New Documentary on Pat Tillman Is a Blindside Tackle
The Tillman Story recalls the remarkable life of NFL standout Pat Tillman, the bruiser who ditched millions for the chance to serve his country.
It’s also the latest film to assault the military and former President George W. Bush — although the former brought some heat on itself. It’s a minor miracle the images from Abu Ghraib didn’t make the final cut.
Tillman is shrewdly assembled by director Amir Bar-Lev, a rare documentary that doesn’t fall back on slick animation or other tics to keep us engaged. It’s also uniformly one-sided. The film testifies to Tillman‘s fighting spirit and the tight-knit family which forged his character. In between, the movie tries to spin the Tillman myth in incredulous directions.
That’s a shame because Tillman deserves better.
The film is anchored by Dannie Tillman, Pat’s mother, as well as the rest of his nuclear family. They recall their emotional evolution from horror to outrage as the story of Tillman’s death shifted over time.
A very private family endured the public mourning when news broke of Tillman‘s death. Once the truth trickled out — he died at the hands of his fellow Rangers in a tragic accident — they got suspicious. The family’s investigation led all the way to … President George W. Bush, the man whose party wanted to use Tillman’s “heroic” death as a recruitment tool.
The only problem is the “conspiracy” in question showed its cards five weeks after the tragedy. That’s when the military revealed the nature of Tillman‘s death after the initial investigation ended. Government officials also handed over thousands of pages of investigation notes to the family. Much of the material was redacted, which set the family’s Spider-sense a tingling.
It’s one thing for a grieving family in search of closure to see wickedness around every document drop. But Tillman can’t really connect enough dots to make the charges stick. It’s common for information initially recorded during war to be wrong, or incomplete, something the film admits and then conveniently forgets. Some military members were told to hush about the case in those first few days after Tillman’s death, but that could simply be so the investigation could run its course before any official information leaked out.
After all, Tillman wasn’t just another soldier.
But those angles aren’t included here. In fact, the military isn’t allowed to speak on its behalf during the film, nor do we hear from neutral military experts who might shed light on the matter.
Leftists just simply know no boundaries. Their morality is so different from mine. The Party is all. The political agenda is all. The ends justify the means. Traditional morality and civility is so antiquated in their minds. They are so… indecent. Savages. Barbarians at the gates. The destroyers of society.
http://www.aolnews.com/surge-desk/article/reliving-the-pat-tillman-story-through-the-press/19601226
Read it Marc
This is a cover up plain and simple!
Although I haven’t seem the film, it sounds like the producers need to join the Westboro Baptist Church folks.
This is why our country is so so far behind the rest of the civilized world…..because we have people like Mark Malone who write insane stuff. I have seen the film and I was shocked.
America will stay behind other countries and will be laughed at by other countries for a few specific reasons:
1) Most people never leave the country.
2) Poverty
3) Huge lack of education
4) Too many religious nuts and not enough common sense.
5) You have no idea that I’m right and this is how we’re viewed in this country.
How can you talk about morality in reference to this article and the facts of the film? Disguising someone’s death to use it as propaganda? Now that morally correct right?
I was not aware the US was behind the civilized world. Thank you for the enlightenment.
By the way, I find your ideas intriguing and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
I grieve for the Tillman family- I can’t even imagine losing my son. They at least can take pride in the fact he was doing what he wanted-serving his country. For a film maker to use their sorrow and anger for political gain is disgusting and despicable. . . .I didn’t like Bush, but I am damn tired of him getting blamed for everything that happened during his tenure .
How DARE any of you mock Pat Tillman, this film, athletes, & especially VETERANS!!!!!!!! MY FATHER FOUGHT ON THE FRONT LINES IN VIETNAM SO ASSHOLES & MORONS LIKE YOU COULD POST SUCH CRAP!! IF YOU WERE HERE IN FRONT OF ME I’D KICK THE SHIT OUT OF YOU. GO PUT ON A UNIFORM YOU MAMA’S BOYS & PUT YOUR SORRY ASS LIVES ON THE LINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a bunch of IGNORANT, UNEDUCATED “SHEEP”! I just turned 40 and I feel as if I’m writing to a bunch of 15 year-old’s — who believe what THEY want to believe…what their government tells them (holy hell!)…and to people who DO NOT QUESTION AUTHORITY. DUHHHH!!!
Do this…GET OUT…OUTSIDE OF THE BUBBLE ALL OF YOU CONSERVATIVE FOLK IVE IN…and rent the DVD: ‘No End In Sight’. If you aren’t SOOOO ENRAGED, DISGUSTED, RAGEFUL, OR OVERWHELMED BY THE URGE TO VOMIT, something is MENTALLY WRONG with you.
You live in your own tiny world’s…bubbles…refusing to look at FACTS & OVERWHELMING evidence of a conspiracy! Have you heard of or even read ‘The Battle For The Pentagon Papers’? I have. My father is a former Marine who fought in Vietnam. He told me to “read all about it” & I did. I couldn’t believe the actual recordings I heard…of Nixon talking about “taking over” a “…pathetic nothing of a sorry country.” WHY DON’T YOU PEOPLE LISTEN TO THESE FACTS?!! DAMN YOU PISS ME OFF!
EVERY GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION LIES. EVERY…SINGLE…ONE. Wake up!!! LISTEN! OR SHUT THE F*** UP! Go back to reading your bible’s & believing in fairy tales & parables & la la land. Friggin educate yourselves…ON YOUR OWN! Don’t sit back & BELIEVE EVERYTHING OR EVEN MOST OF WHAT YOU READ & HEAR! I worked in entertainment for many years & ALMOST ALL YOU SEE ON THE TUBE IS A LIE. IT’S SLANTED. BIASED. Unless you yourselves see, hear, touch, taste…anything…you should not believe it to be true. If you choose to believe what u see & read & hear is TRUE…it’s time to PULL YOUR HEADS OUT OF OUR ASSES.
Semper Fi!
Wonder if any of those involved in this film were gleefully posting that Tillman was “a dumb jock who got what he deserved.”
No Steve, They didn’t think Pat was a “dumb jock”. Actually there is a lot of sympathy shown to the family, especially Pat’s father who has been fighting the Army to disclose the evidence of potential criminal activity in relation to Pat’s death (-in other words, he believes Pat was fragged).
From Pat Tillman Sr.’s letter to Brigadier General Gary M. Jones (the man spearheading the investigation) as well as the Senate Armed Services Committee (which oversaw Jones’s work):
“You are a General,” Tillman’s father writes Jones after being presented with a briefing book of his findings. “There is no way a man like you, with your intelligence, education, military, experience, responsibilities (primarily for difficult situations), and rank… believes the conclusions reached in the March 31, 2005 Briefing Book. But your signature is on it. I assume, therefore, that you are part of this shameless bullshit. I embarrassed myself by treating you with respect [on] March 31, 2005. I thought your rank deserved it and anticipated something different from the new and improved investigation. I won’t act so hypocritically if we meet again.”
Pat Tillman Sr. signed the letter with an expletive which I entered to an earlier post to this article, so I will not post that portion. The entire letter can be read:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/12/pat-tillmans-father-to-ar_n_680128.html
I”m guessing you missed the orgy of celebration among the Kos and DU crowd when Tillman was killed. Or fragged, as you suggest.
Makes sense. Because if there’s one thing military people hate, it’s athletes.
Fragged? Why is every war Vietnam to the left? And not even the real Vietnam, the fantasy one you invented watching Platoon and Apocalypse Now?
Oh, I was quite aware of the “Real Vietnam” way before Platoon came out my friend. And fragging was in fact something that occurred more often than command would acknowledge.
“…..if there’s one thing military people hate, it’s athletes.”
-Not this vet.
So hard for some to believe that the leaders they support are capable of such wickedness. And yet, they co-opt the soul of an American hero, deny his grieving family the dignity of the truth, all to market a war of greed. I know you folks are contractually bound to refute EVERY fact that does not support your extremist agenda, but even Hitler cracked a smile once in awhile. Conservatives have lost their way . . . flag pins over fallen heroes. So sad.
“Startling findings in Tillman probe”
An article by SCOTT LINDLAW and MARTHA MENDOZA
Associated Press Writers
In the days after the shootings, the first officer appointed to investigate, then-Capt. Richard Scott, interviewed all four shooters, their driver, and many others who were there. He concluded within a week that the gunmen demonstrated “gross negligence” and recommended further investigation.
“It could involve some Rangers that could be charged” with a crime, Scott told a superior later.
Then-Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bailey – the battalion commander who oversaw Tillman’s platoon – later assured Tillman’s family that those responsible would be punished as harshly as possible.
But no one was ever court martialed; staff lawyers advised senior Army commanders reviewing the incident that there was no legal basis for it.
Instead, the Army punished seven people all together; four soldiers received relatively minor punishments known as Article 15s under military law, with no court proceedings. These four ranged from written reprimands to expulsion from the Rangers. One, Baker, had his pay reduced and was effectively forced out of the Army. The other three soldiers received administrative reprimands.
Scott’s report circulated briefly among a small corps of high-ranking officers.
Then, it disappeared.
Some of Tillman’s relatives think the Army buried the report because its findings were too explosive. Army officials refused to provide a copy to the AP, saying no materials related to the investigation could be released.
http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36794
Ah, our first Hitler sighting! Well done, sir.
Pat Tillman’s death was a tragedy and an accident. If the facts were mishandled, then an apology is in order, if it hasn’t been issued already. If an apology has been issued, then forgiveness is in order. Neither an apology, nor forgiveness will change the facts. Pat Tillman perished in the service of his country during a mission that split his platoon against the wishes of the PL, 1LT Dave Uthlaut, who was also wounded in the face that same day.
I am not interested in seeing this movie.
RLTW
I am not a football fan and had never heard of Pat Tillman until I moved to Phoenix. He must have been an admirable man, however, I think far too much attention is being paid to his death. I’m sorry there are any deaths due to any kind of fire. Far roo many young people are killed or maimed by this war. I woould not excuse any friendly fire but I can understand it happening when I see video coverage of some of the situations in which the soldiers find themselves.
The life of any soldier is valuable and should receive the same attention as Tillman’s. In fact, in spite of the soldiers’ positive attitudes, I think some of those lives saved are just beginning their suffering.
For those of you who have never put on a uniform,take my word when I say that the military is guilty of far more than you will ever know about. I was one of those guys who were targeted by upper level officers because I had a problem with authority who had no idea what they were doing,and I didn’t like doing things that I knew were blatantly unconstitutional. I was lucky to get out alive….. Pat wasn’t so lucky. One day he’ll tell us what really happened that day.
So, you really think he was murdered? Pre-meditated for some purpose or reason?
No way.
“For those of you who have never put on a uniform…..”
-The uninitiated are primed for propaganda. Those of us who have seen the ugly side of our military machine (…..we called it “The Big Green Wennie”) know better. We read the news reports or see the video of military operations and vivisect the truth of what actually occurred without the propaganda filters. I was a young NCO once, proud of the eighty deuce patch on right and left sleeves…
Having served in some of these units, it seems to me that the simple and sad truth is that Tillman died because a lack of firing discipline on the part of some soldiers. The convoy came thought that wadi blasting everything with no real situational awareness.
The cover up is unconscionable. Those with hardened views will apply intent, but I think it was just to not look bad (our own soldiers’ mistakes caused a well known fellow soldier to be killed).
In any case, the lies told by the senior officers are just plain wrong. And there seems to be little doubt that a some of 05/O6/O7s up that chain lied in the initial hours and weeks.
Funny…I never thought of Pat as a hero of any sort. And I knew from the first day I heard of his death that it could possibly be friendly fire. I still remember than Pres. Bush warning us not to jump to any conclusions about the man’s death. To me that meant that he wasn’t a hero who died in combat…and we didn’t know enough as to who shot the bullet(s) that ended his life.
Remember, Pat Tillman was a committed leftist who admired Noam Chomsky. Always found him and his family suspect and I still do. If there is an army cover-up or if he was purposely taken out by his own unit…I don’t approve however knowing his leanings were not pro-US, I can see that there maybe a lot more to this story than we will ever know.
Caught his brother not to long ago on Bill Maher. The guy is a piece of work.
You’re right. He’s no hero. Not pro-US. Left fame and fortune to fight for his country. Got killed in the process. And used by his lessers. But Glenn Beck, now there’s a hero. How can any one man be so selfless? So altruistic. So . . . genuine. He’s amazing. And thank god for him.
John Krakauer’s book on the Tilman story is extremely well researched and credible. There is no question that there was an attempt by the military to cover up the real story of Tilman’s tragic death. Krakauer documents several deliberate omissions on the part of the Army in their investigation. When tied together with the Jessica Lynch affair and the attempts to create a hero it just stinks of the same-old, same-old propaganda machine that the military and the government use no matter who is in power. There is nothing new about this stuff. This isn’t about left or right. It is about what Angelo Codevilla calls the Ruling Class and the crap they put out there to justify sending the rest of us out to fight their wars and die. Tilman was an exceptional young man, a real patriot. His death was terribly sad and tragic. Krakauer researched action and built a pretty solid description of the events that led to it, as well as the attempts to cover it up.
I am a bitch and am sorry