Former National Football League player and United States Army Ranger Pat Tillman was killed on April 22, 2004, by friendly fire in Afghanistan; nevertheless, it is possible that his death was not an accident. So What was the real reason behind his death? We will try to tell the full story here.
Who Was Pat Tillman?
On November 6, 1976, Patrick Daniel Tillman was born in San Jose, California. He was a natural athlete and the oldest of three brothers, coaching his high school football team to the Central Coast Division I Football Championship. He soon received a scholarship to Arizona State University as a result.
Tillman achieved an undefeated season while still in college, winning the 1997 Most Valuable Player of the Year honors. Tillman was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the NFL draft in 1998, and two years later he broke the team record for most tackles. Tillman quickly established himself as a beloved starter.
Tillman, however, experienced a complete turnaround after watching the 9/11 terrorist assaults on American soil unfold live on television.
On September 12, 2001, he told NBC News that “my great grandpa was at Pearl Harbor” and that “a lot of my family has… been in wars, and I really haven’t done a single thing as far as laying myself on the line like that.”
In May 2002, Tillman famously declined a three-year, $3.6 million deal with the Cardinals in favor of enlisting in the American Army. The Purple Heart and Silver Star were posthumously given to Wikimedia Commons Tillman.
Army Rangers are elite soldiers who specialize in joint special operations missions, and Pat Tillman and his brother Kevin prepared to become Army Rangers. They subsequently joined the Fort Lewis, Washington-based 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment. They were also sent to Iraq in 2003.
However, Pat Tillman was notable for opposing the Iraq War. He was prepared to travel to Afghanistan, where the war effort had started, but he was disappointed to learn that another nation was now the main focus.
Tillman had meant to take on Al Qaeda and hunt down Osama bin Laden. However, the Bush administration changed its focus to Iraq in order to find Saddam Hussein and his purported arsenal of WMD. Tillman didn’t sign up for it, but he still went.
Tillman’s untimely death at the age of 27 occurred in Afghanistan on his second tour, which began only one year later.
Pat Tillman Death
Tillman recognized discrepancies between his battle experience and media portrayals as he served. He was attached to a team that helped free Jessica Lynch from Iraqi forces in 2003 and observed the media’s sensationalized narrative.
Lynch was treated by Iraqi medics in a hospital, despite what the military said. Lynch later blamed the press for a skewed portrayal before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in 2007.
“I’m still bewildered why they lied and tried to make myself a legend when the true heroism of my fellow troops that day was legendary,” she added. “War’s truth isn’t always pleasant to hear, but it’s always heroic.” Also, read about Ray Guy Cause Of Death
Tillman called the military’s dramatic rescue story a “huge public relations stunt.” After his death on April 22, 2004, he became the subject of one.
Pat Tillman’s memorial at Giants Stadium on September 19, 2004.
Initial reports said Tillman was killed in a Khost Province attack.
Tillman’s family and the American public were told he had valiantly climbed a hill to compel the enemy to retreat, rescuing hundreds of colleagues. Tillman was a hero.
The Army made a surprising disclosure a month after Pat Tillman’s death. Tillman was shot by other soldiers, not militants. As they fired, he shouted, “I’m Pat f**king Tillman!” stop them. Last words.
Mary Tillman was asked how long it took for the Army to recognize what transpired. “Oh, they knew,” she said. It was obvious. The other soldiers on the ridge suspected it.
Some doubt the shooting’s unintentional status. Tillman was shot three times in the head at close range with no indication of hostile fire, according to the Army’s first claim. What were American soldiers shooting at if there were no enemies?
Army physicians who inspected Tillman’s body in 2007 were “suspicious” of the near closeness of his head wounds. They sought to encourage authorities to examine the death as a possible crime, but failed because “the medical evidence didn’t match the story.”
Doctors think Tillman was shot from 10 yards away with an M-16. Despite the report’s frightening details, it was shelved for years.
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