Marie Tillman: "The Letter"
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-07-05/marie-tillman-letter
Pat and Marie Tillman.
Copyright © 2012 by Marie Tillman. Used by arrangement with Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
In 2003, Pat Tillman wrote a "just in case" letter to his wife before leaving for Afghanistan to serve with the Army Rangers. The former NFL football player was killed while on duty on April 22, 2004. The military first blamed an enemy ambush, and later revealed Tillman was killed by friendly fire. Years of inquiries and hearings into his death followed. During this time, Marie Tillman tried to stay out of the media as she dealt with her grief. She talks about her new book, "The Letter: My Journey Through Love, Loss and Life."
Guests
Marie Tillman
president and cofounder of the Pat Tillman Foundation.
Related Items
Photos Of Pat And Marie Tillman
Copyright © 2012 by Marie Tillman. Used by arrangement with Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
Read An Excerpt
Excerpted from "The Letter" by Marie Tillman. Copyright © 2012 by Marie Tillman. Used by arrangement with Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.
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Pat Tillman's letter's home mentioned at 27 seconds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apaUuqU89jQ
Killing Pat Tillman
http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/04/22/jb-campbell-killing-pat-tillman/
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-473037/Was-pin-boy-Bushs-War-Ter...
Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother, wrote a good book about all this in 2008 in which she suggested that her son was deliberately murdered by his fellow Rangers, reserving most of her anger for General Stanley McChrystal, who led the lying coverup of the murder. Since then, she appears to have dropped the charge of assassination, for what reason is not clear. But there can be no doubt that the Rangers shot Pat Tillman deliberately and with malice on April 22, 2004. They shot and wounded him first and then waited while he popped purple smoke to let them know he was “friendly.” Then they started shooting again and didn’t stop until he was dead. The army gave him a Mafia funeral with the same Mafia sanctimony that Johnny Torrio sent to Dion O’Bannion’s funeral. The family only found out weeks later that it wasn’t enemy fire that killed Pat. It took a little longer to realize it wasn’t friendly fire, either.
Troops guarding Opium fields:
http://www.infowars.com/guarding-opium-plants-for-our-freedom/
I wonder how Marie feels about the conflicting testimony given by the Military after the news of his death..
Last year President Obama appointed Gen. Stanley McChrystal to head the advisory board for the Joining Forces program that helps veteran's families despite his central role in the cover-up of Pat Tillman's friendly-fire death. Pat's mother, Mary, said "It's a slap in the face to appoint this man. ... Someone who has a heartfelt desire to help (veterans) families would not have been involved in the cover-up of a soldier's death.
I wonder if Marie has ever met with Gen. McChrystal and/or spoken with him about his role in the cover-up of her husband's death?
The evidence doesn't show PT was intentionally killed. I'd suggest reading Stan Goff's "Fog of Fame" 2007 series at Counterpunch. For more on the story, see the DVD "The Tillman Story," Mary Tillman's "Boots on the Ground by Dusk," Jon Krakauer's (flawed) "Where Men Win Glory," or "Something to Die For" posted at the feralfirefighter blog.
Marie, thanks for your work with the military. I lived in Viet-Nam 68-70, taught school, & was married to an Air America pilot who was killed flying in Laos 18 Feb 70. When I flew home & stopped in Frankfurt, the young man sitting next to me got off & we had coffee in the airport. We both saw a NEW YORK TIMES headlines—CIA PILOT KILLED: FIRST CASUALTY PLAIN OF JARS. The man asked if the pilot was anyone I knew. I replied, A friend. I’d been told not to discuss Jon’s death with anyone. I found out later the man had surreptitiously interviewed me. My mother-in-law also tried, unsuccessfully, to find details of her son’s death. Twenty years later another pilot at an Air America reunion told me about Jon’s death. After teaching 38 years at a girls’ school, I volunteer at the VA Hospital in Dallas teaching creative writing in their Vet Recovery Program. My brother was 101st airborne with 2 Viet-Nam tours. Writing helped my brother with his PTSD. I hope Pat’s organization includes a writing program. It helps me with my own PTSD. Thanks for Pat’s service and your work with our military.
Thank you for allowing Joshua to call in and be a voice of reason. I really appreciated his comment, because Ms. Page is whitewashing what happened to Pat Tillman and trying to pass it off as legitimate journalism.
Asking about Pat Tillman's religion, Ms. Page, really? You avoid talking about the hard-hitting issues, but ask if Pat Tillman was religious.
She asked about it because it's extremely relevant to the situation. If you don't understand how, you can do some reading at Wikipedia.
There were several comments about a gentleman who had called in named Ray. People seemed to think that he had said that Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire was not covered up by the military. I don't think that's what he meant to say. I think what he was trying to say was that the military shouldn't have felt the need to cover it up because it is something that happens fairly frequently and people feel empathy when it does. I could be wrong, but I thought he was unclear. Also people tend to hear what they want to hear.
Thanks for airing the interview. Grief over untimely loss of a loved one is a something one finds hard to shake off. My wife and I spent years trying to find answers after the untimely death of our baby on a fight. I try to examine my experiences and attempts to reconcile with grief in my book "A Child Lost in Flight"
Kudos to Marie for showing courage and inspiration by writing about it and being involved in other causes!
Thank you so much for this wonderful show. I think there are important lessons here for all of us.
Marie, I have long been impressed by your elegance and strength. Your first husband was a lucky man to have the thought of you at his side while he served his country.
I am writing because I was so disappointed with the behavior of your interviewing journalist today. Ms. Page was clearly trying to get the most salacious interview possible, and her attempts to goad you in regards to Pat Tillman's atheism etc were offensive.
But you handled her beautifully! Sit on it, Ms. Page.