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Football is rooted in militaristic terms - the blitz, bomb, cannon arm, shotgun, in the trenches and many others.
Game strategy is often likened to battle strategy - the offensive, the defensive, the audible.
But football is football, ultimately my favorite game and spectator sport. War is ... well hell as General William Tecumseh Sherman famously said.
The story is personal. My father was a Marine in World War II in the Pacific on islands such as Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was one of the first ground troops into Hiroshima and Nagasaki a few weeks after atomic bombs were dropped, and days he said that were among his toughest.
He was one of the lucky ones who came home. As he and almost every war veteran says, "The real heroes are still over there."
Our son, 19, is now in the Marines and at Camp Pendleton for his first permanent duty station, choosing his path completely as a surprise to everyone who knows him and of his own volition.
But on this Memorial Day, we remember all those who died serving their country, specifically the nameless and faceless heroes.
Here are some famous football players who died in service:
Pat Tillman: The most well-known soldier in this generation. The former Arizona State and Arizona Cardinal linebacker decided along with his brother, Kevin, to enlist in the Army after the 9/11 attacks.
Tillman gave up his multimillionaire dollar NFL contract to serve his country and ultimately lost his life in the mountains of Afghanistan to friendly fire.
Tillman's death was both shocking and controversial as evidence suggests he was murdered by his own troops even though he was always considered one of the most popular soldiers in his unit. His death was part of a government cover-up and an investigation that is ongoing. For a riveting portrayal of Tillman's story, read "Remember His Name," by Sports Illustrated's Gary Smith.
Hobey Baker: Was a football and hockey star at Princeton (the annual award for the nation's top college hockey player is named for him) who served as a pilot, died a month after the armistice on a test flight in France.
More on football players who died serving their country.
List of NFL players who have died serving in war since World War II.
Comments
Nile Kinnick died when he had something wrong with his plane and would risk killing more people if he tried to land his plane on the ship. He decided to save the life's of others and crash land into the ocean and take his own. Just thought that should be mentioned in his paragraph.
Thanks, Jim. I clarified the paragraph on Nile Kinnick.
I was a combat medic with the 2/28th Inf. Black Lions during the Battle of Ong Thanh. Thank you for mentioning Major Don Holleder. He was killed while attempting to rescue wounded soldiers who were trying to get back to friendly lines during the battle. His sacrifice has not been forgotten by those who were there.
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