I have always been fascinated and, more than anything, moved by the story of Pat Tillman. His life reads like a Hollywood movie: turning down a life of fortune in the NFL to fight for his county, he signed up for the Army after 9/11. Even when he had doubts about the war in Iraq, he declined the chance to leave the service early. And he looked every bit the hero, the Hollywood version of himself.
The rest of the story goes from Hollywood to tragedy. Gunned down by friendly fire. This version of events, the truth, is of course a very noble way to die. The way that Pat Tillman lived his life ensured that any way he died would be noble. But it was not enough for the higher ups in the Army, who couldn't stand to have their golden boy story marred by the realities of war.
And now the last phase of his life is a movie, a documentary called The Tillman Story, by Amir Bar-Lev. The review by the Times makes it sound excellent, and I hope that I have the chance to see it some day. Based on the review of the docu, it looks like his entire family follows in Pat's warrior foot steps, battling lies, cynicism, and red tape until they were finally victorious in uncovering the truth. Good for them. I love this story. I love Pat Tillman, atheist/soldier.
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1 comment:
There is also the book about his life, by Jon Krakauer - the guy of Into Thin Air, Into the Wild, etc.
"Where Men Win Glory..."
I got it for my dad for some holiday event and he loved it. I think I read part of it and his family sounds really solid - very admirable and heroic in the ways you mention.
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