A while back, I had blogged about people who had a brush with fame, then left it all to become average Joes. Today, I read a story about a guy who had all the credentials to be a pro athlete, but decided to leave that behind to serve in the military.
While this is not a popular decision in today’s world, during World War II, most male celebrities decided to abandon their movie careers to join the military. Our country was at a time of peril and it just seemed like the right thing to do. People like Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, and Lee Marvin left promising careers to serve their country. When we won the war, they returned and picked up where they left off, having long and prosperous careers in the film industry.
But today, many people bypass military service for fame and fortune. And, it is understandable – if you are a movie star or athlete, you can make $10 million a year whereas if you join the military, you’d probably never make $10 million in your entire career. But, some still give up promising careers to join the military. Many just feel it is a calling. One of the best and most tragic examples of this was Pat Tillman. Pat Tillman had a great college career as a linebacker before playing safety for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL. After the September 11th attacks, he turned down a three year contract with the Cardinals worth $1.3 million a year to enlist in the Army. Of course, you probably know the rest of this heartbreaking story – Tillman was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 by friendly fire.
Yesterday, I read an article that said that Ryan Paxson had decided to leave college and join the Marine Corps. Now this wouldn’t have probably made the news except for two things: Ryan is the son of former Chicago Bull player John Paxton (who played alongside Michael Jordan) and in his own right, is leaving a promising college basketball career. And, his uncle, Jim Paxson, played in the NBA for 11 seasons. It would seem like his chances of making the NBA would be better than average.
Yet, he chose not to attend Olivet Nazarene University, where he was the number two leading scorer last year and had 84 three-pointers in 32 games. In a statement, Ryan said, “I hope this is understandable in that I have earned nothing up to this point except a chance to serve my country.” He followed that up with “The Marine Corps is the hardest, most respected branch of service, and it’s something I have a real passion for. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since high school.”
Having a husband that was a recruiter, I know that the large majority of the kids that join the military have few if any other career options. And, I am fine with that – the military can provide a stable income with good benefits for kids that might not otherwise be able to find that. But, it is nice for a change to see someone choose the military, not because there is nothing else, but because it is a passion.