The day Pat Tillman's wife, Marie, learned he had been killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, she unsealed his "in case I die" letter to her that he had penned a year earlier:
It's difficult to summarize 10 years together, my love for you, my hopes for your future, and pretend to be dead all at the same time . . . I simply cannot put all this into words. I'm not ready willing or able. ... Through the years I've asked a great deal of you, therefore it should surprise you little that I have another favor to ask. I ask that you live.
Now, the letter is included in a new book that tells the story of the couple's 11-year love affair through the letters they exchanged. The Letter: My Journey Through Love, Loss, & Life is out Tuesday.
[nypost]