Most Inspiring Person of the Year Award 2004

WINNER:
Pat Tillman

Why We Chose Him

Pat Tillman, who walked away from an NFL career to volunteer for military service after 9/11, stands for bravery and much more.
By Steven Waldman,
Beliefnet Editor-in-Chief

Despite our intention to keep divisiveness out of the Most Inspiring Person this year, even acts of heroism are viewed through the lens of politics. Judging from online comments and our conversations with people about this year's nominees, it seems those who see mostly tragedy in the Iraq war are most inspired by Spc. Joseph Darby, who blew the whistle on the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, or Margaret Hassan, the director of Care in Iraq, who devoted her life not to killing but healing.

Those who see nobility in our Iraq effort were more likely to praise either Pat Tillman, the football-player-turned-soldier, or Jason Dunham, the young marine nominated for the medal of honor who gave up his life to save other soldiers.

The finalist who received the most votes was Cpl. Jason Dunham, the marine who sacrificed his life to save his unit. Dunham garnered 33% of the vote.

Poll Results

Reeve 21%; Bibi 11%; Tillman 9%; Fantasia 8%; Hassan 5%; Smarty Jones 5%; Reagan 4%; Darby 4%; Schilling 1%

We would hope that all of us could see the extraordinary courage in all four of them. Surely war supporters can admire Margaret Hassan for staying in Iraq, at obvious personal risk, to help suffering Iraqis (the point of this war was, after all, to help Iraqis) or understand that one cannot promote a moral war while concealing the immorality of prison torture. Surely even the war's most outspoken opponents can appreciate the sacrifice evident in Pat Tillman's story or the extraordinary courage and valor of Jason Dunham, who flung his helmet and possibly himself on a live grenade to protect the lives of others. Dunham won our "People's Choice" award among Beliefnet users. As one friend of Dunham's wrote, "What he did for his fellow soldiers and for mankind in beyond comprehension. In our small town of Scio he will NEVER be forgotten."

In the end, despite the great physical or moral courage of all four of them--and the incredible stories of the six other most inspiring finalists: Christopher Reeve, Nancy Reagan, Fantasia, Smarty Jones, Mukhtaran Bibi, and Curt Schilling--we choose Pat Tillman as the most inspiring person of the year.

Tillman, who walked away from a multimillion dollar NFL career to volunteer for service after 9/11, was deployed in Afghanistan, where American soldiers successfully overthrew a tyrannical regime that was subjugating its population and harboring Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda. Tillman was killed there in April.

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Photo Credits: Getty Images (Fantasia, Curt Schilling, Nancy Reagan, Margaret Hassan); Arizona East Valley Tribune (Pat Tillman); Corbis (Joseph Darby prison photo); horsephotos.com (Smarty Jones); wikipedia.com (Mukhtaran Bibi).

Our Other Finalists
	Nancy Reagan Advocate & caretaker
	Fantasia From poverty to "Idol"
	Christopher Reeve Champion for the disabled
	Spc. Darby Abu Ghraib whistle-blower
	Curt Schilling Led Sox to historic win
	Margaret Hassan Murdered humanitarian
	Smarty Jones "People's racehorse"
	Cpl. Jason Dunham Brave marine
	Mukhtaran Bibi Rape survivor

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Most Inspiring Person of the Year Award 2004