When Pat Tillman was killed in an ambush in Afghanistan last week, I found myself listening to the murmurings of people who did not truly understand what just happened.

Some people immediately took offense to the fact that we've had many soldiers killed everyday, and now that Pat Tillman dies. Why should we pay attention?

It is noble that he gave up millions of dollars in the NFL to lay his life on the line for his country, and I would never take that away from his legacy. But I'm trying to understand why people are upset that he's being heralded as a hero, because he was.

Actually, if Pat Tillman could be here now, he would show disdain for anyone that would spotlight him like this. He'd probably want to smash every camera and admonish every reporter who would put him on such a pedestal. He would not want anything to take away from the soldiers still fighting our cause. "In accordance with the wishes of his parents, they asked his old high school alma mater to make as little of his death as possible," said the school's assistant principal. "Their feelings are that a lot of great young people have died in the service of their country and it would be wrong singling one out." The real question here is not the fact that what he did was magnanimous, because it was. The real question is: Would you have done it? Would I?

There are not many people, if even one other, one who would have given up a lucrative career in football, after working so hard to get it. We would probably like to say, "That's exactly what I would have done," but is it really?

Many say, "My son or daughter is doing the same thing; they're giving their lives for the same reason." And yes they are. If this same tragedy befalls even one of them, we will grieve again.

But it's a one in a million - if not more - chance of a lifetime for an individual to have the ability and opportunity to play in the NFL. Period. Look closely at yourself. Would you have given up $3.5 million to go fight this war? Three years ago, Tillman turned down a five-year, $9 million offer to play with the St. Louis Rams. It was because if his loyalty to Arizona that he chose not to go elsewhere. And after September 11, 2001, it became his loyalty to this country that made him want to sign up for the military.

So, it's not about money; it's not about fame; but it's about a passion to serve -- of doing something that's greater than yourself. And Pat Tillman, who had a deep reverence for what happened on 9/11, had that passion to give back by doing something for others.

Oh, yes, he could have given his millions to the families of those that lost loved ones, but he knew that was only a band-aid to the real problem. It would happen again if we did not root out the cancer of terrorism, and he wanted to be one that would help take care of business. It was the right thing to do, and he did it, proudly.

He also had a reverence for his family, because in his decision to go to war, he reflected on the sacrifices made by members of his own family, and that seemed to make quite an impression on him.

In a rare interview before he enlisted, Tillman said: "My great grandfather was at Pearl Harbor, and a lot of my family has gone and fought in wars, and I really haven't done a thing as far as laying myself on the line like that, and so I have a great deal of respect for those that have and what the flag stands for."

That's where his passion lay; to be like them. Tillman left quietly for the mountains of Afghanistan to serve with his brother - "to make right," he said, "what 9/11 made so wrong," reported CBS News Correspondent Lee Cowan.

It all came down to a "reverence for doing what was right."

Some people spend their entire lives wanting to have an opportunity like Pat Tillman had. Fathers throw footballs at their little boys, even in the crib, hoping that the feel of pigskin to the infant's touch will stay with him forever. We send our children to sports' camps to become better players; to be around the game 24/7. And yet this young man cashed it all in to go fight a war that many Americans are calling senseless.

Doesn't it make your heart feel good to know we have men and women like Pat Tillman who may have listened to the cries of the fainthearted, but still signed up to fight for this great nation? Even in the face of naysayers, who haven't a clue, our young people still go. I'm so grateful these young men and women have the sense God gave them to see what is going on in our country, and do what has to be done to protect the American people.

And they do this willingly. Pat Tillman was not drafted; he volunteered. What a blessing his life was as he lived it before us as a sports figure and a patriot. He was obviously a different breed of man. Or maybe a new breed of American who knows what's right and does it. Now that's a real hero!

Debbie Daniel is a writer from San Marcos, Texas