One year after his death, Tillman still inspires

Jason Wells had flunked the Marines’ enlistment test twice, and he was resigned to never wearing the same uniform that decorated his father, uncle and grandfather. Then he heard about Pat Tillman.

Read more on Pat Tillman

Tillman’s decision to forgo his NFL career to become a U.S. Army Ranger prompted Wells, 19, of Mesa, to get a night job and use some of the money he earned to hire a tutor.

After a month of studying, he retook the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery test and passed. Tuesday, he’ll begin seven weeks of infantry training at Camp Pendleton in San Diego. "I couldn’t see how someone with his success could leave the NFL and all that money," Wells said. "He just inspired me to work my hardest." Tillman died a year ago today in the mountains of Afghanistan, but his life still resonates in many ways.

In fact, Tillman has become the one thing he didn’t want to be: A hero.

"I think it’s because his is such an incredible story," said Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. "He had it all. He didn’t have to serve. But he did, and his death was so shocking it seems like yesterday."

Tillman’s legacy is defined not only by his service but his silence.

He turned down all interview requests. He shrugged off book and movie offers. He told friends his sacrifice was no greater than that of any other soldier, and he proved it by not cashing in on his celebrity.

His family, out of respect for Tillman’s wishes, also has maintained its silence. His father, Patrick, and mother, Mary, politely declined comment this week.

"Pat was a man who was committed to his ideals," said Carl Harnisch of Tempe. "We all would like to do that in our life, and of course we don’t. We fall way short. Pat didn’t."

The outpouring of grief that followed Tillman’s death has subsided, but people are still finding ways to honor his memory.

Pat’s Run, a 4.2-mile event in downtown Tempe last Saturday to benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation, drew 5,578 participants.

Among them were Bryant and Melinda Johnston of Phoenix and their children, Katarina, 7, and Chandler, 8.

"My son has been doing a hero and heroine project in school, and for the last 3 1 /2 months, he’s been studying Pat Tillman," Melinda Johnston said. "He just really pushed himself and tried to make the world a better place."

The Tillman Foundation and the Arizona Cardinals have distributed more than 65,000 "Never Forget No. 40" Pat Tillman wristbands, and 100,000 more are on order, said Alex Garwood, executive director of the foundation, and the brother-in-law of Tillman’s widow, Marie.

The Foundation, which has received more than $1 million in donations the past year, Garwood said, also is beginning a Leadership through Action program at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

The program will enable selected students to work with community leaders. If the students take a leadership role in a cause that, as Garwood said, "helps right a wrong," the foundation will fund their efforts.

"It could be a variety of things, like AIDS or cancer research," Garwood said. "We want college students to get off their butts and do something with their leadership skills."

The Pat Tillman USO Center opened earlier this month at the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. A Tillman jersey hangs on the wall in the largest room of the two-story center, which houses several large-screen televisions, video game stations and telephones.

The center was funded, in part, by a $250,000 grant from the National Football League.

Tillman’s name will also be affixed to the Hoover Dam bypass bridge, which will be completed in 2008.

"People talk about what a magnificent reach Pat has, but I’m not surprised because I knew him," Garwood said. "I knew what kind of man he was."

Tillman’s younger brother, Kevin, who was in the same unit with Tillman in Afghanistan, is still serving his initial three-year enlistment with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in Fort Lewis, Wash., according to an Army spokesman.

The spokesman said it’s Army policy not to disclose a soldier’s precise whereabouts.

The circumstances surrounding Tillman’s death continue to be shrouded in mystery.

The Army recently completed its investigation into Tillman’s death but refuses to make the report public. The Washington Post reported last December that Tillman had been killed by friendly fire.

A Pentagon spokesman said the Tillman family has been briefed on the investigation’s findings but declined further comment.

"I don’t think anybody is satisfied with how the whole thing has unfolded," Kyl said, adding he has not read the Army’s report.

It is not the way Tillman died that will be remembered, though. It is the way he lived.

"He walked away from a lot of things none of us ever would," said Michael Golovich of Chandler, who along with his son, Jordan, participated in Pat’s Run. "He always seemed concerned about helping others. I think that’s what his legacy will be."

Tillman honored

When: The Arizona Diamondbacks will honor Pat Tillman with a pregame ceremony and post-game concert tonight.

What: Diamondbacks first baseman Tony Clark, whose brother-in-law is serving in Iraq, will perform the silent first-pitch ceremony. After the game, country artist John Stone will perform at the Sliders stage on the plaza.