Pat Tillman
| Pat Tillman link Sourcewatch (Athlete, Soldier, Bush body count?) | |
|---|---|
| File:Pat Tillman-2.webp | |
| Born | Patrick Daniel Tillman November 6, 1976 Fremont, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 22, 2004 Afghanistan |
Cause of death | gunshot |
| Victim of | Premature death |
| Spouse | Marie Ugenti |
A professional NFL American football player who joined the US army after 9/11. His views on the conflict changed drastically during deployment. | |
Patrick Daniel Tillman was an American NFL player who left his sports career and enlisted in the United States Army in May 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He became disillusioned with the war in Iraq and began contacting writers (including Noam Chomsky who he was about to meet) to express his concerns.[1][2] Commentators suggested he could have become a left-wing activist, had he lived longer.[3] There was a cover-up about the circumstances of his death, which is said to have went to the highest levels of the Army,[4] being centered on one Lt. General Stanley McChrystal.[5][6]
Career
All-American honors in 1997, four seasons in the National Football League.
September 11th, 2001
Pat Tillman was motivated by the attacks of 9-11 to leave a $3.6 million contract and his new wife to join the US Army, and was publicly feted for doing so.
"Pat Tillman’s enlistment grabbed the attention of the nation — and the highest levels of the Bush administration. A personal letter from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, thanking him for serving his country, now resides in a storage box, put away by Pat’s widow, Marie."[7]
(Rumsfeld having written a memo to the then-Deputy Secretary of the Army, Peter Geren, basically relating that Pat’s a very special person and that they should keep an eye on him)[4]
Death
The US Army's original official narrative claimed to his family that he was killed by enemy fire, but around a month later [8][9] they changed the story to say that he was shot by US forces in a friendly fire accident from close distance.[10] Many commentators have suggested that this may in fact be another official lie hiding a more unpalatable truth.[11]
Concerns
He died in the 2004 election year, in which him speaking out against the war might have swung the election. Witnesses to the event were told not to speak to outsiders about what had happened.[8] Members of Tillman's unit burned his body armor and uniform in an apparent attempt to hide the fact that he was killed by friendly fire.[12] This also destroyed the blood splatter pattern, which could have provided evidence if the deadly shots may had come from a different direction. A surveillance drone was reportedly heard in the general area.[11] His notebook, in which, he had recorded some of his thoughts on Afghanistan, was also burned, pointed out as "a blatant violation of protocol."[13]
Richard Tillman
His brother Richard Tillman was arrested for arson mid 2025, for having driven his car into a San Jose, Ca. post office at 3AM on a Sunday. His YouTube page, since been deleted, had a focus on bringing down the government.[14]
Videos
References
- ↑ https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/jun/02/ussport
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150910092958/http://www.albionmonitor.com/0510a/tillmanchomsky.html
- ↑ https://www.salon.com/2010/08/20/tillman_story/
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://www.democracynow.org/2008/5/22/mary_tillman_mother_of_slain_nfl
- ↑ https://old.dieharddevil.com/videos/noam-chomsky-remarks-on-the-death-of-pat-tillman
- ↑ Military Comes Clean in Pat Tillman Case - At his confirmation hearing Tuesday, Lt. Gen Stanley McChrystal told the Senate Armed Services Committee that mistakes were made in the military's handling of the accidental shooting death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman. (June 2) - Associated Press (Jun 2, 2009)
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20060111060455/https://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/09/25/MNGD7ETMNM1.DTL&type=printable
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/04/22/305969203/soldier-speaks-up-a-decade-after-pat-tillmans-friendly-fire-death
- ↑ http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-really-happened-to-pat-tillman/
- ↑ http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20070726_pat_tillman_murdered
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Episode #356 - Unwelcomeguests - The Lies of Christian Soldiers (The Mysterious Death of Corporal Pat Tillman) - The most relevant testimony of the 4/24 US House oversight committee on the lies told the US public about the death of football star turned soldier Pat Tillman, killed by "friendly fire" - and the associated mysterious cover-up. - Kevin Tillman, Mary Tillman, Bryan O'Neill, Thomas Gimble, Various US Congress members, The holy ghost of General Boykin
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20081013144208/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301502.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20101029145723/http://www.alternet.org/world/142692/inside_pat_tillman%27s_life%2C_and_the_bush_administration%27s_cover-up_of_his_death/?page=entire
- ↑ https://nypost.com/2025/07/22/sports/pat-tillmans-brother-had-been-livestreaming-his-altered-self-on-social-media-before-arrest/