In search of heroes

So we have a young, former Private First Class who may or may not have "heroically" defended her last position behind the wheel of her truck. She may or may not have fired her weapon back at the enemy soldiers who had fairly much killed all of her friends. After all, she had serious leg, back, and spinal cord injuries suffered in the violence of the ambush against her convoy so she may or may not have had the ability to fire back.

In any event, she was heralded as a hero.

Then we have the NFL football player who gave up his millions to fight for what he thought was a great cause. On a ridge line in Afghanistan at dusk, some claim he was killed in a fratricide incident. Others claim he was killed by enemy fire. Whichever happened, it really doesn't matter because he's gone. The bullets cared not which weapon they came out of. Bullets are funny that way.

Continuing on, he was heralded as a hero as well.

Evidently, there is a large contingent of people who want both these stories exposed...in turn exposing a Pentagon tactic of creating heroes in the interest of national pride and unity. Of course, we wouldn't want that...not national pride and togetherness...how silly to think we need that.

The Tillman family is upset at the Army...well, upset is far too mild a word. They are furious at the Army for "fabricating a lie bordering upon fraud" with respect to their son Pat and his heroism or lack thereof. Interesting take on this one, huh?

IN YOUR LIFE - have you ever heard of the family of a deceased "hero" come out after the fact and say, "Well, Bill didn't actually save all those people in that burning building...he was just in there buying cocaine and he got trapped."

No, I don't think you have.

But if the family is angry because the talented one with all the money gave it up and went off to join the service - against their wishes - then perished...perhaps they would take issue with the story and everything surrounding it in order to deflect their awful truth - that they want some young soldier held accountable for their son's death. So maybe it was fratricide...and maybe fratricide has been around as long as mankind has warred...and maybe it is a tragic end to an enchanted life...but maybe, just maybe, he's getting more inappropriate press now because of his family than he ever got because of the military. My own growing despondency and the feeling that I need a shower every time I see another panel convening another inquiry (what is this...the 4th or 5th Pat Tillman inquiry?), has become so overwhelmingly sad for me I just had to write this clearly politically incorrect blog.

Pat Tillman died because he voluntarily joined the U.S. Army in a time of crisis. How he died is actually secondary to the simple fact that he died because he wore the uniform, a fact of life for those who do. He did not have to. He could have continued to play in the NFL and make his $5 Million a year.

But he chose not to play. And that - as tragic and sad as it may be - is that.

There have been and will continue to be, fratricides during the chaos of a firefight. We won't hear much about them though, because the family's of the fallen will allow the story to speak for itself - will not dispute it or the memory of their fallen loved one - and will bury their own personal hero with the honor and respect they deserve. And those families will act just like all the otherwise anonymous heroes who weren't good enough to play in the NFL and subsequently have the power to petition Congress as many times as needed to get the results they want.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely, and before Mom Tillman lobs another mortar round at the administration and the military, maybe...

Juuuuust maybe...

She should check herself out in the mirror.

R.I.P. Pat