It took me 16 days to clean out the system well enough to find the words to explain why I am walking for Pat; from a roadside in North Carolina, here they are:
I am walking from the Atlantic to the Pacific to raise 3.6 million dollars for the Pat Tillman Foundation. For the past 16 days I was hoping to collect $100,000 for the PTF. $100,000 was simply a dollar amount without real depth.
$3.6 million is a symbol. It is the amount of money Pat gave up to follow his heart in spite of what it took him from or into. I can't take 4 months of my life and leave everyone at home I love for a dollar amount. I can, however, sleep in the woods and lose most of the layers of skin on my feet for a great symbol.
I know it is unrealistic for the $3.6 million to come in $50 or a $100 denominations, especially in this economy. I do however, see this symbol realized if each person who visits my site or sees me walking, talks to 50 or a 100 people over the next 4 months; and they have a discussion about the joy, the pain and the truth of following the heart, and use Pat as a reference-- and then throw $1 or $5 in the pot.
I feel it in myself after 16 days of walking, the path of the heart is filled with joy and pain but most importantly clear truth and peace. If Pat's decision can ultimately keep this country honest with its heart then the cloud of insanity surrounding his death will clear.
The Pat Tillman Foundation is organized by the people who knew Pat the best. They have made it their mission to identify young people with the leadership qualities Pat had; which are compassion, independent thinking, integrity, intrepid action, and passion. The PTF advance's Pat's legacy by inspiring young people to discover what they are passionate about, helping them determine what impact they want to have in life, providing them with the tools essential to promote positive change, and empowering them to act. For more details please visit
http://www.pattillmanfoundation.org/
Reading the headlines the past couple of months has driven home the realization that our country does not have enough leaders like Pat. How many captains of industry or political representatives running the show these days would have made the sacrifice Pat made? What distinguishes Pat is he had the ultimate distractions in his back pocket. Money and fame. I am not taking anything away from anyone who has volunteered to pursue greater truths in this world, by pointing out Pat. All paths have absolutely unique challenges. However, Pat is an example current leadership can take the greatest lesson from. To have unlimited comfort and security, only give it up for the pain and toil of greater cause is epic.
We need those who were closest to Pat, to find more like him. The headlines continue to make this obvious. Please continue to support this walk and the PTF by spreading the word. Pat Tillman's memory must live on.