Tillman Scholars: Veterans Leading from the Front

Last month, the Pat Tillman Foundation hosted its annual Pat Tillman Leadership Summit for its newest military scholars. More than 50 scholars gathered in Chicago to hone their leadership skills for various sectors, from government and law to social work and museum curation. I covered the event, and we put together a nice wrapup video.

Now we have profile videos of two scholars who exemplify the legacy of Pat Tillman’s commitment to education and service. One is Lyndsey Anderson, an Army Veteran and member of the first class of scholars. She deployed to Iraq trained in supply but left as an amateur historical anthropologist. She gathered and preserved items from Saddam’s military just after the invasion, and some items are now hosted in an Iowa museum. Her experience led to museum studies, where she finds innovative ways to spark interest and passion in the objects that shape our history.

The second video profiles Samuel Innocent, a former Army combat medic with service in Afghanistan. Sam moved around a lot during his childhood in Brooklyn, and he realized it was barrier to stability during his formative years. But his flexibility was a great asset in the Army, especially in unpredictable and fluid situations in combat. After he left the service, Sam concentrated on mentoring the kids in his community to ensure they had strong positive influences to emulate. Sam, a freshly minted Tillman scholar, plans to leverage his medical skills with advanced degrees in public health or health administration.