Remembering Pat Tillman and other Fallen Heros on 9-11
11 Sep
Pat Tillmam, a Corporal with the 2nd Ranger Battalion, lost his life on April 22, 2004. September 11th is a perfect time to pay tribute to his ultimate sacrifice, along with a few less well know former athletes. Currently, we are fighting in a war that not all agree with. With that said, it is nice to see is that 99.9% of our country respects soldiers like Tillman. Much has been talked about how he passed on a lucrative NFL contract with the Arizona Cardinals. In May of 2002, Pat walked away from a three year, $3.6 million contract to join the Army. While it is very impressive to give all of that up, what made a greater impact on me was when TIllman walked away from his family and friends. While Tillman is a great representation of those that have fallen, I would like to mention a few words on two former college athletes.
I went to school with two NCAA athletes who lost their lives in Iraq. One I briefly met, and another was a great friend. Army Sgt. James John Regan, a Duke lacrosse letterman from 1999-02, was killed Friday, Feb. 9, 2007, in northern Iraq of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an explosive. Regan was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment stationed in Fort Benning, Ga. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke, Regan turned down a job offer from UBS, a financial services company, and a scholarship to Southern Methodist University’s law school to enlist in the Army, where he passed on Officer Candidate School to focus on becoming a Ranger. At the time of Jimmy’s passing, he was engaged to Mary McHugh.
I met Jimmy a few times through mutual friends during our time at Duke. One thing that is clear about Jimmy, his friends couldn’t hold him in a higher regard or have more respect for him. It really bothered me the past few years that Duke lacrosse took such a beating in the media, yet nobody ever brought up the positive aspects of the team. Duke lax did have good people associated with it, and everyone would agree Jimmy Regan should be at the top of the list. I lost my best friend from Duke in the war in Iraq. On October 31, 2004, 1st Lieutenant Matt Lynch was killed in Iraq during his third tour of duty with the U.S. Marines. Lynch was a leader of the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Marine Regiment. Lynch managed to earn a total of 5 varsity letters in his four years at Duke (3 for swimming, 2 for baseball). Lynch was a great guy. He had a very fun group of friends and teammates. I have experienced first hand how loving and caring his family is.
What I remember most about Lynch was sitting with him at the end of September 2001. He was about to sign his papers for the Marines, and I brought up the idea of him walking away. Since he had made no binding commitment, I assumed we would have a solid debate. Our conversation lasted 2 seconds because Lynch said, “I am going. Don’t bring it up again.” It is hard to imagine how Tillman walked away from his life in America, to serve overseas. In thinking back to two college classmates, who had the world at their fingertips, I realize that people do this all the time. Over 4,000 Americans have died in Iraq. While none are more famous to Pat TIllman, all are equal.
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