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Compliments of an all knowing person that talks about Pat Tillman's motives for becoming a Ranger, how deep his Patriotism runs, and how he died. <img src=newicons/Whatever_anim.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/madani.gif border=0 align=middle>

http://www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/dis ... f27f0591be]www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/04/28/408f27f0591be


"Sure, stop here. This is the right place for our foul, nihilistic mood. No place could be better. Let's all riverdance. I can be lord of the motherless dance. I'm a Mick. Bite me"

_________________

"Pat Tillman is not a hero: he got what he deserved


by Rene Gonzalez
April 28, 2004



When the death of Pat Tillman occurred, I turned to my friend who was watching the news with me and said, "How much you want to bet they start talking about him as a 'hero' in about two hours?" Of course, my friend did not want to make that bet. He'd lose. In this self-critical incapable nation, nothing but a knee-jerk "He's a hero" response is to be expected.

I've been mystified at the absolute nonsense of being in "awe" of Tillman's "sacrifice" that has been the American response. Mystified, but not surprised. True, it's not everyday that you forgo a $3.6 million contract for joining the military. And, not just the regular army, but the elite Army Rangers. You know he was a real Rambo, who wanted to be in the "real" thick of things. I could tell he was that type of macho guy, from his scowling, beefy face on the CNN pictures. Well, he got his wish. Even Rambo got shot in the third movie, but in real life, you die as a result of being shot. They should call Pat Tillman's army life "Rambo 4: Rambo Attempts to Strike Back at His Former Rambo 3 Taliban Friends, and

Gets Killed."

But, does that make him a hero? I guess it's a matter of perspective. For people in the United States, who seem to be unable to admit the stupidity of both the Afghanistan and Iraqi wars, such a trade-off in life standards (if not expectancy) is nothing short of heroic. Obviously, the man must be made of "stronger stuff" to have had decided to "serve" his country rather than take from it. It's the old JFK exhortation to citizen service to the nation, and it seems to strike an emotional chord. So, it's understandable why Americans automatically knee-jerk into hero worship.

However, in my neighborhood in Puerto Rico, Tillman would have been called a "pendejo," an idiot. Tillman, in the absurd belief that he was defending or serving his all-powerful country from a seventh-rate, Third World nation devastated by the previous conflicts it had endured, decided to give up a comfortable life to place himself in a combat situation that cost him his life. This was not "Ramon or Tyrone," who joined the military out of financial necessity, or to have a chance at education. This was a "G.I. Joe" guy who got what was coming to him. That was not heroism, it was prophetic idiocy.

Tillman, probably acting out his nationalist-patriotic fantasies forged in years of exposure to Clint Eastwood and Rambo movies, decided to insert himself into a conflict he didn't need to insert himself into. It wasn't like he was defending the East coast from an invasion of a foreign power. THAT would have been heroic and laudable. What he did was make himself useful to a foreign invading army, and he paid for it. It's hard to say I have any sympathy for his death because I don't feel like his "service" was necessary. He wasn't defending me, nor was he defending the Afghani people. He was acting out his macho, patriotic crap and I guess someone with a bigger gun did him in.

Perhaps it's the old, dreamy American thought process that forces them to put sports greats and "larger than life" sacrificial lambs on the pedestal of heroism, no matter what they've done. After all, the American nation has no other role to play but to be the cheerleaders of the home team; a sad role to have to play during conflicts that suffer from severe legitimacy and credibility problems.

Matters are a little clearer for those living outside the American borders. Tillman got himself killed in a country other than his own without having been forced to go over to that country to kill its people. After all, whether we like them or not, the Taliban is more Afghani than we are. Their resistance is more legitimate than our invasion, regardless of the fact that our social values are probably more enlightened than theirs. For that, he shouldn't be hailed as a hero, he should be used as a poster boy for the dangerous consequences of too much "America is #1," frat boy, propaganda bull. It might just make a regular man irrationally drop $3.6 million to go fight in a conflict that was anything but "self-defense." The same could be said of the unusual belief of 50 percent of the American nation that thinks Saddam Hussein was behind Sept. 11. One must indeed stand in awe of the amazing success of the American propaganda machine. It works wonders.

Al-Qaeda won't be defeated in Afghanistan, even if we did kill all their operatives there. Only through careful and logical changing of the underlying conditions that allow for the ideology to foster will Al-Qaeda be defeated. Ask the Israelis if 50 years of blunt force have eradicated the Palestinian resistance. For that reason, Tillman's service, along with that of thousands of American soldiers, has been wrongly utilized. He did die in vain, because in the years to come, we will realize the irrationality of the War on Terror and the American reaction to Sept. 11. The sad part is that we won't realize it before we send more people like Pat Tillman over to their deaths."

Rene Gonzalez is a UMass graduate student.

YOUR HUMBLE MODERATOR EXPECTS TO SEE A FLOOD OF COMDEMNING FEEDBACK POSTED ON THAT SITE BY THE MEMBERSHIP OF WT.

This scumbag should be lynched by a mob. You're that mob...let the lynching begin.

"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier."

Kipling-

This was my response:

"It is because rough and tumble men stand guard over you
that you can sleep safely in your bed at night.

Never forget that.

Specialist Tillman was everything you will never be. It
is because of the sacrifices of men and women like him
that you can sit safely in your cozy university and spew
your racist hatred.

"However, in my neighborhood in Puerto Rico, Tillman
would have been called a "pendejo," an idiot."

Go back then. You'd fit in well with all the other
misguided fools in your old barrio. When you lool at the
slum that is puerto rico, know that it is precisely
because of the prevalance of your me first attitude that
your little island is the cesspool that it is.

If it can be said that Specialist Tillman is what's best
in all of us, then surely you represent what is worst.

"US Snipers...providing surgical strikes since 1776""



"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier."

Kipling-

I CANT THINK OF ANYTHING THAT I CAN SAY WITHOUT <img src=newicons/anim_cussing.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/anim_cussing.gif border=0 align=middle>
OR BEING ACCUSED OF BEING A RACIST .
I LOVE YOUR RESPONSE BILL, YOU DID IT WITH "CLASS"<img src=icon_smile_approve.gif border=0 align=middle>


PRESS TO TEST

_________________
\"Live Free Or Die\"

Replied. It'll be posted when & if it's allowed to be added to the rest of the "fan mail" this girl is now getting.

"Sure, stop here. This is the right place for our foul, nihilistic mood. No place could be better. Let's all riverdance. I can be lord of the motherless dance. I'm a Mick. Bite me"

_________________

Personally, i'd like to choke the life from her, but that would be illegal.

I encourage every single poster on this board to post a response to this outrage on their site.

Even if it's just to say "You suck".

"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier."

Kipling-

I'll throw my post up as soon as it's added. It was basically calling her out on knowing so much, and asking her to use the all seeing ability to label the September 11th attacks, since they were not as close as A/Q could get to invading the east coast IHO. Since she knows oh so much about Tillman.

"Sure, stop here. This is the right place for our foul, nihilistic mood. No place could be better. Let's all riverdance. I can be lord of the motherless dance. I'm a Mick. Bite me"

_________________

I dont want to choke her. No I would like allow her to use her enlighted change of the underlying cause over there. In her burqa, walking 5 steps behind her husband third in line amongst his wives, enjoying the daily beatings, and oh loosing her right to an education because of her sex.

The only shame here is that we dont have a time machine where we could send her ass back there pre 911 to live for a few years. Where she could come to terms with having to prave for a man of Tillman's character to risk it all to save here, because it was the right thing todo.

Matt

Sent mine in. Wait to see if it gets posted or not...

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

http://www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/dis ... _archive=1

The extraordinary life of an ordinary man is remembered

By Matt Reid, Collegian columnist
April 28, 2004


The extraordinary life of an ordinary man

The world of professional sports is filled with larger-than-life figures. Professional athletes have come to represent epic figures in our society, both literally and figuratively. Yao Ming, of the Houston Rockets, stands 7 feet, 6 inches tall. Ted Washington, of the Oakland Raiders, weighs 365 pounds. And while Alex Rodriguez may look like a regular person, the $252 million contract that he signed in 2000 as a member of the Texas Rangers was anything but ordinary.

Then, there's Pat Tillman.

Tillman is a former safety with the Arizona Cardinals. He turned down a three-year, $3.6 million contract in May 2002 to join the elite Army Rangers. According to their Web site, www.ranger.org, the Rangers are "an infantry force whose soldiers serve as shock troops, raiders and commandos who strike behind enemy lines. Every Ranger volunteers for the duty and must pass rigorous physical tests to serve."

Tillman decided to enlist, along with his brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the Cleveland Indians organization.

I had heard of Pat Tillman before he enlisted with the Rangers, but I didn't know much about his character. I knew of his abilities on the football field, but knew little about what kind of man he was. Then I heard the news that he was leaving pro football to fight overseas. It was one of the most selfless things I had heard of coming out of pro sports in quite some time. It was a shock to me, and to many other sports fan. But for some reason, I knew he'd return one day and get back to playing the game he loved. After all, he was invincible, right?

Then I hear the news last Thursday that Pat Tillman had been killed in action in Afghanistan, almost two years after he enlisted with the Rangers. He was 27.

At first, I didn't know how to react. I was saddened, of course. I was also a little angry. Then I felt proud. I was proud that I lived in a country that could produce a man such as Pat Tillman. I felt proud that I lived in a country that Pat Tillman considered good enough to fight, and ultimately die, for.

Tillman died in a war that many people don't support. However, you don't have to support the war in order to support Tillman himself. Partisan politics is not the issue. The issue for Tillman was that by joining the Rangers, he could support this country better than he could by playing football.

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, Tillman said, "I was dumbfounded by everything that was going on. In times like this, you think about how good we have it and what kind of a system we live under, what freedoms we are allowed. A lot of my family has gone and fought in wars and I haven't really done a damn thing as far as laying myself on the line like that." So Tillman laid himself on the line, and died fighting for his country.

Was his death unfortunate? Absolutely - the world needs more people like Pat Tillman in it. But was his death in vain? Absolutely not. His death proved that democracy is worth fighting for, even if you don't believe in every decision made by those in charge. His death made us all reconsider what it means to be an American.

In a world of athletes who are all talk and no action, Tillman was the complete opposite. He never gave a real explanation for his decision to join the Rangers. He didn't want the public to make a big deal out of an ordinary man going off and fighting in the war, when so many ordinary men fight and die each day. He didn't charge onto the battlefield like a madman, trying to kill as many Afghanis as possible; he simply upped and left to defend his country in the best way he knew how.

If Pat Tillman were watching, he most likely would disapprove of the proposed plan to dedicate the entire upcoming NFL season to him. And he certainly would object to columns such as this, which make him out to be a hero. However, it's impossible to describe Pat Tillman without using some hyperbole. He is not a hero because he was an extraordinary man. He is a hero because he was an ordinary man that did extraordinary things. His heroism has nothing to do with his death, but with his life.

In a world of bloated contracts and steroid-filled muscles, Tillman embodied everything that is good about professional sports, and he did it without saying a word. He never demanded more money and he never violated a team policy. He never did anything that would make himself stand out on his team, except play hard.

He never tried to be a hero on the battlefield, either. He went about his business with quiet dignity and unquestioned honor, never letting his own intrinsic desires dictate his decisions. Tillman's death moved grown men, such as my father, to tears not because the death itself was so heroic, but because his life was so overwhelming.

Pat Tillman's unassuming nature made him seem ordinary, but in reality he was anything but. The fact that he was ordinary is exactly what made him stand out. It's what made him taller than Yao Ming, and it was what made him richer than A-Rod. It's what made him a true hero.

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

I just read that nonsense, but my computer won't let me post a comment on it. It has left me to do nothing but look at things and not comment all around the internet. Someone like her should be severely hit and then tortured and then beaten again for saying that. I will try to find a computer to post feedback from, to make damn sure she knows what she said was wrong.


It takes a big man to cry, but it takes an even bigger man to laugh at the big man crying.

Thanx Jetman.

The column is an affront to every current and former soldier, airman, marine, and sailor that's ever worn the uniform of the United States of America.

I hope the membership of WT stands up and speaks out in large numbers against the blatant personal attacks of the author.

"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier."

Kipling-

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote><font size=1 face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>
http://www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/dis ... _archive=1

The extraordinary life of an ordinary man is remembered

By Matt Reid, Collegian columnist
April 28, 2004


The extraordinary life of an ordinary man

The world of professional sports is filled with larger-than-life figures. Professional athletes have come to represent epic figures in our society, both literally and figuratively. Yao Ming, of the Houston Rockets, stands 7 feet, 6 inches tall. Ted Washington, of the Oakland Raiders, weighs 365 pounds. And while Alex Rodriguez may look like a regular person, the $252 million contract that he signed in 2000 as a member of the Texas Rangers was anything but ordinary.

Then, there's Pat Tillman.

Tillman is a former safety with the Arizona Cardinals. He turned down a three-year, $3.6 million contract in May 2002 to join the elite Army Rangers. According to their Web site, www.ranger.org, the Rangers are "an infantry force whose soldiers serve as shock troops, raiders and commandos who strike behind enemy lines. Every Ranger volunteers for the duty and must pass rigorous physical tests to serve."

Tillman decided to enlist, along with his brother, Kevin, a former minor league baseball prospect in the Cleveland Indians organization.

I had heard of Pat Tillman before he enlisted with the Rangers, but I didn't know much about his character. I knew of his abilities on the football field, but knew little about what kind of man he was. Then I heard the news that he was leaving pro football to fight overseas. It was one of the most selfless things I had heard of coming out of pro sports in quite some time. It was a shock to me, and to many other sports fan. But for some reason, I knew he'd return one day and get back to playing the game he loved. After all, he was invincible, right?

Then I hear the news last Thursday that Pat Tillman had been killed in action in Afghanistan, almost two years after he enlisted with the Rangers. He was 27.

At first, I didn't know how to react. I was saddened, of course. I was also a little angry. Then I felt proud. I was proud that I lived in a country that could produce a man such as Pat Tillman. I felt proud that I lived in a country that Pat Tillman considered good enough to fight, and ultimately die, for.

Tillman died in a war that many people don't support. However, you don't have to support the war in order to support Tillman himself. Partisan politics is not the issue. The issue for Tillman was that by joining the Rangers, he could support this country better than he could by playing football.

Following the Sept. 11 attacks, Tillman said, "I was dumbfounded by everything that was going on. In times like this, you think about how good we have it and what kind of a system we live under, what freedoms we are allowed. A lot of my family has gone and fought in wars and I haven't really done a damn thing as far as laying myself on the line like that." So Tillman laid himself on the line, and died fighting for his country.

Was his death unfortunate? Absolutely - the world needs more people like Pat Tillman in it. But was his death in vain? Absolutely not. His death proved that democracy is worth fighting for, even if you don't believe in every decision made by those in charge. His death made us all reconsider what it means to be an American.

In a world of athletes who are all talk and no action, Tillman was the complete opposite. He never gave a real explanation for his decision to join the Rangers. He didn't want the public to make a big deal out of an ordinary man going off and fighting in the war, when so many ordinary men fight and die each day. He didn't charge onto the battlefield like a madman, trying to kill as many Afghanis as possible; he simply upped and left to defend his country in the best way he knew how.

If Pat Tillman were watching, he most likely would disapprove of the proposed plan to dedicate the entire upcoming NFL season to him. And he certainly would object to columns such as this, which make him out to be a hero. However, it's impossible to describe Pat Tillman without using some hyperbole. He is not a hero because he was an extraordinary man. He is a hero because he was an ordinary man that did extraordinary things. His heroism has nothing to do with his death, but with his life.

In a world of bloated contracts and steroid-filled muscles, Tillman embodied everything that is good about professional sports, and he did it without saying a word. He never demanded more money and he never violated a team policy. He never did anything that would make himself stand out on his team, except play hard.

He never tried to be a hero on the battlefield, either. He went about his business with quiet dignity and unquestioned honor, never letting his own intrinsic desires dictate his decisions. Tillman's death moved grown men, such as my father, to tears not because the death itself was so heroic, but because his life was so overwhelming.

Pat Tillman's unassuming nature made him seem ordinary, but in reality he was anything but. The fact that he was ordinary is exactly what made him stand out. It's what made him taller than Yao Ming, and it was what made him richer than A-Rod. It's what made him a true hero.

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI
<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" size=2 id=quote>

As much as the quiet professional's shy away from being referred to as a hero, and being spoken of so much. Seldom to never they can, and are, spoken of without some form of hyperbole.

"Sure, stop here. This is the right place for our foul, nihilistic mood. No place could be better. Let's all riverdance. I can be lord of the motherless dance. I'm a Mick. Bite me"

_________________

you know I was thinking throughout history america has had these men who did not seek the title hero or to be greater than their fellow man, but some how rise to the occation and make us understand freedom is not free. The closest american I can think to Tillman was Sgt York. While York did not seek combat, and even tried to avoid the draft due to religious beliefs, when called apon he rose to the occation fare beyond any realistic expectation. But when he came home he turned down all endorsements and perks offered to him as a hero. Maybe in his own way Tillman will become our generations Sgt York, a man we can tell our kids had his priorities right, was a role model, a man who did not run off at the mouth instead he allowed his actions communicate for him.

In closing I do not think Mr. Tillman is greater than anyother soldier, sailor, marine, or airman--I think though he has put a face on a generation of Great Americans who have given more than they expect in return. A generation who is firm in their conviction, even if some of us at home are not. A generation who is willing to stay the course. I am not of this generation as I am not serving, but I will be eternally greatful.

i have to agree with matlott

<img src="http://img37.photobucket.com/albums/v114/Williamz/faint2.jpg" border=0>

dont turn your back on me i wont be ignored!

And, as we all know and appreciate, it is precisely because this country, historically, has produced citizens like Tillman, that Ms. Gonzales has the "right/priveledge" to publish this opinion. She seems to have conveniently forgotten her responsibilities, though. An extended stay in downtown Kabul in a burqa, without her VISA/Mastercard, might do her attitude wonders.

"Live every day like it's the last, 'cause one day you're gonna be right!" Ray Charles

_________________
\"Those who hammer their guns into plows
will plow for those who do not.\"
- Thomas Jefferson

Obviously having never personaly known or met Pat Tillman I think that I can honestly say that he would have never wanted himself to be remembered as a hero or a "Rambo" wanta be as compared to a guy doing just what he thought was right for himself and his country and to make the world a better place to live in for all mankind <img src=newicons/smiley_salute.gif border=0 align=middle><img src=newicons/icon_hog.gif border=0 align=middle>

"GLAD TO HAVE BEEN THERE AND HAVE BEEN PROUD TO HAVE SERVERED"

Ted Williams was the last guy like Tillman.

Rocky Blier comes to mind too.

I don't know who the next Tillman will be...only that i hope there will be one.

"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier."

Kipling-

I haven't seen my post up yet, so here's what I wrote. probably nixed by the moderators, though I don't know why...

Dear Rene:

IT IS THE SOLDIER....

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us
freedom of the press.
It is the soldier, not the poet, Who has given us freedom
of speech.
It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has
given us the freedom to demonstrate.
It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the
right to a fair trial.
It is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves under
the flag, and whose coffin is draped by the flag, who
allows the protester to burn the flag.

I support your right to say what you want about Mr.
Tillman, but in return I exercise my right to say what I
want to you:

I truly think that you are an indecent human being, if
you can so shamelessly besmirch someone who gave his life
so that you may live without worry. It's people like Mr.
Tillman and soldiers all around the world who keep this
country and other countries safe from all those who wish
to cause harm to unsuspecting people.

I too am going to enlist in my countries armed forces
next year, not only because I have to (there is a
mandatory draft where I live) but because I wish to have
the honor and privilege to be amongst a select few all
around the world who get to fight for freedom and
justice.

Freedom and Honor

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

http://www.dailycollegian.com/vnews/dis ... 0744e398cd

To our readers:

April 29, 2004


In yesterday's Editorial/Opinion section of The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, a column titled "Pat Tillman is not a hero: he got what was coming to him" appeared. In the piece, graduate student Rene Gonzalez wrote about the death of former NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, who was killed during a skirmish in Afghanistan last Friday.

A flood of feedback has poured in, nearly all of which is harsh criticism of either Gonzalez's words or of The Collegian's decision to run the column. In fact, reader response has been so great that we would like to take this opportunity to respond to our readers.

Rene Gonzalez is a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts who occasionally submits columns to The Collegian. While his views in no way reflect the opinion of our editorial board or staff, we base our decisions not on whether we agree with the opinion of students submitting opinion pieces, but on the backbone of journalism: The First Amendment.

As a news organization, The Collegian lists the First Amendment as its most important value and asset. We do not hold back from printing news stories, columns or editorials that may upset our readership - instead, we seek to both inform and stir debate through our publication. Our decision to publish Gonzalez's column - an opinion piece written by a member of our campus community - is the only way for us to live up to this ideal.

One of the most important points that we at The Collegian want to stress to our readers is the nature of the Editorial/Opinion page. Not one columnist or student's opinion printed on our page represents that of the paper at large. Gonzalez's opinion is his own, and it runs under our pages as a single voice on our campus. The Editorial/Opinion page is designed to give a wide variety of students a chance to speak through a large-scale medium. With that comes the possibility of discourse and disagreement, and that is an accepted reality for us.

We would also like to draw attention to the fact that The Collegian has reported and commented on Tillman's death, and life, on a number of occasions in the last few days. Two columns written by editors on our staff have been published in praise of Tillman's life and his willingness to sacrifice it for what he believed in, including one column that ran on the page next to Gonzalez's. This was done intentionally, to display to our readers that we do not publish any opinion piece with more favor than any other - instead, we adhered to one of our missions: to create discussion, with dialogue on the merits of each argument.

The opinion of Gonzalez, though it dissented from that of the other two columns, deserved its space within the debate. Through the Web site feedback, phone calls and e-mails we have received, it has become very obvious to us at The Collegian that Gonzalez's opinion has caused a lot of controversy and frustration. We cannot, however, compromise the mission of our publication for the sake of ensuring the constant happiness of our readership. Gonzalez has just as much right to the opinion he presented as anyone else does, and we at The Collegian hope that this incident will foster a relationship with our readers that shows we are open to all opinions, not only the ones many people agree with.

We welcome all feedback on the issue, and hope that this represents growth in our relationship with you, the readers.

Sincerely,

The Massachusetts Daily Collegian Editorial Board

"Retreat, hell! We just got here!"-Captain Lloyd Williams, 2nd Marine Division, Belleau Wood, France, WWI

This what I sent to the Collegian.
Topic: Pat Tillman is not a hero: he got what he deserved
Name: Ed
Email: edward@obsproductions.com
Occupation: Former Ranger
Comment:
Rene,

Shame on you. Do you not realize that he was a Ranger?
It is not wise to make this group of people mad. Bitch
all you want about the war but do not make it personal by
attacking the dead.

opic: Pat Tillman is not a hero: he got what he deserved
Name: Ed
Email: edward@obsproductions.com
Occupation: Former Ranger
Comment:
Rene,
One more thing. You come from PR, if you hate America so
much for the war, how can you sit there and take
financial aid from the country you hate? Give it back
and pay for it yourself.

Welcome aboard Ed.

Ed is a former Ranger Sniper. We both served in Op Just Cause back in 89. I've never met him personally, but i wish i had.

I can only imagine how offensive that article is to anyone that's ever worn the banner of the 75th Rangers.

As for the Collegians response, it's a cop out. Hiding behind the first amendment is a ploy to cover for irresponsible journalism.



"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier."

Kipling-

It appears that the Army has decided to posthumously promote Tillman to Corporal.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/7293228

"Tillman promoted posthumously by Army

NFL.com wire reports

PHOENIX (April 29, 2004) -- Pat Tillman was promoted posthumously from specialist to corporal after the former NFL player was killed while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan.

"The Army always notes that rank and promotion are not a reward of what was done well, but a recognition that you have the potential to do more," Army spokeswoman Martha Rudd said. "This promotion is essentially saying that he would have been a fine leader."

Tillman, who walked away from a three-year, $3.6 million contract offer from the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army in 2002, was killed April 22 when the Army patrol was ambushed near the Afghan-Pakistani border.

The promotion will not affect any benefits his family receives. Both ranks are E4, or the fourth rank available for enlisted soldiers.

Although Tillman never publicly offered reasons for his decision, several friends have said the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks affected him deeply.

Tillman was the first NFL player killed in combat since Buffalo offensive tackle Bob Kalsu died in the Vietnam War in July 1970. Nineteen NFL players were killed in World War II.

The Cardinals have said they will retire Tillman's No. 40 and name the plaza surrounding the team's new stadium in suburban Glendale the Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza.



AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2004, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved"

You look as lost as a bastard child on Fathers day.

_________________
\"One of you is gonna fall and die, and I'm not cleaning it up\"

I am proud to share the rank of Corporal with so fine a soldier.

Kudos to the US Army.

"When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
And the women come out to cut up what remains,
Jest roll to your rifle and blow out your brains
An' go to your Gawd like a soldier."

Kipling-

Sorry guys, apparently the site is flooded. Well my thoughts were expressed earlier, and it just makes me want to join even sooner. I want to fly, but now I've included helicoptors in the army as a possibility. I don't even care if it's flying now, basically anything to help out. That's it I guess, hopefully this man (or woman I thought earlier) realizes their errors in thinking.

It takes a big man to cry, but it takes an even bigger man to laugh at the big man crying.