Instant Hero! Just Add Bullets

The Washington Post has an extensive, well-researched two-part story on the death of NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman (part 1, part 2). The Army tersely admitted back in May that Tillman was killed by friendly fire, and I dutifully wrote a screed in response. Turns out the full details are even more sad, and the Army's attempts to spin Tillman's death into a heroic Troy-style funeral march are predictably contemptible. The short version is that not only was Tillman killed by friendly fire, but he was neither "leading" nor "defending" anyone besides himself, one other Ranger, and an allied Afghan militia fighter (the latter of whom was killed along with Tillman). Plus, he also wasn't trying to defend his unit "without regard to his personal safety," but rather got hamburgered while frantically trying to evade his fellow Ranger's gunfire -- demonstrating a much more believably appropriate regard for his personal safety, for all the good it did him.

It appears that Tillman, the other Ranger, and the Afghan were firing on those attacking the other Americans, when the Americans mistook Tillman's group for enemies and poured thousands of rounds of Humvee-mounted heavy-machine-gun fire on their position. The Afghan was killed pretty much immediately, with the two Rangers hitting the dirt and screaming -- unheard -- for the firing to stop. At some point the firing did pause, and the Rangers got back up, but apparently the still oblivious Humvee gunners had just moved to get a better angle. The guns started firing again, and Tillman was hit. He spent the last few minutes of his life bleeding, calling out for the firing to stop, and tragicomically insisting "I'm Pat Tillman, dammit!" to no avail. Either he was finally killed by more bullets or took more hits postmortem -- when the firing finally stopped, the other Ranger noted a "river of blood" pouring from Tillman, and that "his head was gone."

Nice. I feel compelled to retract some of the venom from my earlier post, since it's not Tillman's fault that his death got the Hollywood treatment, and he wasn't responsible for the command fuckups that lead to his demise. It's no surprise that Tillman barking orders and defending his comrades seemed a more palatable press release than Tillman yelling for help and getting his head blown off by those comrades. I suppose it should be amazing that the Army could further cheapen a death that's already so pathetic, but somehow I'm not surprised.

Comments

[Brooks]

Well, I have to say that I am very sorry that Mr. Tillman died. However, quitting a billion dollar a year job to volunteer to go to Afghanistan to get blown to smithereens is not that brightest idea that anyone has ever had.

[John M. Hicks]

          In decades past, this sort of news would never have gotten out. No paper or broadcast outlet would have risked offending the Army. Now, there are so many outlets that the high command can't muzzle them all. We live in good times, recent elections aside!

          I agree with Mr. Brooks. Even if you're not a star footballer, the armed services are NOT a good career option. I think a lot of kids enlist hoping to be "taken care of." Yeah, buddy, the Army'll take care of ya, just like Tillman!

JH

[spd]

Doesn't say much for Rummy's "21st century" digital battlefield when no one in the same fucking platoon can talk to each other and say cease fire!

[chris m]

No kidding, agree on all points. I mean, at least Elvis had the sense to get out of the Army alive...

[Dave R]

I couldn't disagree more.

Elvis died on a fucking toilet seat. Fuck did he stand for? Bollocks.

It takes some amount of guts to join an army. Tillman had the bravery to do that and as well as that he had the balls to give up an NFL career.

I'd rather have my head blown off by my friends for what I believed in then expire safely of old age.

And besides Pat Tillman, I cant name a single player ever, for all there wealth and fame, who has played in the NFL.

[chris m]

Mmm, I'd say offhand Elvis's death was about as relevant to anything as Pat Tillman's. That is, zero. I'd agree that it's brave to join an army, insamuch as it's brave to do anything dangerous. And maybe Pat Tillman is the only NFL player you can name, but the only reason you know his name at all is *because* he was an NFL player. Lots of other war dead didn't give up fat paychecks -- does that mean Tillman is better than them somehow? You won't ever know *their* names. Tillman didn't get his head blown off for what he "believed" in. He didn't (as far as anyone knows) go to Afghanistan seeking a glorious, meaningful death, and it sounds like he rather objected to being killed by his friends. Perhaps safe expiration in old age even looked attractive to him at that point. The fact is that Tillman's death was turned into propaganda, with the real circumstances concealed and distorted, even from his family. Regardless, here's hoping your friends don't take you up on your wishes ...

[John M. Hicks]

          Dave has a point. And I'm a coward, because I chose a career path that didn't involve being shot at, unless one of my workers "goes postal"... It's lucky for people like me that there ARE folks like Tillman still around. Otherwise, they'd be drafting again! Given our current leadership's willingness to pour lives into Asia's meatgrinder, it's not far off.

          To me, Elvis is a classic example of how medical professionals are just legalized pushers. I'm not sure how it works in the UK, but in the US, all you've got to do is pay your doctor bill and complain of pain, etc., and they'll prescribe loads and loads of narcotics. Your American shrink can also get you on disability pretty effectively... I will say that Elvis could sing, though!

          And let's be real, Dave's not an NFL fan, and he shouldn't be expected to remember gridiron stars. I'm a college-ball fan, and yet I could blow out this blog's comment limits if I named every NFL football player I can remember off the top of my head. And Tillman was a bit-player on the NFL scale. It wasn't till he died that he became really famous.

          Here's to the brave souls fighting off anarchy, while we get wasted and bitch! We may think you're stupid, but to your courage, salut!!

JH

[Dave R]

It’s not even that anybody who isn’t in the army is a coward. I was just sayin’ he was doing what he wanted to be doing, so respect to him.

Elvis was drafted and sent to peacetime Germany. Doesn’t take much to survive that so you cant say Elvis has more sense than Tillman. I brought up how he died because of that. He wasted away and died way to early of a heart attack. Bit of a shame really when he did have such a cool voice.

Just because Tillman’s unit messed up and he died the way he did, doesn’t make his death pathetic. Go look at some darwin awards if ya wanna see a pathetic death.

I’m just saying Chris, hey whoa, hey freakin’ whoa. It’s not like I have a huge vested interest in the subject.

[chris m]

Well, that's all fair enough. I really have little opinion on Tillman's choice to sign up and fight, as it's a personal decision like you say. What I objected to, principally, was the Army's distortion and exaggeration of the facts of Tillman's death. I actually have more sympathy for him after learning the details of his demise, and I'm mostly irritated that his death got turned into a propaganda event. I don't think his death was pathetic so much as tragic. I do think the spinning of his death was pathetic and contemptible though.

[Dan Brown]

Pat Tillman died in an accident while protecting all of you who have commented on this post. Why don't you try coordinating an attack on an enemy and see if communication is a little hard with machine guns rattling on either side of you? Show some respect.

[derek]

Rocky Blyre of the bears served in the Nam and was a combat wounded vet who signed to run along side Gale Sayers and the Bears in the NFL...who played with a totally shattered foot that was reconstructed to look like something you could stuff in to a football cleat(that would be a shoe for all you neophytes)!