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'Not what he served for': Pat Tillman's widow blasts Donald Trump's executive order on immigration

Posted at 11:35 PM, Jan 28, 2017
and last updated 2017-01-29 01:36:54-05

Pat Tillman's widow took to Facebook on Saturday to express her dissatisfaction with President Trump's executive order that bans immigration from several nations to the United States.

Pat Tillman was a football star at Arizona State University and with the Arizona Cardinals, but he left behind his NFL career to enlist in the U.S. Army following the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. He was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan in 2004.

Marie Tillman wrote on Facebook that she's "deeply saddened" by Trump's executive order and said the path Trump wants to take America down is not what her husband envisioned.

"In 2002 my husband enlisted in the US Army, he stood up to serve because he believed in the (principles) on which are country was founded and, recognizing it wasn't perfect, was passionate about what it could be" she wrote.

"Today I am deeply saddened by the news of the executive order banning immigration. This is not the country he dreamed of, not what he served for and not what he died for. Since his death I have embarked on the most meaningful work of my life, supporting the men and women who, like Pat, fight for what this country can be.

"As I read posts from the community of Tillman Scholars on my Facebook feed I am encouraged; they are exactly as I knew they would be, poised and ready to fight. I am proud of them and proud to stand with them, we've got this."

Marie Tillman helped found the Pat Tillman Foundation in 2004 in order to provide academic scholarships for families of military veterans. The foundation has raised over $14 million to date.