Pat Tillman: early life, career, death

In this article, let's talk about a wonderful man - Pat Tillman. We will discuss his early life and career, we will pay attention to the details of his death.

Early life

Pat Tillman was born on November 6, 1976 in San Jose, California, USA. When the boy was 18 years old, he seriously took a great interest in sports, namely American football, and was admitted to the team of the University of Arizona, where he played on the position of linekeeper. The growth of Tillman was 180 cm. To play well at this position, this was not enough, but in spite of everything, Pat started showing good results in the game, and in the senior course he was recognized as the best defender among the players of the Pacific Conference. In 1998, Pat successfully graduated from the university specializing in "marketing". The final average score of the young man was 3.84.

Career

After receiving his education, Pat Tillman took part in the NFL draft of 1998, following which the guy got to the club "Arizona Cardinals". In his first season as a professional player, Pat spent 10 out of 16 games in the club and secured the position of the linebaker, and two years later he set the record for the team on the cards.

In early May 2002, the leadership of the team from Arizona offered Pat Tillman a new contract, the amount of which was 3.6 million dollars, but unexpectedly for all the player refused. Later it will be known that Pat together with his brother Kevin, who refused the career of a baseball player, enrolled in the US Army. Toward the end of 2002, the brothers successfully completed ranger training courses and were sent to the second battalion of the seventy-fifth regiment, which was located in Fort Lewis, Washington, USA. During his military service, Pat managed to visit Iraq and Afghanistan, where military operations took place.

Death

On April 22, 2004, it became known that Pat Tillman, who was on patrol near Khost province, was caught in a crossfire, and was killed. According to the first version of the investigation, Tillman, together with his detachment, being forty kilometers southwest of the village of Khost, not far from the border with Pakistan, was ambushed and killed in a shootout with terrorists. The guy posthumously received the rank of corporal, and was also awarded such awards as the Silver Star and Purple Heart. His body was taken to his homeland and buried in a military cemetery.

A month later the military investigation published the second version of the death of Pat Tillman. It was said that he fell under the "friendly fire", that is, was killed by soldiers from the American army, this information was carefully concealed from the press. In the course of further investigation it became known that the commander initially knew the true cause of the soldier's death.

Memory and Interesting Facts

I paid my tribute to a player like Pat Tillman, and American football. On September 19, 2004, a match was held with funeral stickers on the helmets of NFL team players, and the former team of the player - "Arizona Cardinals" with the same stickers spent the entire season. Game number 40 in the future was completely removed from the use of the team, as previously under him acted Pat. So did the team of his university - "San Devils" - with the number 42, under which the young man spoke earlier. The square on which the Cardinals Stadium is located was named after Pat: Freedom Square named after Pat Tillman. A little later the former player was given a bronze statue.

The bridge, located on the border of the States of Arizona and Nevada and laid across the Colorado River, is named after two heroes from neighboring states: "Mike O'Callaghan - Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge." Pat's death was widely discussed in the American media, during the military investigation his testimony was given by Donald Rumsfeld, who was a former US defense minister.