Sperah, Afghanistan
Pat Tillman, who left a lucrative professional football career to join the Army seven months after Sept. 11, was killed in Afghanistan last week. Tillman, an Army Ranger, was taking part in a search for Taliban and al Qaida fighters in a remote area when his patrol was ambushed by rifle and mortar fire. Tillman, 27, forfeited a $3.6 million contract as a safety with the Arizona Cardinals to fight terrorism. He refused requests for interviews, saying that his story was no more important than his comrades’. “Pat knew his purpose in life,” said Tillman’s friend and former coach with the Cardinals, Dave McGinnis. “He proudly walked away from a career in football to a greater calling.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The ‘ravenous’ demand for Cornish mineralsUnder the Radar Growing need for critical minerals to power tech has intensified ‘appetite’ for lithium, which could be a ‘huge boon’ for local economy
-
Why are election experts taking Trump’s midterm threats seriously?IN THE SPOTLIGHT As the president muses about polling place deployments and a centralized electoral system aimed at one-party control, lawmakers are taking this administration at its word
-
‘Restaurateurs have become millionaires’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
