Pat Tillman

Pat Tillman
Tillman in 2003 as a specialist
Birth name	Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr.
Nickname(s)	"Pat"
Born	(1976-11-06)November 6, 1976 Fremont, California, U.S.
Died	April 22, 2004(2004-04-22) (aged 27) Spera, Afghanistan
Allegiance	United States
Service / branch	United States Army
Years of service	2002–2004
Rank	Corporal (posthumous)
Unit	2nd Ranger Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment
Battles / wars	Iraq War War in Afghanistan †
Awards	Silver Star Purple Heart Meritorious Service Medal
Spouse(s)	Marie Ugenti
American football player American football career
No. 40
Position:	Safety
Personal information
Height:	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:	202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:	Leland (San Jose, California)
College:	Arizona State (1994–1997)
NFL draft:	1998 / round: 7 / pick: 226
Career history
Arizona Cardinals (1998–2001)
Career highlights and awards
Arizona Cardinals Ring of Honor Arizona Cardinals No. 40 retired First-team All-American (1997) Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (1997) First-team All-Pac-10 (1997) 2× Second-team All-Pac-10 (1995, 1996) Arizona State Sun Devils No. 42 retired
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions: 3 Total tackles: 374 Forced fumbles: 3 Fumble recoveries: 3 Stats at Pro Football Reference
College Football Hall of Fame

Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr. (November 6, 1976 – April 22, 2004) was an American professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) who left his sports career and enlisted in the United States Army in May 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. His service in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as his subsequent death, received national attention, especially so when it was discovered he had been killed by friendly fire.^[1]

Tillman played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, earning first-team All-American honors in 1997. After four seasons in the NFL, Tillman joined the Army Rangers and served several combat tours before he was killed in the mountains of Afghanistan. At first, the army reported that Tillman had been killed by enemy fire. A month later, on May 28, 2004, the Pentagon notified the Tillman family that he was actually killed by fire from his own side. The family and other critics allege that the Department of Defense delayed the disclosure until weeks after Tillman's memorial service out of a desire to protect the image of the U.S. military. In 2007, the Pentagon released a report ruling Tillman's death as accidental.

Tillman was posthumously promoted from specialist to corporal. He also posthumously received the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals.