answer is the money. They've put Tillman on a pedestal because he gave up all that money. But all that does is show us that he did, indeed, have strong convictions. But it doesn't automatically make him a hero. If you don't think all armed forces members are heroes, then why Tillman? If you do think they are, then why Pat Tillman above everyone else?
So all I'm saying is that you shouldn't admire Pat Tillman for his beliefs. Anyone can have beliefs; you can admire Tillman for his loyalty to those beliefs, for being able to give up a life that most people want, in order to defend what he believed in. So for that I respect him. He obviously thought that his beliefs were being violated in some way, and that the only way to get them back would be to fight. I'll admit, if I were making millions a year, I would probably allow some of my rights to be violated. But sometimes people need things to be taken away to fight for what is right, such as civil rights, and Dr. King, or Gandhi. So was he just thinking for the future? Or was he being a little too reactive? Didn't the fact that he was living well suggest to him that fighting wasn't necessarily the best use of his life? I really don't know.
But really, is joining the armed forces really that noble of a thing to do? That's a question I will tackle another day.
I want to comment on a few things about this situation. Firstly, is Tillman a hero because he died or because of what he did? Honestly, I don't know. If he were still alive, they wouldn't be dedicating this NFL season in his honor. On the other hand, there was a good amount of fuss about him when he decided to quit. Secondly, why Tillman and not the other members of the Army Rangers?
I won't question that Pat Tillman had dedication and faith in what he believed in. That much is evident; not many people could/would give up millions of dollars for what they believed in. But I do question his actual beliefs. I don't know what he thought would come out of joining the Army Rangers, whether he thought it would be more fulfilling, or whether he thought that he was contributing to world peace. I don't know.
But it is telling that he decided to give up all that money. It is an admirable quality to stand up for what you believe in. Thinking back to Patrick's last post, I do wonder whether I would have the courage to give up a rich, easy life, to defend what I believe in. But I don't think we should all be questioning our collective resolve because we all didn't join up after 9/11. After all, what most people want out of life is to live a peaceful, successful life, and I would think that many people would fight for that right. Was that right really taken away after 9/11? I don't think so, unless you believe that every murder does.
Secondly, what separates Pat Tillman from any other member of the military? I'm sure you could find thousands who believed what he believed. Why are these people not being celebrated? The answer is the money. They've put Tillman on a pedestal because he gave up all that money. But all that does is show us that he did, indeed, have strong convictions. But it doesn't automatically make him a hero. If you don't think all armed forces members are heroes, then why Tillman? If you do think they are, then why Pat Tillman above everyone else?
So all I'm saying is that you shouldn't admire Pat Tillman for his beliefs. Anyone can have beliefs; you can admire Tillman for his loyalty to those beliefs, for being able to give up a life that most people want, in order to defend what he believed in. So for that I respect him. He obviously thought that his beliefs were being violated in some way, and that the only way to get them back would be to fight. I'll admit, if I were making millions a year, I would probably allow some of my rights to be violated. But sometimes people need things to be taken away to fight for what is right, such as civil rights, and Dr. King, or Gandhi. So was he just thinking for the future? Or was he being a little too reactive? Didn't the fact that he was living well suggest to him that fighting wasn't necessarily the best use of his life? I really don't know.
But really, is joining the armed forces really that noble of a thing to do? That's a question I will tackle another day.
# posted by Stuart @ 1:01 AM 
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Stuart, while I am have never been in the US military, I have thought at times about joining various branches of it, and I have looked at the websites to see what is available. And, the military offers many benefits to those enlisted. The US Army will pay up to $70,000 for college education for active duty soldiers, and up to $22,000 for reservists. Now, the annual pay is not that good (about 14K to start), but that is a lot of money for school. Now, think like the average military recruit, 18 years old, either just out of high school, or about to be out of high school, and has no idea what to do with his/her life. Maybe college is out because of the cost, but if you just join the army for 2 years (not sure actual commitment time) they will more than pay for you to go to many colleges. Others I think join because they need to experience a setting such as the army, disciplined and maturing, before college or a job.
The fact is that Pat Tillman did not need either one of these. He did not do it for the money, and he did not need the experience. Was he the only one there for his beliefs, definitely not, is he the only 'hero', certainly not, but he did not need to be there. Pat Tillman had what most people consider to be a great life, a college education and a high paying job, and he walked away. I think many people admire that (including myself) because we do not think we would make the same decision (and the fact that I sit here typing this means I did not make the same decision).
Maybe it is time to talk to the recruiter.
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The fact is that Pat Tillman did not need either one of these. He did not do it for the money, and he did not need the experience. Was he the only one there for his beliefs, definitely not, is he the only 'hero', certainly not, but he did not need to be there. Pat Tillman had what most people consider to be a great life, a college education and a high paying job, and he walked away. I think many people admire that (including myself) because we do not think we would make the same decision (and the fact that I sit here typing this means I did not make the same decision).
Maybe it is time to talk to the recruiter.
# posted by 
: 3:43 PM
: 3:43 PM << Home
