Pat Tillman - a Hero of War

Pat Tillman - a Hero of War PDF Author: Philip Martin McCaulay
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0557198720
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 58

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Book Description
Patrick Daniel Tillman (November 6, 1976 - April 22, 2004) was an American football player who left his professional sports career and enlisted in the United States Army in 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He joined the United States Army Rangers and served multiple tours in combat before he was killed by friendly fire in the mountains of Afghanistan. Details about the circumstances surrounding his death have been the subject of controversy and military investigations. Pat's family and friends started the Pat Tillman Foundation to carry forward his legacy by giving students the tools and support to reach their fullest potential as leaders, no matter how they choose to serve. This publication includes a summary of his career in college, pro football, and the military; his tragic death and the subsequent investigation; and his legacy.

Pat Tillman - a Hero of War

Pat Tillman - a Hero of War PDF Author: Philip Martin McCaulay
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 0557198720
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 58

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Book Description
Patrick Daniel Tillman (November 6, 1976 - April 22, 2004) was an American football player who left his professional sports career and enlisted in the United States Army in 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. He joined the United States Army Rangers and served multiple tours in combat before he was killed by friendly fire in the mountains of Afghanistan. Details about the circumstances surrounding his death have been the subject of controversy and military investigations. Pat's family and friends started the Pat Tillman Foundation to carry forward his legacy by giving students the tools and support to reach their fullest potential as leaders, no matter how they choose to serve. This publication includes a summary of his career in college, pro football, and the military; his tragic death and the subsequent investigation; and his legacy.

Where Men Win Glory

Where Men Win Glory PDF Author: Jon Krakauer
Publisher: Anchor
ISBN: 030738604X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 482

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Book Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A "gripping book about this extraordinary man who lived passionately and died unnecessarily" (USA Today) in post-9/11 Afghanistan, from the bestselling author of Into the Wild and Into Thin Air. In 2002, Pat Tillman walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to join the Army and became an icon of American patriotism. When he was killed in Afghanistan two years later, a legend was born. But the real Pat Tillman was much more remarkable, and considerably more complicated than the public knew. Sent first to Iraq—a war he would openly declare was “illegal as hell” —and eventually to Afghanistan, Tillman was driven by emotionally charged, sometimes contradictory notions of duty, honor, justice, and masculine pride, and he was determined to serve his entire three-year commitment. But on April 22, 2004, his life would end in a barrage of bullets fired by his fellow soldiers. Though obvious to most of the two dozen soldiers on the scene that a ranger in Tillman’s own platoon had fired the fatal shots, the Army aggressively maneuvered to keep this information from Tillman’s family and the American public for five weeks following his death. During this time, President Bush used Tillman’s name to promote his administration’ s foreign policy. Long after Tillman’s nationally televised memorial service, the Army grudgingly notified his closest relatives that he had “probably” been killed by friendly fire while it continued to dissemble about the details of his death and who was responsible. Drawing on Tillman’s journals and letters and countless interviews with those who knew him and extensive research in Afghanistan, Jon Krakauer chronicles Tillman’s riveting, tragic odyssey in engrossing detail highlighting his remarkable character and personality while closely examining the murky, heartbreaking circumstances of his death. Infused with the power and authenticity readers have come to expect from Krakauer’s storytelling, Where Men Win Glory exposes shattering truths about men and war. This edition has been updated to reflect new developments and includes new material obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Boots on the Ground by Dusk

Boots on the Ground by Dusk PDF Author: Mary Tillman
Publisher: Rodale Books
ISBN: 1605299243
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 371

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Book Description
On April 22, 2004, Lieutenant David Uthlaut received orders from Khost, Afghanistan, that his platoon was to leave the town of Magarah and "have boots on the ground before dark" in Manah, a small village on the border of Pakistan. It was an order the young lieutenant protested vehemently, but the commanders at the Tactical Command Center disregarded his objections. Uthlaut split his platoon into two serials, with serial one traveling northwest to Manah and serial two towing a broken Humvee north toward the Khost highway. By nightfall, Uthlaut and his radio operator were seriously wounded, and an Afghan militia soldier and a U.S. soldier were dead. The American soldier was Pat Tillman. The Tillman family was originally informed that Pat, who had given up a professional football career to serve his country, had been shot in the head while getting out of a vehicle. At his memorial service twelve days later, they were told that he was killed while running up a hill in pursuit of the enemy. He was awarded a Silver Star for his courageous actions. A month and two days after his death, the family learned that Pat had been shot three times in the head by his own troops in a "friendly fire" incident. Seven months after Pat's death, the Tillmans requested an investigation. Boots on the Ground by Dusk is a chronicle of their efforts to ascertain the true circumstances of Pat's death and the reasons why the Army gave the family and the public a false story. Woven into the account are valuable and respectful memories of Pat Tillman as a son, brother, husband, friend, and teammate, in the hope that the reader will better comprehend what is really lost when our sons and daughters are killed or maimed in war. In the course of three and a half years, there have been six investigations, several inquiries, and two Congressional hearings. The Tillmans are still awaiting an outcome.

War Story

War Story PDF Author: Steven V. Elliott
Publisher: Tyndale Momentum, the nonfiction
ISBN: 1496429915
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 321

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Book Description
"Everyone knows about Pat Tillman, the hero who didn't come home after a tragic encounter with friendly fire in Afghanistan. Aftermath is the untold story of what happened in the accident's wake--and the fall and unlikely redemption of Steven Elliot, a fellow soldier behind the bullets that killed Tillman. Though Elliott was only a young man in his first gunfight, following his superior officer's direction, the shame and regret over his actions wrecked his life. In the years that followed, he suffered from PTSD, depression, and alcohol addiction--and saw no way out beyond suicide. But then a supernatural encounter with God changed everything, restored his broken marriage, and set him on the path to a new mission of helping veterans through the trauma that too often comes in the aftermath of their service. A story of war and faith, love and tragedy, and ultimate healing"--

I've Got Things to Do with My Life

I've Got Things to Do with My Life PDF Author: Mike Towle
Publisher: Triumph Books (IL)
ISBN: 9781572437081
Category : Football players
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Presents the biography of Pat Tillman, who quit the NFL to join the Army Rangers, and tells how he turned down a lucrative football career to become part of the Special Ops combat team that took him to Iraq and Afghanistan where he lost his life in April, 2004.

War Story

War Story PDF Author: Steven Elliott
Publisher: NavPress
ISBN: 149642994X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 320

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Book Description
Every soldier has a war story. Steven Elliott’s opens with the death of American hero Pat Tillman by “friendly fire” in Afghanistan—when Army Ranger Elliott pulled the trigger, believing he and his fellow soldiers were firing on the enemy. Tormented by remorse and PTSD in the aftermath of Tillman’s death, Elliott descended into the depths of guilt, alcoholism, and depression; lost his marriage and his faith; and struggled to stay alive. The war that began on foreign soil had followed him home. A must-read for veterans and their loved ones, War Story is an explosive look at the chaos of war—and the battle for life in its aftermath. It confronts some of life’s biggest questions: Why do we choose to fight for a country or a cause? What happens when the cost of that fight overwhelms and destroys? Can we forgive and be forgiven? How do we find hope? At its core, War Story is a dramatic personal encounter with war and faith, love and tragedy, and ultimate renewal. All of the author’s proceeds from the writing of this book will be donated to organizations serving the mental health needs of the active duty and veteran community.

I've Got Things to Do with My Life

I've Got Things to Do with My Life PDF Author: Mike Towle
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781617491498
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
Presents the biography of Pat Tillman, who quit the NFL to join the Army Rangers, and tells how he turned down a lucrative football career to become part of the Special Ops combat team that took him to Iraq and Afghanistan where he lost his life in April, 2004.

Fallen Stars

Fallen Stars PDF Author: Carson Cunningham
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
ISBN: 162349561X
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 268

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Book Description
In the spring of 2002, motivated by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, National Football League stalwart Patrick Daniel Tillman turned down a multimillion-dollar contract to join the US Army. Two years later, he died while serving his country in the mountains of Afghanistan. In the process, he became an American icon. Inspired by Pat Tillman’s story, Fallen Stars captures the lives and times of Tillman (1976–2004) and four other war-hero American athletes: Hamilton “Ham” Fish (1873–98), Hobart “Hobey” Baker (1892–1918), Nile Kinnick (1918–43), and James Robert "Bob" Kalsu (1945–70), all of whom died while serving in the US military. Why a focus on fallen war-hero athletes, and why these five? Because here we have over a century’s worth of men who faced the fears and uncertainties that come with life and made the ultimate sacrifice. Their stories give us a kaleidoscopic picture of America over the course of more than one hundred years, and through them we can explore the wars America has participated in, the values that Americans have celebrated, and what it has meant, over time, to be an American hero.

When Football Went to War

When Football Went to War PDF Author: Todd Anton
Publisher: Triumph Books
ISBN: 1623683092
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
More than any other sport, professional football contributed fighting men to the battles of World War II, and the 22 or so players or former players that lost their lives are among the riveting stories told in this tribute to football's war heroes that spans many decades and military conflicts. The National Football League counts three Congressional Medal of Honor recipients among its honors, along with numerous Silver Stars, Distinguished Flying Crosses, and Purple Hearts. When Football Went to War offers a ground-breaking look at football—college and professional football alike—and many of the wartime heroes who came off the field of play to fight for their country. Detailed biographies of those who gave their lives are supplemented by many other stories of wartime heroism, from World War I through to Pat Tillman's tragic death in the Global War on Terrorism. Football has become the most popular sport in America and this heartfelt book honors the many sacrifices of NFL athletes over the years in service of their country.

Into the Fire

Into the Fire PDF Author: Dakota Meyer
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 0679645446
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 266

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Book Description
“The story of what Dakota did . . . will be told for generations.”—President Barack Obama, from remarks given at Meyer’s Medal of Honor ceremony In the fall of 2009, Taliban insurgents ambushed a patrol of Afghan soldiers and Marine advisors in a mountain village called Ganjigal. Firing from entrenched positions, the enemy was positioned to wipe out one hundred men who were pinned down and were repeatedly refused artillery support. Ordered to remain behind with the vehicles, twenty-one year-old Marine corporal Dakota Meyer disobeyed orders and attacked to rescue his comrades. With a brave driver at the wheel, Meyer stood in the gun turret exposed to withering fire, rallying Afghan troops to follow. Over the course of the five hours, he charged into the valley time and again. Employing a variety of machine guns, rifles, grenade launchers, and even a rock, Meyer repeatedly repulsed enemy attackers, carried wounded Afghan soldiers to safety, and provided cover for dozens of others to escape—supreme acts of valor and determination. In the end, Meyer and four stalwart comrades—an Army captain, an Afghan sergeant major, and two Marines—cleared the battlefield and came to grips with a tragedy they knew could have been avoided. For his actions on that day, Meyer became the first living Marine in three decades to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Into the Fire tells the full story of the chaotic battle of Ganjigal for the first time, in a compelling, human way that reveals it as a microcosm of our recent wars. Meyer takes us from his upbringing on a farm in Kentucky, through his Marine and sniper training, onto the battlefield, and into the vexed aftermath of his harrowing exploits in a battle that has become the stuff of legend. Investigations ensued, even as he was pitched back into battle alongside U.S. Army soldiers who embraced him as a fellow grunt. When it was over, he returned to the States to confront living with the loss of his closest friends. This is a tale of American values and upbringing, of stunning heroism, and of adjusting to loss and to civilian life. We see it all through Meyer’s eyes, bullet by bullet, with raw honesty in telling of both the errors that resulted in tragedy and the resolve of American soldiers, U.S. Marines, and Afghan soldiers who’d been abandoned and faced certain death. Meticulously researched and thrillingly told, with nonstop pace and vivid detail, Into the Fire is the unvarnished story of a modern American hero. Praise for Into the Fire “A story of men at their best and at their worst . . . leaves you gaping in admiration at Medal of Honor winner Dakota Meyer’s courage.”—National Review “Meyer’s dazzling bravery wasn’t momentary or impulsive but deliberate and sustained.”—The Wall Street Journal “[A] cathartic, heartfelt account . . . Combat memoirs don’t get any more personal.”—Kirkus Reviews “A great contribution to the discussion of an agonizingly complex subject.”—The Virginian-Pilot “Black Hawk Down meets Lone Survivor.”—Library Journal