The Pat Tillman Foundation recently announced the first recipients of its Tillman Military Scholarships.
After sorting through over 500 applications, 52 students will get money from the Tillman Foundation, which is marking the first year of the scholarships.
"The goal of the Tillman Military Scholars program is to assist service members and their families in pursuing their educational goals, and to help them continue their service to this nation," Marie Tillman, the Pat Tillman Foundation chair of the board of directors, said.
Students will be able to use the scholarships for a variety of purposes, including tuition, fees, books, room and board and childcare. The scholarships are open to active and veteran members of the service and their dependents.
In order to be able to renew the scholarship, recipients must be enrolled full time and maintain a 3.0 grade point average. Recipients also must complete a minimum of 10 hours of community service during each semester.
After playing for the Arizona Cardinals football team, who drafted him in 1998, Pat Tillman joined the U.S. Army with his brother Kevin in July of 2002. Both he and his brother served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.
On April 22, 2004, Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire during an ambush in an eastern area of Afghanistan. In order to honor his memory, Pat Tillman’s friends and family established the Pat Tillman Foundation. The goal of the foundation is to give aid to the future leaders of America.
Along with the Tillman Military Scholarships, the Pat Tillman Foundation also has the Leadership Through Action program, which includes the National Veterans Scholarship Fund and the Collegiate Fund for Social Action.