Point-of-View

I’d never heard of Pat Tillman before he joined the Army two years ago.

Not being a big football fan, I had no idea that he played for the Arizona Cardinals. But the minute the story broke about his enlisting and volunteering to be a Ranger, I knew Pat Tillman because I was, at one time, just like Pat Tillman. I, too, was an Army Ranger.

Like so many others, I felt a certain amount of shock when his death was announced last week. I read with a great deal of personal interest all of the stories that appeared. I knew Pat Tillman because I knew guys just like him. Guys with that certain esprit de corps, that do-anything, go-anywhere attitude. You could see it in their eyes. It wasn’t pride and it wasn’t arrogance. But it wasn’t far from it. It’s that look that comes when you know that you’re ready to take what the world throws at you. Pat Tillman had that look.

Tillman was, in the football arena, the little engine that could, the little guy that somehow made it big. When he walked away from it all for the life of an Army Ranger, the media couldn’t understand why a young man in his professional prime would give up millions of dollars. Some thought him an idealist, a go-getter with a never-say-die attitude. Others heard him say that he wanted to do something for his country but they really didn’t understand. They never will. Not until they walk a mile in his shoes.

The same response came recently when Southern Baptist personnel were slain in Iraq. And before that in Yemen and in the Philippines. The media questioned the missionaries’ right to be in these foreign lands. They questioned their dedication to a cause that insists that it offers the only correct answer to life’s ultimate questions. While some acknowledged the great sacrifice of these soldiers of the cross, the media for the most part didn’t understand. They never will. Not until they take up a cross and follow Jesus.

Pat Tillman can teach us a thing or two about being an American. He was a hero. Not because he once played football for millions of dollars. Not because he jumped out of airplanes for thousands. Not even because he died in the line of duty, making the ultimate sacrifice. He was a hero because he was willing to do what so many can’t. He was a hero because he knew the Ranger creed and lived it:

• Recognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and high esprit de corps of the Rangers.

• Acknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by land, sea or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move further, faster and fight harder than any other soldier.

• Never shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be, 100 percent and then some.

• Gallantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, neatness of dress and care of equipment shall set the example for others to follow.

• Energetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight with all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country.

• Readily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission, though I be the lone survivor.

Pat Tillman was a hero because he heard the call to duty and answered.

In the end, Pat Tillman died for his country, going where millions of others couldn’t go.

So, too, will many of us die in the name of Christ. We have been given our marching orders: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). We know the cost: “He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it” (Matt 10:39).

Pat Tillman proudly wore the beret of an Army Ranger, carrying his nation’s colors into battle, willing to die for the cause. Are you carrying the cross of Christ and the sword of truth? Or have we learned nothing from those who’ve gone before us?

Peter Beck is the director of marketing for Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky.