Tillman was recently honored for his support of the military and their families in New Orleans.
Tillman participated in an eight day USO tour in Iraq and Kuwait after personally contacting the U.S. Army in 2010. He visited Camp Victory, Camp Buehring and Joint Base Balad, signing photos and sports memorabilia and sharing dinner with troops.
During the Bears bye week this season, Tillman flew to Fort Hood near Killeen, Texas, to provide critically-ill children and their families with access to notebook computers, DVD players, digital cameras and MP3 players to help pass the time during recovery as part of his charity’s Charles’ Locker program. He also regularly conducts youth football camps on military bases, including the Army’s Fort Hood and the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms in California. At the 2013 Pro Bowl, Tillman and fellow NFL players visited Schofield Army Barracks to greet wounded warriors who recently returned from an extended deployment in Afghanistan.
In October 2012, 23 coaches, active and retired players, and team executives and personnel were nominated for the award by their clubs for demonstrating outstanding support for the military community. Each submission was evaluated by a panel of judges from the NFL and USAA, including NFL greats Roger Staubach, Chad Hennings, Rocky Bleier and Jim Mora Sr. Earlier this year, the panel named both Tillman and Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Mark Dominik finalists before officially naming Tillman the 2012 award winner. Tennessee Titans owner K.S. “Bud” Adams was the award’s inaugural recipient in 2011.
“Each Salute to Service Award nominee exemplifies the spirit of what we’re trying to accomplish with the NFL, which is to inspire football fans to support and salute all veterans and members of the U.S. armed forces,” said retired Army Lt. Gen. Steve Speakes, executive vice president of external affairs for USAA. “We congratulate Charles Tillman for being the 2012 Salute to Service Award winner, and thank him for his support of the military community.”
