Zach Baker realizes that Pat Tillman's death is a tragedy, but refuses to forget the others that died just like him.
By Zack Baker
210 west Writer [send email]
Pat Tillman was alive three weeks ago.
Now Pat Tillman is dead.
An American soldier dying in Middle East combat is hardly news anymore. It’s
no less tragic, but it isn’t news. Had Pat Tillman been a 20 year old mechanic who died in the sands of Aphganistan, he would have had his picture
on the front page--in his hometown newspaper.
As it was, Tillman was a multi-million dollar NFL safety, who gave it all up to defend the ideals of the country he loved. In the days following the September 11 tragedy, Tillman (and his brother, a farmhand for the Cleveland Indians) joined the Army rangers to fight. They knew that they might die doing it. Maybe that’s why the story appeals to so many. Athletes who don’t have to go--no one would think less of them if they chose not to--leaving all their security to protect the ability of others in this country to enjoy those same securities.
Tillman’s is a good story, and it certainly is a tragedy.
But here’s a thing I have learned--tragedy and space on the newspaper
page are not constant companions. Some talk of Tillman’s sacrifice as if it is somehow different than the others, hundreds of others, who have died.
I don’t think they do this intentionally. I think it is just the heroism of the story that may have clouded judgment. A life is a life, and it doesn’t matter who you are--if you die on the battlefield, that’s a tragedy. There’s also a story of heroism that is no less great than the story of Pat Tillman.
A few weeks ago, there was an uproar over the fact that Nightline was going to read the names of dead soldiers on their broadcast. As someone who supported the war in Iraq, I am in complete agreement with this. It’s not pro-war or anti-war--no, it’s war. Put some names to those three or four soldiers that died today. If you hear the name, maybe you can better understand that those who lost their lives are not titans, but human beings. Sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, all of whom have left there loved ones with a pain that time may dull, but never erase.
Maybe then we can understand their sacrifice. Maybe then we can have an
idea whether this conflict is worth it.
Tillman’s family understands this. Tillman didn’t want anyone to know
where he was when he enlisted. To him, his risks were no greater than the man
or woman next to him. That’s because in today’s military, no one is there because they have to be.
Some may see it as the best option, but everyone could just have easily
have taken other risks with their lives. They could have done it another
way. But they didn’t.
Now many of them are dead, and they didn’t have to die. This is not an
anti-war statement, it’s a war statement. Tillman’s sacrifice is unique in that he is the only major athlete to enlist. He is not the only hero to have died.
Pat Tillman is dead. So is Lance Cpl. Andrew Julian Aviles, an 18-year old from Tampa, who was killed April 7, 2003.
So is . William A. Jeffries, a 36-year old of Evansville Ind., who died March 26 2003.
So are 877 men and women in Iraq, and more in Afghanistan. We should all be mindful of their great sacrifice.