The Death of Pat Tillman

I heard about the death of Pat Tillman in April when I was in Pittsburgh for my brother's graduation from his MA program at Pitt. I was as shocked and saddened as most Americans, not because Tillman's death was any more tragic than that of any other American soldier, but because Tillman's death put a face and name and story to one death that could symbolize the lives of others. I am not certain I have ever have bought into the idea that every single soldier, simply by virtue of simply being a soldier, is a hero. (This is similar to how I feel about police officers and fire-people, a rather controversial view after 9-11, I realize.) But I do think that whether or not you think Tillman was a hero, he was quite noble in his life and service to this country.

Today's Washington Post has a story about Tillman's death. (Registration required). It is an eye-opener, as it is the most in-depth exploration of his death from a colleague's bullet. The gist of the article can be found in these lines:

The records show Tillman fought bravely and honorably until his last breath. They also show that his superiors exaggerated his actions and invented details as they burnished his legend in public, at the same time suppressing details that might tarnish Tillman's commanders.

This is an important story. In and of itself I hope it does not diminish how people view Tillman's sacrifice. It may cause some to reaffirm one way or the other their views on the war. My view? It just makes me sad. Not ideologically sad, mind you -- I am not sad because I think the war is good, and I am not sad because I think the war is bad -- just sad for his family and his friends and his comrades and for the friends and families and comrades of all of the other soldiers who have perished on the godforsaken battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq. However we feel about the war, we can all share this much.

UPDATE: If anything, Part II, published in today's Post, is even worse.