I think I provided a way to boost everybody's confidence about the war,

I had the good fortune and opportunity to come home and to tell the truth; many soldiers, like Pat Tillman… did not have that opportunity. The truth of war is not always easy. The truth is always more heroic than the hype.

I know that I'm already in the history books and that people are going to remember me as the prisoner of war and the fabricated stories, but you know, to me I was just another soldier over there doing my job.

I remember the first time I put on the Army uniform. I just felt like a totally different person - I felt proud.

The truth is always more heroic than the hype.

I don't come from a rich family - it's not like we lived in a cardboard box, but we didn't have a ton of money.