Off Topic... But Worth It

At the gym the other day I happened across an old edition of Sports Illustrated. While flipping thru it looking for anything about my NE Patriots, I got hooked on the article by Gary Smith on Pat Tillman. For those of you who may not recognize the name, Pat was a defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals who gave up his million dollar contract to sign up for the Army Rangers. Pat was killed in a friendly fire incident in Afganistan in April of 2004.

Smith's article tells the story of Tillman's life, service to his country, and tragic death primarily with first hand details provided by a squadmate of Tillman. But, it goes further... into the coverup by the Army and the dedication of Tillman's mother to uncovering the truth.

This is really an incredible story and well worth the time to read it. I was especially impressed with the courage of the man and the complete lack of it shown by his superiors. Pat lived his life in such a special way, but he died largely through incompetence of those around him. Its heroic and utterly tragic all at the same time.