I think Chad is full of himself, and full of shit. Tell him to drop by here if he wants to talk about service. If he wants to see some in person, let him go to DC and visit Walter Reed to see the cost of service. Maybe he can visit Arlington in the afternoon and see the real price to be paid. He seems to be pretty casual with the word "service".
Flight 93 passengers served? Well, they did something significant for their country, and one another, but what choice did they have? Doing something brave while you are under a threat may be serving, but the passengers, IMHO, could never, regardless of the outcome, say that they served. Service is more than doing the right thing, when you have to.
Almost every wannabe I know says the same thing, "well, I would have gone, but I wasn't able". Well, ole' Chad might be helping to pay for the war, but he isn't doing much more about it. As Jefferson said, "a hen has an interest in a ham and egg breakfast, but the pig has an investment." Having military relatives rings akin to the racist having black friends. It is a defensive statement, and implies nothing about the individual.
"Paint you in a good light"? I thought Pat was there to cover a story accurately? Did he make up stuff, or render a false report? Who is Pat, Ernie freaking Pyle? He could have given up the money and enlisted to be a military correspondent, if he really wanted to serve. And I take nothing away from his documentary, which may be great. But IMHO, he never served.
Would a documentarian who traveled with an NFL team be a team member player at the end of the season? Take a ride with a NASCAR team and be a real team member? I think the true value of service is in the risk, and in your contribution to the cause. Pat Tillman served too. For real. So did Chad Buehring, and Dan Petithory, and Stan Harriman, and John Chapman, and about 3,000 other brothers.
It is easy to take the money to go over and shoot a little video, and take a small risk for a few months. Big freaking deal. Once in a lifetime risk, for God and Country maybe, and for potential personal profit. Would he have gone for $1501 per month, to obey the orders of the men appointed over him, to kill and possibly be killed? Sounds like a helluva good guy. Served his country? I don't think so. And Chad should keep his honorifics for those who have earned them, if he also understands Duty, Honor, or Country.
What Pat did is not serving, it is doing his civilian job, whether he did it better, or braver, or longer. As you noted, service implies doing subornation and something for a greater cause or for someone else. It also means not having a lot of choice in the matter. He is not doing Jack for this country, he is there of his own free will to make money. He may have made more had he stayed home and done his Hollywood thing. Was he responsible for the lives of others? Did he have to follow orders which might have cost him his life, or stay after he wanted to come home? That is the difference between serving, and working. The day he wanted to come home, he could leave. And never have to worry about going back. Clearly, Chad does not understand the meaning of the word "service" and if Pat did, he would not let Chad use that language either.
Does he understand the meaning of swearing an oath to support and defend, follow orders, etc? Clearly not. At the end of his response, Chad sounds to me a lot like Arkin does. Bitter at those better men who jock up and step into the ring. Calling a media trip "serving" cheapens the word service and steals the sacrifice of better men who have paid the real price of service.
Let him sit in his nice little cozy life here in the USA, knowing that better men than he DO still understand the meaning of service, and serve that he might live free at home, safe and sound, seeing his loved ones every night, with little real danger to face, and to talk smack on the internet to a real soldier serving his country. What has he done for his country today? More directly, what has he done for someone serving his country today?
Yeah, that is really service. Thanks for your service, Pat. You too, Chad. Though thanks for a job well done might be more appropriate.
TR