Pat Tillman: The NFL star who turned down millions of dollars to fight for his country

In the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday, it's important to remember the sacrifice of all the soldiers who sacrificed their lives, and former NFL star Pat Tillman is one of them.

Pat Tillman is a former NFL star for the Arizona Cardinals, who traded his career as a pro athlete to fight the 'War on Terror' in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Tillman was a highly recruited linebacker coming out of high school and decided to join Arizona State University on a football scholarship in 1994.

The recruit secured the last scholarship at Arizona State and excelled as their starting linebacker, helping them go undefeated and making the Rose Bowl that same year.

In his final year at Arizona State in 1997, Tillman was voted the PAC-10 Defensive Player of the Year and named Arizona State's MVP.

Tillman continued his journey in Arizona at the professional level, being selected as the 226th pick in the 1998 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals and moving to safety.

In his NFL debut season, Tillman played 16 games for the Cardinals, making 74 total tackles, with 46 of them being solo.

Sports Illustrated writer Paul Zimmerman named Tillman in the 2000 NFL All-Pro team, making 144 total tackles, 107 coming solo, and 1.5 sacks.

As Tillman's career progressed, millions of dollars were on the table for the Cardinal's safety, but the attacks of 9/11 in 2001 were about to change the course of his life.

Tillman rejected a $9 million offer from the St Louis Rams and followed up by turning down a $3.6 million extension from the Cardinals to enlist in the US Army.

After only four years in the NFL, Tillman finished his career, playing 60 games, making 344 total tackles and 245 solo tackles. But now he was going to fight in the Middle East.

Once he had completed his training, Tillman was sent to Iraq in 2003 to fight as part of Operation 'Iraqi Freedom.' He then entered Ranger School before subsequently finishing and being deployed to Afghanistan.

In just a short couple of months of being posted at FOB Salerno, Tillman was out on patrol and shot and killed on April 22, 2004, after reports of being ambushed by enemy insurgents.

The Army had ruled that it was death by ambush, but after an investigation into his death, it was found that Tillman had been killed by friendly fire after he was mistakenly confused to be an enemy combatant.

A lengthy investigation held by Brigadier General Gary M. Jones concluded that Tillman's death was due to friendly fire aggravated by the intensity of the firefight.

Posthumously, Tillman was awarded the Silver Star Citation by President George Bush for gallantry in action while serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment, during action in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004.

According to 'The Tillman Story,' President George Bush said: "Pat Tillman loved the game of football, yet he loved America even more."