Pat Tillman lived a glorious life. His daily drive and demeanor, exceptional to be sure, put him a notch above the rest of us. His drive made him successful. Through high school he was a football sensation, with personal stats that would have been impressive as a team’s. His demeanor earned him respect. He attended college on a football scholarship and earned a 3.84 GPA to avoid the ‘jock’ stereotype. Eventually becoming a star NFL defensive back, it was his sense of duty that would lead him from the goal lines of the football field to the front lines of the battle field. He would die on duty, but his death would not be his undoing. The flagitious stream of lies fed by the U.S. Government following his death, revealed by John Krakauer in Where Men Win Glory, belittled the man who had so valiantly walked away from the American Dream in order to die for it. The way our government dealt with his controversial death viciously struck against everything Pat stood for, and I walked away with a sour taste in my mouth about our “greatest country on earth.”
Desire. Pat was a man who wanted. Wanted to live on the edge, craved a challenge, needed to be busy. When told in High School that he was too small to play baseball, he chose not to join the chess team, but lift weights and play football instead. Headstrong and filled with hubris, he would decide his course and stick with it. While meeting with the head coach of ASU’s football team he announced to his superior, “Coach, you can play me or not play me, but I’m only going to be here four years. And then I’ve got things to do with my life (Page 71-72).” Running his own show, he refused to let the world get in his way.
Pat lived with purpose, but he also lived for others...
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...tion to the press, before his family yet again, the US Government was intentionally ambiguous when explaining their farce of an investigation: “investigation results indicate that Corporal Tillman probably died as a result of friendly fire while his unit was engaged in combat with enemy forces… (Page 361).”
The realization that they had been lied to was like the second coming of Pat’s death to his family. The fabrication of the way in which he died was almost as shocking as his death. The real pity is not that the government failed, but the glorious person whose life they stained. The man who didn’t opt out of the Army when offered and decided to finish the three years he had signed up for. The man who loved everyone he met before he got to talk to them. The man who challenged himself to be the best he could be. A man who was glorious. Gloriously betrayed.
In the early hours of the morning on March 4, 1998, Captain Gordon Hess’s body was found face down in a ravine on the military base he was stationed. Although labeled a suicide by the military, speculation continues to persist whether this is really the case. Some of the evidence at the crime scene and information relayed from interviewees seem inconsistent with that of a suicide. Although anomalies may occur in cases, the number of inconsistencies found in the Hess reports make this seem unlikely.
...at his story had to be told to the world so that her son would not die in vain. In conclusion, Mamie Till eloquently summed up the importance of her son’s moment in history by saying, “Emmett was the catalyst that started the Civil Rights movement. Because when people saw what had happened to this little 14 year old boy, they knew that not only were black men in danger but black children as well. And it took something to stir the people up and let them know that either we are going to stand together or we are going to fall together. I do know that without the shedding of blood there is no redemption” (The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till). The media gave unprecedented coverage to the Emmett Till murder, funeral and trial. They reported it with a passion. The media’s drive share this story ultimately made a permanent change in our country’s attitude toward racism.
People ask all the time, “Why does the NCAA put sanctions on football programs?” When I was young, my favorite football player was Eric Dickerson. I never understood why people criticized him about his college playing days, so I asked my dad about it. He said that Dickerson’s college was given the “Death Penalty”. The Original “Death Penalty” was put into effect at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas.
The town of Messina revolved their life around the football team, so they knew everything about anything that happened with the boys. Coach Eddie Rake was a thick headed individual who continuously pushed his players past their breaking point every day. Practices included the many players puking and the death of one after their daily bleacher run that the boys dreaded. Games included one breaking his hand, Rake becoming unconscious, and the team “just doing the impossible” of winning a State Championship with no coaches after being down 31-0 at halftime (Grisham 144). Like every person in Messina, Rake has two sides to him; the shrewd side and the compassionate side. Rake’s many personalities made each and every person in Messina have a different opinion of him. “The question is, ‘do I love Eddie Rake, or do I hate him (Grisham 223)?’” Coach Rake loved every one of his players, but he had a reputation to maintain which made people think differently about him.
...of the struggle over how the war would be remembered. Blanketed by the discourse of disability, the struggle over the memory of veterans and the country alike would be waged with such obliquity as to surpass even the most veiled operations of Nixon’s minions. While Nixon’s plumbers were wrenching together the Gainesville case against VVAW in the spring of 1972, mental health and news-media professionals were cobbling together the figure of the mentally incapacitated Vietnam veteran. More than any other, this image is the one that would stick in the minds of the American people. The psychologically damaged veteran raised a question that demanded an answer: what happened to our boys that was so traumatic that they were never the same again? As it came to be told, the story of what happened to them had less to do with the war itself than with the war against the war.
Emmett Till’s death inspired people to try to end racism so African-Americans could be granted their rights and protection. Racism, discrimination, and prejudice had been going on for too long, and it was time to stop it. This inspired many people to hold bus boycotts and protests (PBS). A new era was beginning where racism was considered unjust and hurtful, and people would have to face consequences for their actions. Emmett Till was the beginning of this change. He should be considered a hero because without him who knows what our country would be like. He helped African-Americans to be seen as equal, and not an inferior race. His death was a tragedy, but something good came out of it which was freedom. “ I look to a day when people will not be judge by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character” (BrainyQuote).
In 1970 the nation was in its highest state of controversy. The generation gap that had begun to form in the sixties was now more of a ravine. The youth of America was finally standing up and raising their voices in protest against all the problems that plagued the country they would have control of in years to come. There were many events that helped in feeding the flame in the hearts of Americans. One such event was the Kent State University incident. It is an event that touched the nation and made such a profound mark, and yet it only lasted for thirteen seconds. In the thirteen seconds the Ohio National Guard, along with the rest of government by association, established themselves as the new enemy. All eyes were on them, scrutinizing their every move, pointing out every mistake they made. Interestingly enough, most don’t even really know exactly what went on in those thirteen seconds, but they knew that it left four students dead and nine injured at the hand of the National Guard, so that was enough to strike the hearts on millions. Still today, twenty-nine years later, we still don’t really know what went on. Who fired the first shot, and were they provoked? Was it necessary for the National Guard to be present on this typically calm college campus in the first place? And why did it have to end in such tragedy? There are so many questions, and so many misconceptions about this incident, and like any controversial issue, there are always two sides to the story.
of all Americans during that trying era. The fate of the Nation was eventually to be
They found themselves expected to settle down into the humdrum routine of American life as if nothing had happened, to accept the moral dicta of elders who seemed to them still to be living in a Pollyanna land of rosy ideals which the war had killed for them. They couldn't do it, and they very disrespectfully said so.2
Have you ever wonder who is Pat Tillman, why is he so important, well today I’m going to tell a little about him.Pat was born on November 6, 1976 in San Jose, California. Pat went to Arizona State University. Pat joined the Arizona Cardinals in 2001.After that when Pat saw the planes crashing into the Twin Towers on the news that hit Pat so hard that he decided to quit football and join the army. Pat was a loyal, friendly, and modest person who he served in the army for his country.
One of the hardest events that a soldier had to go through during the war was when one of their friends was killed. Despite their heartbreak they could not openly display their emotions. They could not cry because soldiers do not cry. Such an emotional display like crying would be sign of weakness and they didn’t want to be weak, so they created an outlet. “They were actors. When someone died, it wasn’t quite dying because in a curious way it seemed scripted”(19). Of course things were scripted especially when Ted Lavender died. It had happened unexpectedly and if they didn’t have something planned to do while they were coping they would all have broken down especially Lieutenant Cross. Cross...
The life of Pat Tillman was a lot of things, so in this concoction of words I will explain three. He never gave himself credit for anything he didn’t do and even when he did do something he
Pat Tillman was known for many things. A psycho on the football field, a loving husband, a loyal person, and person who lived for a thrill. Pat showed great leadership on and off the field. Pat was the Pac - 10 player of 1997. He played football for Arizona State University, then later drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the 7th round. After 9/11 happened, pat enrolled himself into the Army Rangers. After his death, many things happened. They started a foundation that gives the vets and their spouses scholarships. Their foundation is named Pat Tillman Foundation. ( Pat Tillman Foundation )
During his career he showed many characteristics of having a strong worth ethic. When asked to describe Pat, his teammates often spoke of his motivation to keep working no matter what. One teammate remembered Pat “lighting people up” every practice even when his teammates’ temper would grow because of it. Pat’s first step towards greatness was playing at Arizona State, but it wasn’t an easy road to get there. When he first played in front of the ASU scouts Pat stayed and played for an hour until he got it exactly right. Pat continually strived for greatness, for instance, when Pat first joined the Arizona Cardinals he was told he probably wasn’t going to get much playing time because of his size. However, Pat proved them wrong everyday he was on that field by pushing himself to the limits. He quickly worked his way up the chain and by the opening game he was the starting safety. Even with his new title Pat still worked hard and was never satisfied. During the NFL’s offseason Pat worked-hard by training to run a marathon. Pat’s goal was to run the marathon in under 4 hours. After completing his goal and he got right back to football. Pat Tillman was never satisfied and showed a strong work ethic throughout his
Pat wrote letters to his wife and in turn, Tiffany delivered them. We later find out that Tiffany was the one all along writing back to Pat and that she had fallen in love with him. Directly following the dance competition, Pat meets his wife once again, but this time things are just not the same. After noticing Pat’s uncontrollable anger and mood swings, he was diagnosed with bipolar.