Corporal Patrick Daniel “Pat” Tillman, Jr. was killed in the mountains of Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. I remember being enthralled and moved by his story – he left a million dollar career in the NFL to enlist with his brother Kevin in the Army. Stories of people with Pat Tillman’s conviction and strength of character are so very rare. I remember thinking Pat Tillman’s story was both enigmatic and inspiring.
At Tillman’s funeral, the following official account of his death was read:
Corporal Tillman put himself in the line of devastating enemy fire as he maneuvered his Fire Team to a covered position from which they could effectively employ their weapons on known enemy positions. While mortally wounded, his audacious leadership and courageous example under fire inspired his men to fight with great risk to their own personal safety, resulting in the enemy’s withdrawal and his platoon’s safe passage from the ambush kill zone. (Excerpted from Pat Tillman’s Silver Star Citation)
The problem is, this is not what really happened, and several people present at the funeral, including Lt. General Phillip Kensinger, knew it. Pat Tillman’s dying words were “I’m Pat fucking Tillman!” He yelled this several times as a warning to the people that were shooting at him and his buddies. Pat Tillman was shot and killed by members of his own unit, and the Army knew this before they gave him The Silver Star. Unfortunately, not only was his family lied to, but they are still fighting to learn the full truth about what happened to Pat and who was responsible for the cover-up.
I learned all this by watching the excellent documentary entitled “The Tillman Story.” You’ve probably not seen this film, but I would highly recommend that you take the time to watch it. This movie is powerful because it is told through interviews with Pat’s comrades that were present the day he was killed, and with his family, especially his father Pat and incredible mother, Mary Tillman. I’ll never forget the looks of disgust on the faces of Pat’s family as they sat in the back of the room during the congressional hearings and listened to senior military leaders, including Donald Rumsfeld, evade the truth about what they knew and when they knew it.
My image of Pat Tillman and what happened to him was a myth which this movie dispelled. He deserves to be more than a myth to us, and we all need to be reminded of the dark side of leadership that enables and sustains these self-serving illusions.
What do you remember about the Pat Tillman story? Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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Bret,
It’s been a long time I hope all is going well!
I recently read Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer. I have not had a chance to see the Tillman Story yet but I imagine many of the same facts and stories are discussed. Tillman reminds me of Donovan Campbell, author of Joker One, in that he sacrificed personal gain for the opportunity to serve his country.
I guess one could argue that both Campbell, who entered the Marine Corps after completing an Ivy League education, and Tillman, who gave up his NFL career to enlist in the Army, felt they could achieve greater personal gain by serving in the military.
The poor decision making by military and political leadership to exploit Tillman’s death would make for a very interesting case study!
Thanks,
Kevin
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Bret L. Simmons Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 8:38 am
Welcome, Kevin! I wondered about the Krakauer book. The reviews of it were not good, which is too bad given the importance of this story. I think the movie gets it right because it relies so heavily on the actual interviews with the family. I too loved the book Joker One. Thanks! Bret
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There are so many dimensions to this story, Bret. I included Pat Tillman as one of the leadership vignettes in an e-book on holilstic leadership I wrote last year. It is a dual travesty when a young talented soldier (who had other financial opportunities but who still enlisted to serve his country) is killed in action but whose government lied to and deceived its citizens in a feeble, illegal attempt to manipulate public opinion on a war that should never have happened.
Thanks for reminding us of Pat Tillman…J
[Reply]
Bret L. Simmons Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Well said, Jim. Scary to think that very senior leaders that had a moral compass so corrupt that they even considered manipulating this man’s family, not to mention an entire nation. Thanks, Bret
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