A hero misused
Where Men Win Glory, by Jon Krakauer, tells the true story of Pat Tillman, the football-player-turned-soldier killed in Afghanistan by so-called "friendly fire." It is an amazing book that arouses very mixed emotions. On one hand, Tillman is a true hero, a man who put honor above his own comfort. Tillman the football player was impressive; Tillman the man is much more so. He was a man who wanted every ounce of LIFE out of his life. He didn't want to coast, he wanted to go 100 mph at everything he did. And when his country was attacked, he didn't want to stay in his comfortable job and keep working his high-paying job while others went off to defend her. He wanted to step up himself. The author was granted access to Tillman's personal journals and extensively interviewed Tillman's widow, Marie. The portrait he paints is of a man of character and passion and curiosity; the kind of man we'd all like to call friend (and really all like to be).
The other emotion that the reader feels is frustration…frustration at times bordering on outright rage. Pat Tillman, this hero, DIDN'T HAVE TO DIE. He was shot by his own guys, fellow Army Rangers in the same platoon he was in. The platoon was told to split up by some far-off general, in spite of the fact that the platoon leader thought that was a terrible idea. How miserable and stupid and senseless!
If that wasn't enough, Tillman's death then became an exercise in political theater as the American public was sold a false picture of a heroic death moving into the teeth of enemy fire. Even from the first moments, the Army was bent on covering their behinds, not in telling the truth. And the Bush administration was only too happy to continue the charade in a flurry of red, white and blue. And as Krakauer explains, this wasn't the first time that those in Washington refused to let the truth get in the way of a good, "patriotic" story. You can't help but watch the news differently when you see how leaders knowingly lied about Tillman's death.
Where Men Win Glory is a haunting book; the kind you lay awake in the dark thinking about long after you've stopped reading. It's haunting to think how a heroic figure was betrayed so terribly by the leaders of the nation he'd signed up to defend. It haunting to wonder what you'd be willing to sacrifice for the things you believe in. And it's haunting to wonder if you're living your own life to the fullest, making maximum impact with the time you have on earth.
Pat Tillman was a hero: as a football player, as a soldier, as a man. His story, well-written by Krakauer, is worth reading and pondering.
Note: Pat Tillman's legacy lives on through the Pat Tillman Foundation.
3 comments:
Thanks Todd,
I followed the Tillman story from the time he withdrew from the NFL to the cover up of his death. It was captivating to follow a man who clearly had options in life, yet chose to live by his values. I felt torn for his fiancé, especially after he died. And I was outraged when the it came up that government was hiding the true facts of his death.
Krakauer is a great writer. I read Into The Wild as one of my first books as part of the a mail order paperback club. Then Into Thin Air. Thanks for the review, I didn't realize this book existed.
Michael: Thanks for the comment! This was my first encounter with Krakauer's work...but definitely won't be my last!
Doesn't this just show that living for country does NOT equal living for the greatest good? The sad betrayal of Tillman is yet another example of this. I love this country, but I also realize that many of the people running it could care less about my well-being and those of regular people. These wars have earned some people billions of dollars and I am sorry for the innocent victims who have become "collateral damage" along the way.
Haven't read the book, but thanks for the review. Sounds really good. Krakauer is a good author.
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