Remembering Pat Tillman: An Honorable Soldier with Dishonorable Leaders

On Wednesday evening (April 22) I will be watching the DVD entitled “The Tillman Story.” April 22 is the 11th anniversary of the friendly fire killing of Cpl Pat Tillman and the 11th anniversary of what I consider to be egregious acts of dishonor by senior military officials. Their attempt to cover up the friendly fire nature of the killing was likely intended to preserve the Army’s ability to use Tillman, an Arizona State University and NFL superstar, as a recruiting vehicle and war hero. The dishonorable actors included several four star generals and probably even the commander in chief (my opinion–based on the movie and Jon Krakauer’s book “Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman”). The most egregious of the dishonorable actors was General Stanley McChrystal when he approved the awarding of the Silver Star. For a four star general to bring discredit on one of our nation’s highest military decorations is inexcusable. Obviously, I feel strongly about the issue of honor in our military and I think the Tillman incident should be remembered so we can learn from it.

Significantly, I know of no changes that have occurred in the military as a result of this incident and, therefore, it seems logical to assume that the same dishonorable practices are occurring today.