What is a summary of chapter two of Where Men Win Glory?

Chapter Two summary of Where Men Win Glory.

For most of his childhood in Fremont, Pat Tillman's family lived in New Almaden. According to his mother, Mary Lydanne Tillman, Pat was a lively infant. Mary maintains that, from the very beginning, her son had always been full of energy, confidence, and tenacity. Pat and his two brothers, Kevin and Richard, often enjoyed hiking at the Almaden Quicksilver County Park during their childhood. As they grew,...

Chapter Two summary of Where Men Win Glory.

For most of his childhood in Fremont, Pat Tillman's family lived in New Almaden. According to his mother, Mary Lydanne Tillman, Pat was a lively infant. Mary maintains that, from the very beginning, her son had always been full of energy, confidence, and tenacity. Pat and his two brothers, Kevin and Richard, often enjoyed hiking at the Almaden Quicksilver County Park during their childhood. As they grew, sports came to dominate the Tillman family schedule. Despite his diminutive size, Pat excelled in football; in 1992, he emerged as Leland's football star. 

In 2007, American soldiers were stationed with Afghan National Army recruits and soldiers from the Afghan Security Guard (ASG) at Forward Operating Base Tillman, a base named in Tillman's honor. The ASG were specially trained by American Special Forces, and many were rumored to have been under the influence of hashish for much of their waking hours. The commander of the ASG was one Abdul Ghani, a Pashtun, who lived according to a strict code of conduct.

In Afghanistan, the majority Pashtuns live by this stringent code of honor, called Pashtunwali. The most important tenets of Pashtunwali are nang (honor), ghairat (pride), badal (revenge), and melmastia (hospitality). Yet, Pashtunwali often proves contradictory in practice. The principle of melmastia, for example, stipulates that all visitors (even enemies) are to be accorded a degree of hospitality. On the other hand, the principle of badal maintains that each slight has to be avenged. The Pashtun believe that respect is derived from demonstrations of strength and courage and that no wrong should be left without redress.

The tenets of Pashtunwali closely mirrored Tillman's own values. Taught to respect traditional masculine virtues from a very young age, Tillman knew how to defend honor and to command respect, both on the football field and in the classroom. Yet, behind the tough exterior lurked a sensitive conscience known to very few. Although Tillman held his own against the bigger boys on the football team, he always defended nerdy classmates who fell victim to bigger tormenters. In many ways, for all his machismo, Tillman was "the antithesis of a bully."