Pat Tillman's grieving family maintained its public silence Saturday as military officials arranged the fallen warrior's final journey home.
In San Jose, the father of the Army Ranger spoke to the public for the first time Saturday, although it was only to politely say that the family would remain silent.
"We're not really going to talk right now," Patrick Tillman, a Bay area attorney, told The Arizona Republic. "I hope you understand."
Asked if the family planned to issue a statement soon, Tillman responded, "No, we won't be saying anything for quite a while."
Funeral arrangements were pending for the former Arizona State University and Arizona Cardinals defensive star, who was killed Thursday in southeastern Afghanistan.
Tillman's body is expected to be sent within 24 hours to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, said Shari Lawrence, deputy public affairs officer for the Army Human Resources Command.
Specialist Kevin Tillman, like his brother a Ranger with the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment, will accompany the body home, Lawrence said.
"People talk a lot and do little," said Terry Richards, 36, of Tempe, part of a steady line of visitors Saturday to a memorial outside Sun Devil Stadium. "Here's the guy who did a lot and said nothing. I can't think of a more poignant reason as to why people care as they do."
While it is the Tillman family's intention not to make him any larger a hero than others who have fallen in combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, the American public and the National Football League are nonetheless doing it.
AP reports from Kabul indicated the ambush occurred at 7:30pm Thursday during a patrol near the village of Sperah in the Khost province, a mountainous region near the Pakistan border.
Rangers and Afghan militia soldiers were fired on, returned fire and jumped from their vehicles to give chase. Tillman and two other US soldiers were wounded in the ensuing ambush. The Special Operations Command said Tillman was evacuated and pronounced dead from his wounds about 8:45am Arizona time Thursday.
Arizonans shared the family's grief.
"He's a patriot and a great example for Arizona's children," said Joseph Chavez, pastor of Phoenix Inner City Church, which sponsored a celebration of Tillman's life Saturday. "He personifies all that is good in Arizona."
"I can't believe I was whining about what kind of car I want," Manuel Alvarez, 20, said as he reflected on Tillman. "That seems ridiculous after hearing about Tillman's death. I hope people my age will realize that life in America is pretty good and we shouldn't complain about things."
Sun Devil Stadium, the site of some of Tillman's most memorable football moments, featured a makeshift altar of flowers, handmade cards and other tokens, including posters reading, "Pat Tillman, Arizona's American hero" and "You're playing on God's field now."
Richard Martinez, 33, of Glendale, took photos of the shrine, fighting back tears.
"He was definitely a man among men," said Martinez, who wore Tillman's No. 40 Cardinals jersey. "He didn't let society or coaches dictate what he should do. He was an inspiration, that's for sure."
Dan Sandoval of Phoenix placed a teddy bear near the memorial. Saturday was Sandoval's 43rd birthday.
"It's a loss, such a loss," Sandoval said. "But it's a gain to know there are true heroes out there. You want to define hero, you get a picture of him."
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