Editor’s note: Pat Tillman would have been 33 years old today. We at Truthdig wish to commemorate his life by republishing an article by his brother, Kevin Tillman. Tillman’s story speaks volumes not just about those we have lost, but about a history of lies, deceits and cover-ups that have helped to perpetuate war and kill thousands of U.S., coalition, Iraqi and Afghan people. As we await a decision by President Barack Obama, being pressed by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, on whether or not to send more troops to Afghanistan, we can remind ourselves of the life that Pat Tillman led and let it guide us to better understand both the conflict in Afghanistan and its consequences.Kevin Tillman joined the Army with Pat in 2002, and they served together in Iraq and Afghanistan. Pat was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan on April 22, 2004. The government deceived his family—and the nation—about the circumstances of his death for five weeks. McChrystal, who led the Joint Special Operations Command, of which Pat was a member, was central to the top-level military deceit in Tillman’s death through his fast-tracking of a fraudulent Silver Star medal recommendation and later warning in a high-priority memo of possible “public embarrassment if the circumstances of Corporal Tillman’s death become public.” Not when, but “if.”
Kevin, who was discharged in 2005, wrote a powerful, must-read document on the occasion of Pat’s birthday anniversary in 2006.
It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we got out.
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