Remembering fallen veteran Pat Tillman on Memorial Day

Tillman appears in a 1993 photo during his high school days in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/San Jose Mercury News, Thu Hoang Ly)

Memorial Day is a joyful day–a day of barbecues and Whiffle ball, beach trips and flip flops. We slather on the sunscreen and welcome summer. While all those things are wonderful, it’s also important to take a moment and remember the actual reason for the holiday: honoring those men and women who have died serving our country.

Countless athletes have died in the service to our military, but one athlete’s name has resonated: Pat Tillman. In May 2002, eight months after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, Tillman walked away from a three year, $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the U.S. army.

Tillman died on April 22, 2004 in a friendly-fire accident outside the village of Sperah, in Afghanistan. Between helpings of barbecue today, take a moment and think of him, as well as all the others who died serving our country.

Tillman in Tempe, Ariz. in Sept. 1998. . (AP Photo/Arizona Republic, Mike Rynearson, File)

Safety Pat Tillman #40 of the Arizona Cardinals looks on during a game against the Oakland Raiders at the Sun Devil Stadium October 4 1998 in Tempe, Arizona. (Photo by Todd Warshaw/Getty Images)

Tillman uses a bicycle to carry his belongings to the Northern Arizona dorm in Flagstaff, Ariz., on July 27, 2001 for training camp. (AP Photo/East Valley Tribune, Brian Fitzgerald)

Safety Pat Tillman (40) watches practice during the Arizona Cardinals summer camp in Flagstaff, Ariz., in this July 30, 2001 photo. (AP Photo/East Valley Tribune, Brian Fitzgerald)

Arizona Cardinals safety Pat Tillman celebrates after tackling New Orleans Saints running back Lamar Smith for a loss. Tempe, Ariz., Sunday Dec. 20, 1998. (AP Photo/Roy Dabner)

Tillman in uniform in 2003. (AP Photo/Photography Plus via Williamson Stealth Media Solutions, FILE)