In May of 2002, Arizona Cardinals defensive back Pat Tillman surprised many by turning down a 3.6 million dollar contract offer from his team opting instead to enlist in the United States Army. Within 18 months he was engaging in combat overseas. Within 2 years of enlisting he was killed in the hills of Afghanistan. The public was told that he died a hero while trying to protect his unit during an ambush. The truth of what happened though was far more sinister than that.
Essentially that is what is at the heart of the documentary The Tillman Story. What you get is a very nuanced but very enraging film. Tillman was a hero to whatever degree you want to use that term. However, the concept of what made him a hero was different than the story that was painted. The story should've been a professional athlete that could've kept his day job but opted instead to protect his country. Not out of any overwhelming sense of patriotism but rather because he thought it was just the right thing to do. For his sacrifice he was rewarded with scorn by the United States government and his family was railroaded at every turn as they tried to find out exactly what had happened to their son.
Following his 2004 death the stories about him being a true patriot were everywhere. What the United States government saw was a propaganda opportunity. An opportunity that they sadly took. The US machine painted this as a tragic story to rally the citizens in a battle against Afghani forces. The truth was that Tillman was killed by friendly fire and the military and government worked hard to cover that up. They went so far as to burn his dog tags and journals and opted for the story that they were collected as trophies.
The emotional core of the film though is Tillman's mother. Almost from the start she rejected the US explanation for her son's death and doggedly pursued the truth. At every turn she was met with resistance from the higher-ups in the military. That never deterred her. Never underestimate the lengths a mom will go to in a quest to uncover the truth.
Tillman was presented to the public as a man's man who felt a patriotic calling. The reality was a well-thought out man who spoke to his family, and wife, about his reservations in regards to the war. He saw no need for what was happening and his letters home reveal pangs of guilt about what he was being asked to do. He never wanted to be a symbol and had changed his will in his final months to avoid a funeral that would've made him a set piece in the war. After he died the military tried hard to get his wife to not follow his wishes and opt for a public military funeral.
The director scores interviews with members of Tillman's unit, friends and family. In these interviews you get the sense of the type of man Tillman truly was. With his unit members you also get a harrowing breakdown of what happened on that fateful day. Tillman's final words as he was being fired at were being yelled to the other members of his team pleading, "I'm Pat fucking Tillman. Why are you firing?" By the time the dust had settled they say there was almost nothing left of Tillman's head. The burning of his stuff occurred in the minutes between his death and when his brother (who was in Tillman's unit) got to them. I can't imagine the horror of seeing something like that.
In the end the film is a scathing takedown of the Bush regime- at least when it comes to the wars in which we engaged. Sadly we are still in some of those places. It's a sad story but one that talks about a man who was a true hero. He never wanted the attention, and he certainly didn't deserve what was given to him after he had passed.
I won't rate the film as I feel it's too tough to attach a star rating to the film. I'll just say I think it is an excellent piece and everyone should check it out.
