Hometown Pays Tribute to Tillman

With his hands trembling as much as his voice, Zack Walz reached into his left pants pocket and produced Pat Tillman’s military dog tags, lifting them to the crowd of 3,000 that gathered Monday at the Municipal Rose Garden to remember the man who sacrificed his NFL career -- and ultimately his life -- to serve his country as an Army Ranger.

“Though I’m holding these dog tags in my hands today, I assure you this: This is the farthest they will ever be from their place around my neck,” said Walz, who roomed with Tillman during their days with the Arizona Cardinals. “For as long as gravity pulls, they will hang down close to my heart -- a place where Pat Tillman has permanently emblazoned his mark.”

Tillman, 27, died in Afghanistan on April 22 near the Pakistan border. Details of his death are scant, but the Army has said he was fatally shot while leading his team of soldiers to help comrades caught in an ambush. The Army said he was killed while fighting “without regard for his personal safety.”

Sen John McCain (R-Ariz.), one of 18 speakers to deliver eulogies in a service that lasted almost 2 1/2 hours in sweltering heat, praised Tillman’s life as “a welcome lesson in the true meaning of courage and honor.”

The memorial service, held in Tillman’s hometown, drew politicians, celebrities, current and former NFL players, NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and other league executives -- as well as thousands of people who might never have known Tillman personally but felt as if they did. The service was televised live on ESPN and prompted police to limit traffic on the surrounding streets. Mourners were not allowed to take pictures, but 15 television trucks with towering satellite dishes lined both sides of the street outside the garden gates.

Radio host Jim Rome was master of ceremonies, and among the speakers were Maria Shriver, wife of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; Denver Bronco quarterback Jake Plummer, a teammate of Tillman at Arizona State and with the Cardinals; former Cardinal coach Dave McGinnis; and several members of Tillman’s family, including his father, Pat Sr.

“I miss my son -- it’s only been a week and it ain’t getting any better,” he said, letting go of the lectern just long enough to adjust his sunglasses. “I’m going to leave these on. Makes me feel like you can’t see me.”

Darius Rucker, lead singer of Hootie and the Blowfish, performed “America the Beautiful” and “Amazing Grace” at the service. Also, there was a taped version of the Eagles’ “Desperado,” Tillman’s favorite song.

To those who knew him best, Tillman was a loyal friend with a booming laugh, a delightful free spirit with Fabio-length hair who called everyone “dude,” yet was smart enough to graduate summa cum laude from Arizona State in 3 1/2 years. Ringing the stage were several poster-sized pictures of Tillman. There was one of him celebrating on the field with his Cardinal helmet in hand. In another picture, a smiling Tillman is standing in front of an Army helicopter with his middle brother, Kevin, who left his minor league baseball career to become a Ranger with Pat. Then, there was Tillman on his wedding day, happily resting his head in the lap of his wife, Marie, his high school sweetheart.

The Tillman brothers declined all interview requests after deciding to join the Army, adamant that they not be singled out for doing what thousands of Americans do without fanfare. Speakers took pains to point out that hundreds of other soldiers have died protecting U.S. freedoms and ideals.

“Pat Tillman is obviously a really unique person,” Tagliabue said before the service. “Courageous with conviction, values, concern for others, looking outward and very rarely looking at himself. Clearly, that was the case up until the end, when he went back to help some of the men in his unit. On the other hand, as Pat himself would emphasize, he’s just one of tens of thousands of young Americans who are showing the same or similar type of courage or conviction, and a willingness to fight for the values of our country. So we’re here to pay tribute to him, but we’re here to pay tribute to all those other men and women as well.”

Last week, the military posthumously promoted Tillman from specialist to corporal, awarding him the Purple Heart and Silver Star.

Friends say he and his brother were moved to join the military after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Tillman was one of more than 100 U.S. soldiers to be killed in Afghanistan since the United States invaded in October 2001. He is the first NFL player killed in combat since Buffalo tackle Bob Kalsu died in the Vietnam War. Nineteen NFL players were killed in World War II.

Drafted in the seventh round by the Cardinals after starring at Arizona State, the 5-foot-11 Tillman beat long odds to not only make the team but become Arizona’s starting safety. In 2000, he broke the franchise record with 224 tackles.

“Players are usually trying to earn the respect of a coach,” said Larry Marmie, a former head coach and defensive coordinator at Arizona State who coached Tillman with the Cardinals. “I found myself trying to earn Pat’s respect.”

There was some laughter to go with the tears. Alex Garwood recalled how Tillman, his brother-in-law, spent his life taking the road less traveled.

“You couldn’t help but laugh when you were with him,” Garwood said. “He had this Christmas sweater and pink slippers and a kimono, which he thought was cool. He often talked about how blond his hair was. When it was cool to have it short, he had it long. When it was cool to have it long, he wore it short. He was proud of his mono-brow, which I don’t get. He thought there was a conspiracy by all those folks who are tall, against people like him who were short.”

Even though he never seemed to worry about what people thought of him, Garwood said, Tillman cared deeply about the feelings of people around him.

“Pat’s the kind of guy who would talk to everyone,” he said. “You went in to get coffee with Pat, he was saying hello to the baristas, introducing you. You’d sit and have your coffee. And on the way out, he’d be sure to look them in the eye to tell them, ‘Thank you.’ People don’t do that. But Pat did.”

Several times during the tribute, people gave standing ovations. They waved the small American flags handed out at the gates. At least one man lifted his child onto his shoulders, taking care to ensure his son could hear every word.