“Pat As a Human Being”: Mary Tillman Discusses New Documentary ‘The Pat Tillman Story’
MARY TILLMAN: The documentary in part is to try to present Pat as a human being and not this caricature that was created. But the biggest reason for this documentary is to point out the horrible way that he was used. His death was lied about by the military, by the government. But he’s not an isolated incident. This happens on a regular basis. It’s a systemic problem. It’s not isolated to the Bush Administration. It’s happened for years. And it’s tolerated.
Telling the truth about Pat Tillman at
http://www.michaelmoore.com
Video Transcript
andreas exclusively this morning from
mountain view california is pat's mommary tellin she's also the author of
boots on the ground i'd ask searchingfor answers in the death of pat tillman
very good to have you with us thismorningthank you for having me and now i know
there's also a new way t incoming sidingwith the release of this document and
fridaythe paperback edition of your book is
coming out and includes a new forwardwith some new informationwhat is it that people may not have
known before the theme that for that youwant to get outwell there's some information in there
about sealing a crystal thumbsthe book it on and has always had this
information in and i wrote the book andcame out in two thousand eight and i
indicate that the crystal was involvedin onyou know orchestrating i think
orchestrating a cover-upyukifalsified the silver staryou is very aware that pat was killed by
friendly usemom and then when he was going to be
promoted to head commander gassed and ihad contactedthe president obama i'd emailed hand and
i'd written a letter and i contactedmembers of congressjust trying to remind them that this man
needed to be scrutinized very carefullyand in the end it turned out that he was
pretty much meant for that position hereis a shoo-inand of course he was promotedand um... i've got is so you know part
of the forward any any talk a little bitabout that about the concerns erase a
prisoner bottle with senator mccainothersuse it was released on article came out
i've just this spring which of courseled to the end of of his post there and
his military creasing you felt validatedwhen you read that article about general
crystalwhywell i just felt that on the moon from
what i've read about general a crystalhe was a pretty savvy individual momand when i was when i read the article i
thought that the remarks that were madeto this reporter in front of this
reporter by him and his staffthe with extremely area any responsiblebondsyou know and i say in the forward you
know it's understandable that he mightbe created critical and paris finale she
can s when he's been hanging on a warzone in you know critical policies he
doesn't agree with that saw barry wouldfind amin everyone's entitled to their
opinionbut the air and then the way that he
spoke about it in front of the reporteronthat disturb me n i felt like maybe i
was elevatedand that's really what's up with the
women to mister clinton's come innow and fridayat your son whenever we hear about your
son there's always talk about what aprivate person he was happy really
didn't want all that much attentionwhy did you agreed then to to move for
this documentary and to tell the storyin this waywell because the documentary in part was
to try it being a present pat is a humanbeing and nightmares some character that
was createdbut then the bigger reason for this
documentary is to point out donyou know the horrible way they've done
that he was used and leader that he wasquiet and hit his death was lied about
diabetic military please give me by thegovernmentbut he's not an isolated incident this
happens on a regular basis and it's asystemic problem it's not isolated to
the bush administrationit's happened for yearsand it's holla rated and i need
documentary as i mean i just i hope thatwhen you see this has happened you mean
the fratricide you mean troop browsersideyep fratricide entrance being killed and
then in the military lies to the familyaboutwhat really happenedso you feel that that's something that
that he is an ongoing problem for anumber of family so that they're not
getting the full story from thegovernmentyes i believe that's true i i've met
many of themand as you continue and then there's
been talk about the subpoenas andhealthy keep pushing at some pointyou can't keep pushing so much but yet i
i know they're still answers that youwould like to have based on all the
information that you've been able to getover the years what do you believereally happened to your sonwell that's too complicated of enhancer
to editing answer and adventurous timewe have donethere are several scenarios that we
believe could have taken place you'vegot to say specifically what happened to
hand we're not surei think it was probably an act of gross
negligence that because there is reallyno criminal investigation at the time of
his death there really is no way thatwill probably ever knowalso me folksy appreciate you act
eighteen u speak out and again thedocument comes outthis friday in the book and paperback
mary thanks for sharing some time thismorning christianitythank you for having me
BAR-LEV: There's a sense that this is a story that is over. That this is something we look back on about the Bush administration. In fact, this is a story that continues to this day. Nobody's ever been called to account for their actions...This was a deliberate attempt to cover up the facts.
Paying attention to the neverending story at
http://www.michaelmoore.com
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform holds a hearing entitled "Misleading Information from the Battlefield." The hearing focuses on the death of Army Ranger Specialist Patrick Tillman in Afghanistan and the capture and rescue of Army Private Jessica Lynch in Iraq. The Committee examines why inaccurate accounts of these two incidents were disseminated, the sources and motivations for the accounts, and whether the appropriate Administration officials have been held accountable. Rep. Danny Davis questions Specialist Patrick Tillman's mother Mary Tillman about what senior military officials knew and when they knew it.
Pat Tillman was a professional football player with the Arizona Cardinals.
In response to the September 11, 2001 incident, he passed up a $3.6 million contract and joined the Army. His sacrifice became made him a symbol of patriotism and a poster child for Army recruiters.
Pat Tillman came to his senses and turned against the wars. Through friends and family, he made contact with anti-war icon Noam Chomsky.
Perhaps Tillman was ready to make a public statement of opposition to the wars, which would have been a public relations catastrophe for the Army. We will never know. Perhaps the Army knew he was going to go public with a statement of opposition. We will never know.
Pat Tillman took three bullets through the head on April 22, 2004. He was shot at close range by his own men while on paatrol in Afghanistan.
A massive coverup followed, in which the public was told that Tillman had been killed by hostile fire. He was awarded the Silver star. The conspiracy to deceive Tillman's grieving family and the public went to the highest levels of the Army, and centered on one Lt. General Stanley McChrystal.
Eventually, the fraud was exposed, and a half-hearted congressional investigation followed.
Pat Tillman is still dead. His mother, Mary Tillman, still grieves. Lt. General Stanley McChrystal was promoted to supreme commander of the Afghan theater.
The Bridge at Hoover Dam is an extended photographic essay resulting from a two-year personal project by Jamey Stillings. For more information, see: www.bridgeathooverdam.com
This ESPN Sports Century biography on Pat Tillman is divided into six parts. I think this aired in 2005. For updated information, read "Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman" by Mary Tillman http://www.amazon.com/Boots-Ground-Dusk-Tribute-Tillman/dp/1594868808 and "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman" by Jon Krakauer http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385522266/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1594868808&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1R1ZC333SDPTXNBP09RW
The Oversight Committee holds a hearing, "The Tillman Fratricide: What the Leadership of the Defense Department Knew." The hearing is part of an ongoing investigation and follows a previous hearing held in April. Witnesses will include former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Former Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. John P. Abizaid (Retired), Former Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers (Retired), Former Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Gen. Bryan Douglas Brown (Retired). Gen. Kensinger has been served with a subpoena, but has not been able to be located over the past several days and will not appear. Rep. John Tierney questions witnesses on why nobody informed the White House that it was likely a case of fratricide.
The 8th Annual Pat's Run took place in Tempe, AZ on April 21, 2012 with more than 28,000 walkers and runners participating to honor the legacy of Pat Tillman. Proceeds from Pat's Run benefit the Tillman Military Scholars program. More than 30 current Tillman Military Scholars attended Pat's Run this year and helped produce this video to say thank you to participants, sponsors and volunteers.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform holds a hearing entitled "Misleading Information from the Battlefield." The hearing focuses on the death of Army Ranger Specialist Patrick Tillman in Afghanistan and the capture and rescue of Army Private Jessica Lynch in Iraq. The Committee examines why inaccurate accounts of these two incidents were disseminated, the sources and motivations for the accounts, and whether the appropriate Administration officials have been held accountable. Army Private Jessica Lynch gives opening remarks.
This video chronicles the remarkable history of the Hoover Dam Bypass through a timeline and interviews with the talented professionals who made it a reality.
Professional football player Pat Tillman joined the Army after 9/11 and was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire during a gun battle. But as Erica Hill reports, the story told by the government was quite different.
The Oversight Committee holds a hearing, "The Tillman Fratricide: What the Leadership of the Defense Department Knew." The hearing is part of an ongoing investigation and follows a previous hearing held in April. Witnesses will include former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Former Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. John P. Abizaid (Retired), Former Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers (Retired), Former Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Gen. Bryan Douglas Brown (Retired). Gen. Kensinger has been served with a subpoena, but has not been able to be located over the past several days and will not appear. Chairman Waxman gives opening remarks.
