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1
00:00:52,840 --> 00:00:54,800
Quiet please.
2
00:01:06,692 --> 00:01:09,944
Pat Tillman, safety, Arizona State.
3
00:01:10,112 --> 00:01:13,781
Good, keep looking. That's good.
4
00:01:33,093 --> 00:01:35,178
Pat, can we try that
just one more time?
5
00:01:35,345 --> 00:01:38,973
Make sure not to kind of even
glance up or look around or anything.
6
00:01:39,141 --> 00:01:41,642
Okay. It's a long-ass time
to just sit there.
7
00:01:41,810 --> 00:01:43,227
Yeah, it is.
8
00:01:43,395 --> 00:01:44,479
Here we go.
9
00:01:44,646 --> 00:01:48,816
If they knew anything about my son,
they wouldn't have done what they did.
10
00:01:48,984 --> 00:01:51,819
Pat Tillman, safety, Arizona State.
11
00:01:51,987 --> 00:01:57,492
Because he didn't really fit into
that box that they would have liked.
12
00:02:23,018 --> 00:02:25,520
Pat Tillman
loved the game of football.
13
00:02:25,687 --> 00:02:29,273
Yet, as much as Pat Tillman loved
competing on the football field...
14
00:02:29,441 --> 00:02:31,859
...he loved America even more.
15
00:02:34,321 --> 00:02:37,907
Courageous and humble,
a loving husband and son...
16
00:02:38,075 --> 00:02:42,662
...a devoted brother
and a fierce defender of liberty.
17
00:02:43,247 --> 00:02:45,164
Pat Tillman
will always be remembered--
18
00:02:45,332 --> 00:02:48,543
I think they just thought, if they spun
the story and we found out...
19
00:02:48,710 --> 00:02:51,796
...we'd just keep it quiet because
we wouldn't want to diminish...
20
00:02:51,964 --> 00:02:54,215
...his heroism or anything like that...
21
00:02:54,383 --> 00:02:58,344
...but, you know, nobody question's
Pat's heroics. He was always heroic.
22
00:02:59,429 --> 00:03:01,222
What they said happened,
didn't happen.
23
00:03:01,390 --> 00:03:05,560
They made up a story, and so
you have to set the record straight.
24
00:03:10,148 --> 00:03:12,066
Good evening, thanks for joining us--
25
00:03:12,234 --> 00:03:13,359
Our top story--
26
00:03:13,527 --> 00:03:15,570
On a more serious
and indeed, tragic note--
27
00:03:15,737 --> 00:03:17,738
Live fire rounds all around me--
28
00:03:23,495 --> 00:03:27,123
In the third week of April 2004,
the 24-hour news cycle...
29
00:03:27,291 --> 00:03:31,085
...was dominated by two stories
about fallen American soldiers.
30
00:03:32,921 --> 00:03:35,590
The first involved an airport worker
who had been fired...
31
00:03:35,757 --> 00:03:39,093
...after sharing these photos
with her local newspaper.
32
00:03:41,179 --> 00:03:43,097
This sparked debate
about a federal law...
33
00:03:43,265 --> 00:03:46,225
...that had been in place
since the first Gulf War.
34
00:03:46,393 --> 00:03:49,353
Why should we hear
about body bags and deaths?
35
00:03:50,147 --> 00:03:54,942
Americans had been mesmerized by
news coverage from the Persian Gulf.
36
00:03:55,110 --> 00:03:57,028
But the military said
photos like these...
37
00:03:57,195 --> 00:03:59,947
...violated the privacy
of grieving families.
38
00:04:05,245 --> 00:04:08,789
The second story was not considered
a violation of privacy.
39
00:04:08,957 --> 00:04:11,959
Pat Tillman, who gave up
a multimillion-dollar contract...
40
00:04:12,127 --> 00:04:14,962
...in professional football,
has been killed.
41
00:04:21,178 --> 00:04:24,889
At age 25, Pat Tillman
was a charismatic defensive back...
42
00:04:25,057 --> 00:04:26,807
...in the national football league...
43
00:04:26,975 --> 00:04:30,311
...with a reputation
as a bruising tackler.
44
00:04:31,063 --> 00:04:32,480
But he brushed it all aside...
45
00:04:32,648 --> 00:04:35,316
...when he announced
that he would be quitting the NFL...
46
00:04:35,484 --> 00:04:38,945
...joining the Army Rangers
along with his brother Kevin...
47
00:04:39,112 --> 00:04:42,156
...and setting off
to fight in the Middle East.
48
00:04:43,367 --> 00:04:45,660
Though the media hounded him
for an interview...
49
00:04:45,827 --> 00:04:49,789
...Tillman refused to speak publicly
about his decision to leave the NFL...
50
00:04:49,957 --> 00:04:54,251
...requesting only that he
be looked upon as any other soldier.
51
00:04:55,504 --> 00:05:00,424
But this was a request that, in death,
the public could not grant him.
52
00:05:01,677 --> 00:05:04,136
The first thing we heard
when we got the news of Pat's death...
53
00:05:05,472 --> 00:05:07,723
...was that he was shot in the head
getting out of a vehicle.
54
00:05:07,891 --> 00:05:09,100
That's all we heard.
55
00:05:09,267 --> 00:05:12,853
We didn't get an official story
until the memorial service.
56
00:05:16,650 --> 00:05:20,236
If you're the victim of an ambush,
there are very few things you can do...
57
00:05:20,404 --> 00:05:23,197
...to increase your chances
of survival.
58
00:05:23,365 --> 00:05:28,619
One of which is to get off
that ambush point as fast as you can.
59
00:05:29,413 --> 00:05:32,540
One of the vehicles
in Pat's convoy...
60
00:05:36,086 --> 00:05:38,212
...could not get off.
61
00:05:42,134 --> 00:05:46,053
He made the call,
he dismounted his troops...
62
00:05:46,638 --> 00:05:49,807
...taking the fight to the enemy
uphill.
63
00:05:51,143 --> 00:05:54,353
This gave his brothers,
in the downed vehicle...
64
00:05:55,230 --> 00:05:57,982
...time to move off that target.
65
00:06:00,027 --> 00:06:03,404
He directly saved their lives
with that move.
66
00:06:10,704 --> 00:06:13,122
Pat's memorial service
in San Jose, California...
67
00:06:13,290 --> 00:06:15,958
...was carried live
by all the major networks.
68
00:06:16,126 --> 00:06:19,754
That service is ongoing right now,
as you just saw here on Fox News--
69
00:06:19,921 --> 00:06:23,007
The story recounted in the eulogy
was abridged...
70
00:06:23,175 --> 00:06:26,052
...elaborated upon
and retold time and again.
71
00:06:26,219 --> 00:06:29,346
According to military accounts,
Tillman ordered his men up a hill...
72
00:06:29,514 --> 00:06:32,516
...to attack terrorists that
had pinned down part of his platoon.
73
00:06:32,684 --> 00:06:35,102
All the soldiers in that
ambushed platoon were saved.
74
00:06:35,270 --> 00:06:37,229
They were rescued by Pat Tillman.
75
00:06:37,397 --> 00:06:39,607
Tillman directed his team
into firing positions.
76
00:06:39,941 --> 00:06:42,109
Tillman's voice
was heard issuing commands...
77
00:06:42,277 --> 00:06:44,111
...to take the fight
to the enemy forces.
78
00:06:44,279 --> 00:06:47,740
Pat Tillman's family will also receive
the Silver Star for his service...
79
00:06:47,908 --> 00:06:51,744
...and his great heroic efforts
over there on April 22nd.
80
00:06:51,912 --> 00:06:56,123
Pat was given the Silver Star, the
nation's third highest combat honor...
81
00:06:56,291 --> 00:07:00,544
...awarded for valor in battle
with enemies of the United States.
82
00:07:01,755 --> 00:07:03,380
A Navy SEAL friend of the family...
83
00:07:03,548 --> 00:07:06,300
...had based his eulogy
on the Silver Star narrative.
84
00:07:06,468 --> 00:07:10,971
Pat sacrificed himself
so his brothers could live.
85
00:07:14,726 --> 00:07:17,937
What they received was something
that was really honorable, you know.
86
00:07:18,105 --> 00:07:21,315
The narrative that they got was
something that was befitting a hero.
87
00:07:22,818 --> 00:07:27,029
I knew that there was
a massive possibility...
88
00:07:27,197 --> 00:07:31,450
...that other things were gonna come
out to bring certain things to light...
89
00:07:31,618 --> 00:07:34,286
...that were gonna completely...
90
00:07:34,704 --> 00:07:38,624
...make that ceremony invalid.
91
00:07:42,546 --> 00:07:44,338
Company.
92
00:07:46,174 --> 00:07:49,468
Present arm.
93
00:07:57,978 --> 00:08:03,023
I remember, we did like this little
memorial in Afghanistan for Pat.
94
00:08:03,191 --> 00:08:05,818
You know, I mean,
fuck, everybody showed up.
95
00:08:06,194 --> 00:08:08,445
It was terrible.
It was terrible seeing everybody.
96
00:08:08,613 --> 00:08:12,825
Everybody was just lost,
shocked, frustrated.
97
00:08:16,413 --> 00:08:18,622
Sound off for roll call.
98
00:08:18,790 --> 00:08:21,041
- Specialist Atkins.
- Here, first sarge.
99
00:08:21,209 --> 00:08:23,210
- Sergeant Elroy.
- Here, first sarge.
100
00:08:23,378 --> 00:08:25,462
- Specialist Norman.
- Here, first sarge.
101
00:08:25,630 --> 00:08:27,840
Specialist Tillman.
102
00:08:29,593 --> 00:08:32,428
Specialist Patrick Tillman.
103
00:08:34,264 --> 00:08:37,850
Specialist Patrick Daniel Tillman.
104
00:08:40,395 --> 00:08:42,021
I knew we were gonna get debriefed.
105
00:08:42,189 --> 00:08:45,065
And they were gonna pick it apart
and figure out what happened.
106
00:08:45,233 --> 00:08:48,402
And people were gonna get punished
and people were gonna be leaving.
107
00:08:48,570 --> 00:08:52,907
I didn't expect to ever, you know,
be on a plane like two hours later.
108
00:08:56,578 --> 00:09:00,664
They knew what the relationship was
between me, Kevin and Pat.
109
00:09:00,832 --> 00:09:02,082
And they told me:
110
00:09:02,250 --> 00:09:06,128
"You're the closest to the brothers,
we want you to fly back with Kevin.
111
00:09:06,296 --> 00:09:08,923
It's not your place
to tell the family anything.
112
00:09:09,090 --> 00:09:11,508
You need to keep
your mouth shut about it.
113
00:09:11,676 --> 00:09:15,262
You need to not cause
any type of turmoil."
114
00:09:16,431 --> 00:09:19,934
And I-- You know, I said, okay. Yeah.
115
00:09:20,769 --> 00:09:23,729
They put us into a cargo plane
that was completely empty.
116
00:09:23,897 --> 00:09:27,691
The only thing in it, right there
in the middle, was Pat's coffin.
117
00:09:27,859 --> 00:09:30,236
And they covered it
with an American flag.
118
00:09:39,955 --> 00:09:43,791
Just sitting across from Kevin and
looking at him, I couldn't say anything.
119
00:09:43,959 --> 00:09:47,127
I barely said two words to Kevin
the whole time we were flying home.
120
00:09:50,382 --> 00:09:54,134
I was afraid that he might ask me
what happened to Pat.
121
00:10:00,976 --> 00:10:04,812
Russell Baer came to our house
after Pat's memorial service...
122
00:10:04,980 --> 00:10:07,648
...and my ex-husband,
or Pat's father...
123
00:10:07,816 --> 00:10:11,568
...asked Russell to tell the story
of what happened to Pat.
124
00:10:11,736 --> 00:10:14,655
The position he was in
while he was over at the house...
125
00:10:16,658 --> 00:10:19,618
...was, I'm sure, very awkward.
It appeared very awkward.
126
00:10:19,786 --> 00:10:22,830
At the time, it seemed
that he was still very upset...
127
00:10:22,998 --> 00:10:25,874
...and rattled by the whole setting,
and Pat's death...
128
00:10:26,042 --> 00:10:27,668
...because he liked Pat a lot.
129
00:10:29,671 --> 00:10:33,590
I went into Pat's mom's living room
and I gave them my narrative...
130
00:10:33,758 --> 00:10:36,635
...excluding certain possibilities.
131
00:10:36,803 --> 00:10:41,015
And Russell Baer told us nothing.
132
00:10:42,517 --> 00:10:46,520
Initially, I was not real pleased
with Russell Baer.
133
00:10:46,688 --> 00:10:49,231
It upset me that this kid...
134
00:10:49,399 --> 00:10:52,693
...that's supposed to be a friend
of the family's, didn't say anything.
135
00:10:53,445 --> 00:10:58,365
But we found out
about five weeks later, the reason.
136
00:10:59,284 --> 00:11:02,119
A reporter from the Arizona Republic
contacted me.
137
00:11:02,287 --> 00:11:05,873
It was peculiar because I hadn't heard
from the media for quite a few weeks.
138
00:11:06,041 --> 00:11:09,376
And I just got a very eerie feeling,
and when I called him back...
139
00:11:09,544 --> 00:11:12,755
...he asked me what I thought about
the news the Army had given us...
140
00:11:12,922 --> 00:11:15,049
...and I didn't know
what he was talking about.
141
00:11:15,216 --> 00:11:17,092
So I basically prodded him
to tell me...
142
00:11:17,260 --> 00:11:20,220
...and he said that,
you know, there was a suspicion...
143
00:11:20,388 --> 00:11:24,933
...that Pat was killed by fratricide,
"friendly fire."
144
00:11:25,393 --> 00:11:29,396
The U.S. Army now says Pat Tillman
was not killed by enemy fire.
145
00:11:29,564 --> 00:11:31,231
It was dark, the terrain was rough.
146
00:11:31,399 --> 00:11:34,360
To put it another way,
it was the fog of war.
147
00:11:34,527 --> 00:11:37,905
Now the Army says, Tillman's death
was apparently an accident.
148
00:11:38,073 --> 00:11:41,450
The investigation results indicate
that Corporal Tillman...
149
00:11:41,618 --> 00:11:44,411
...probably died
as a result of friendly fire...
150
00:11:44,579 --> 00:11:49,333
...while his unit was engaged
in combat with enemy forces.
151
00:11:49,667 --> 00:11:53,545
It was determined that
I was to give the press conference.
152
00:11:54,339 --> 00:11:55,672
My role during this period...
153
00:11:57,967 --> 00:12:00,761
...was commander of the U.S. Army
Special Operations Command.
154
00:12:00,929 --> 00:12:03,806
I commanded the Green Berets...
155
00:12:03,973 --> 00:12:08,018
...Civil Affairs, SIOPs,
the 160th Aviation...
156
00:12:08,186 --> 00:12:12,856
...the Rangers
and a number of our Special units.
157
00:12:13,024 --> 00:12:16,944
It was General Kensinger's job
to explain why five weeks earlier...
158
00:12:17,112 --> 00:12:21,615
...the military had reported
that Pat was killed by the Taliban.
159
00:12:21,783 --> 00:12:24,785
You know,
I don't wanna sound trite...
160
00:12:24,953 --> 00:12:28,956
...but there's an old Army adage
that says first reports are incorrect.
161
00:12:29,124 --> 00:12:33,127
There is an inherent danger
of confusion in any firefight...
162
00:12:33,294 --> 00:12:36,255
...particularly when
a unit is ambushed.
163
00:12:36,423 --> 00:12:37,798
During the press conference...
164
00:12:37,966 --> 00:12:40,801
...and at a subsequent private briefing
with the Tillman's...
165
00:12:40,969 --> 00:12:44,471
...the Army said Pat had been killed
by an errant U.S. bullet...
166
00:12:44,639 --> 00:12:46,640
...during a chaotic ambush.
167
00:12:46,808 --> 00:12:50,060
The ambush was conducted
by 10 to 12 enemy personnel...
168
00:12:50,228 --> 00:12:51,520
...from multiple locations--
169
00:12:51,688 --> 00:12:54,273
According to them,
things were confusing...
170
00:12:54,441 --> 00:12:57,818
...and it's an unfortunate accident.
171
00:12:57,986 --> 00:13:02,573
I know I felt like they haven't
really looked into this well enough...
172
00:13:02,740 --> 00:13:05,659
...to give me an explanation,
and I don't much appreciate that.
173
00:13:06,494 --> 00:13:08,662
The results of this investigation...
174
00:13:08,830 --> 00:13:13,333
...in no way diminish the bravery
and sacrifice displayed...
175
00:13:13,501 --> 00:13:15,669
...by Corporal Tillman.
176
00:13:16,004 --> 00:13:20,090
In the process of this explanation,
I asked one of them:
177
00:13:20,633 --> 00:13:24,720
"Why then award him a Silver Star?
178
00:13:24,888 --> 00:13:28,474
You don't give a Silver Star
for attitude."
179
00:13:28,641 --> 00:13:31,310
He goes, "Well, we did in this case."
180
00:13:31,478 --> 00:13:35,022
You don't wanna think the worst
of the people that you're dealing with.
181
00:13:35,190 --> 00:13:40,444
Our thoughts and our prayers remain
with the Tillman family.
182
00:13:40,612 --> 00:13:42,988
Thank you for being here
this morning.
183
00:13:43,156 --> 00:13:45,532
You want to believe
they're telling you the truth...
184
00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:48,494
...yet, you're getting this sense
that you're being lied to.
185
00:13:48,661 --> 00:13:51,371
U.S. Central Command
is the point of contact...
186
00:13:51,539 --> 00:13:55,292
...for further inquiries
in this investigation. Thank you.
187
00:13:55,460 --> 00:13:58,712
At the end of the briefing, we were told
that we would be getting...
188
00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:03,675
...the source documents that were
used to support the investigation.
189
00:14:07,639 --> 00:14:12,059
They showed me the box.
It was six binders full of stuff.
190
00:14:12,227 --> 00:14:16,355
"Eventually, Mr. Tillman,
you're going to get a copy of all this."
191
00:14:17,357 --> 00:14:19,608
I said,
"Great. When am I gonna get it?"
192
00:14:28,243 --> 00:14:30,577
What motivates you the most?
193
00:14:33,248 --> 00:14:36,250
I don't know.
I get a lot of satisfaction out of, like...
194
00:14:36,417 --> 00:14:38,710
...you know,
my family being proud of me.
195
00:14:38,878 --> 00:14:41,922
My brothers, you know, I care
what they think and how they feel...
196
00:14:42,090 --> 00:14:44,424
...and I want them to be proud
of what I'm doing.
197
00:14:44,592 --> 00:14:49,429
My mom-- My mom finished dead last
in the San Francisco Marathon.
198
00:14:49,597 --> 00:14:52,641
I don't know when it was. She was
probably 30-- Whatever years old.
199
00:14:52,809 --> 00:14:54,893
I mean, dead last.
On the little sheet when--
200
00:14:55,061 --> 00:14:58,939
You know, they do it-- Her--
Mary Tillman, the last fricking name.
201
00:14:59,107 --> 00:15:03,151
They were actually tearing everything
down when she finished, you know.
202
00:15:03,319 --> 00:15:05,153
They were putting everything away.
203
00:15:05,321 --> 00:15:09,116
So, I mean, that says a lot about her.
She's a real hard-working woman--
204
00:15:09,284 --> 00:15:12,119
Dannie committed herself
to trying to...
205
00:15:12,287 --> 00:15:14,955
...you know, figure out exactly
what happened to our son.
206
00:15:15,373 --> 00:15:18,750
She contacted a lot of people.
She did a lot of work.
207
00:15:20,169 --> 00:15:22,504
I'd take things to work,
or I'd make phone calls...
208
00:15:22,672 --> 00:15:26,133
...when I didn't have students,
or when I had my break or at lunch.
209
00:15:26,301 --> 00:15:29,636
I'd call the medical examiner,
the coroner.
210
00:15:29,804 --> 00:15:34,558
I'd call ballistic people trying to find
someone that could answer questions.
211
00:15:34,726 --> 00:15:38,520
I mean,
I was just making calls all the time.
212
00:15:38,855 --> 00:15:43,317
Along the way, I'd encounter people
that were able to help us.
213
00:15:44,485 --> 00:15:49,323
And at somewhere along the line,
we got in touch with Stan Goff.
214
00:15:49,657 --> 00:15:54,328
I was running a blog,
everybody got a blog nowadays...
215
00:15:54,495 --> 00:15:57,289
...so I wrote something
about the Tillman Case.
216
00:15:57,707 --> 00:16:00,459
It was just, you know,
a commentary piece related to...
217
00:16:00,627 --> 00:16:04,630
...this whole perception-management
aspect of the war.
218
00:16:04,797 --> 00:16:07,507
So when we got to talking,
she realized I'd been around.
219
00:16:07,675 --> 00:16:12,095
I'd been to Vietnam
and Guatemala...
220
00:16:12,263 --> 00:16:17,392
...Grenada, El Salvador, Peru,
Colombia, Somalia.
221
00:16:17,560 --> 00:16:19,603
Three assignments
with Ranger units...
222
00:16:19,771 --> 00:16:22,022
...two assignments
with the Special Forces unit...
223
00:16:22,190 --> 00:16:24,816
...one assignment
with the Counterterrorist unit.
224
00:16:25,777 --> 00:16:29,196
So it wasn't just
that I had experience in Pat's unit...
225
00:16:29,364 --> 00:16:32,115
...it was also that
I could sort of help them...
226
00:16:32,283 --> 00:16:36,536
...read the hieroglyphics
in that Special Operations world.
227
00:16:36,704 --> 00:16:40,457
Because it is a culture.
228
00:16:42,085 --> 00:16:45,337
The first time the family got a sense
that we were being lied to...
229
00:16:45,505 --> 00:16:48,256
...was when we started looking
at the documents.
230
00:16:48,424 --> 00:16:50,717
They gave her the papers,
but what they did was...
231
00:16:50,885 --> 00:16:54,012
...I think, they tried to drown her,
you know.
232
00:16:54,180 --> 00:16:58,725
They wanted to give her so much that,
you know, no normal human being...
233
00:16:58,893 --> 00:17:03,855
...would dig through all this paperwork
and try to make sense out of it.
234
00:17:06,192 --> 00:17:09,403
The Army handed over transcripts
of every interview they conducted...
235
00:17:09,570 --> 00:17:12,864
...with Pat's platoon
and their commanding officers.
236
00:17:13,032 --> 00:17:15,242
There were also
radio-communications logs...
237
00:17:15,410 --> 00:17:19,663
...field-hospital reports, terrain maps,
an autopsy...
238
00:17:19,831 --> 00:17:23,083
...and a detailed study
of the light conditions that day.
239
00:17:23,251 --> 00:17:28,046
In all, it totaled over 3,000 pages
of material on Pat's death.
240
00:17:28,214 --> 00:17:31,258
But it's redacted.
241
00:17:31,426 --> 00:17:37,848
Every single name, half the actions,
any references to places.
242
00:17:38,516 --> 00:17:41,560
You have to go this sort of
painstaking reconstruction.
243
00:17:41,728 --> 00:17:44,855
It's like doing a very difficult
crossword puzzle.
244
00:17:45,022 --> 00:17:48,400
You keep running around looking
for just one word you can fit in there...
245
00:17:48,568 --> 00:17:51,445
...and then you can sort of
lock all the other stuff into it.
246
00:17:56,534 --> 00:17:58,618
We tried to look
at what was being said...
247
00:17:58,786 --> 00:18:00,620
...and then we'd try
to piece together--
248
00:18:00,788 --> 00:18:03,457
Okay, if they're saying this,
then who might that be?
249
00:18:03,624 --> 00:18:05,459
We would take a redacted name...
250
00:18:05,626 --> 00:18:08,670
...and we'd try to count the number
of spaces that were in there...
251
00:18:08,838 --> 00:18:11,965
...to try to figure out
whose last name was in there.
252
00:18:13,217 --> 00:18:16,970
And, of course, by going over
the same thing again and again...
253
00:18:17,138 --> 00:18:18,764
...with some names plugged in...
254
00:18:18,931 --> 00:18:22,100
...we started to become familiar
with aspects of it.
255
00:18:23,978 --> 00:18:27,773
I wanna make this very clear, when
we initially heard of this fratricide...
256
00:18:27,940 --> 00:18:31,693
...and the fact that these soldiers
in this vehicle had killed Pat...
257
00:18:31,861 --> 00:18:35,572
...we felt very bad for them,
to have to live with this.
258
00:18:35,740 --> 00:18:37,949
We thought it was just some
horrible accident.
259
00:18:38,117 --> 00:18:41,745
You know, they were in a fog of war
and they were frightened...
260
00:18:41,913 --> 00:18:45,749
...and it was too dark to see. But you're
reading things in the documents...
261
00:18:45,917 --> 00:18:47,459
...that make you very suspicious.
262
00:18:52,673 --> 00:18:55,467
The more that we heard
about the situation...
263
00:18:56,093 --> 00:18:58,553
...it seemed much more
like gross negligence.
264
00:19:06,729 --> 00:19:08,188
They asked one of the soldiers:
265
00:19:08,356 --> 00:19:10,273
"Did you positively identify
your target?"
266
00:19:10,441 --> 00:19:12,859
He said, "I don't know.
I thought everybody else did.
267
00:19:13,027 --> 00:19:14,736
I just wanted to be in a firefight."
268
00:19:14,904 --> 00:19:17,030
That doesn't sound
like someone who's afraid.
269
00:19:17,198 --> 00:19:21,326
That sounds like someone who
simply wants to shoot at something.
270
00:19:33,214 --> 00:19:37,175
There's a sense that
we can't discover meaning...
271
00:19:37,343 --> 00:19:41,304
...we can't discover who we are,
we have no real sense of identity...
272
00:19:41,472 --> 00:19:45,392
...until that's tested somehow.
273
00:19:45,560 --> 00:19:50,105
Let's test it against something
that's real, let's test it in a context...
274
00:19:50,273 --> 00:19:56,903
...where life and death
are real coexisting possibilities.
275
00:20:01,075 --> 00:20:05,453
All young infantrymen will say,
"I wanna be in a firefight."
276
00:20:06,414 --> 00:20:09,541
That's what makes them feel
like they're fully fledged.
277
00:20:09,709 --> 00:20:13,712
You know, they can say, "Well,
I've actually experienced combat."
278
00:20:24,932 --> 00:20:26,683
What is up?
279
00:20:27,727 --> 00:20:29,269
What's up?
280
00:20:30,021 --> 00:20:32,856
I went in for all the selfish reasons.
281
00:20:33,024 --> 00:20:36,276
I didn't go in because I was patriotic
and wanted to serve my country.
282
00:20:36,444 --> 00:20:38,778
I wanted to serve myself.
283
00:20:39,614 --> 00:20:41,364
I wanted to get some money
for college.
284
00:20:41,532 --> 00:20:44,326
I wanted to learn
to be more self-sufficient.
285
00:20:44,493 --> 00:20:49,873
I wanted to blow things up
and shoot guns, you know.
286
00:20:51,751 --> 00:20:55,003
I got to Ranger battalion
September 10th.
287
00:20:55,171 --> 00:20:58,882
And, literally, when I got there
and woke up the next morning...
288
00:20:59,050 --> 00:21:01,718
...I got thrown out of my bed
and I thought it was a joke.
289
00:21:01,886 --> 00:21:03,929
You know, new guy, big joke.
290
00:21:04,096 --> 00:21:06,681
And when I saw the planes
hit the towers...
291
00:21:06,849 --> 00:21:09,184
...you know, during breakfast,
it was like:
292
00:21:09,352 --> 00:21:11,478
"I'm gonna fucking die."
293
00:21:11,938 --> 00:21:15,273
It was about 10 minutes later, there
was people yelling and standing up.
294
00:21:17,652 --> 00:21:19,861
They were pumped
because we was gonna go to war.
295
00:21:20,029 --> 00:21:22,322
They knew we was gonna go to war
at that point.
296
00:21:23,658 --> 00:21:25,575
Sound off.
297
00:21:26,535 --> 00:21:29,287
You don't wanna see it happen,
but at the same time...
298
00:21:29,455 --> 00:21:31,206
...that's what
you've been working for.
299
00:21:31,374 --> 00:21:33,917
And whenever that comes down,
you want a chance to say:
300
00:21:34,085 --> 00:21:35,251
"Hey, I can handle this"
301
00:21:35,419 --> 00:21:38,672
Airborne Rangers, motherfucker!
302
00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:41,257
Go!
303
00:21:41,676 --> 00:21:44,886
You know, we're supposed to believe
that soldiers' motives are pure...
304
00:21:45,054 --> 00:21:48,348
...that they go into these situations
reluctantly.
305
00:21:48,516 --> 00:21:52,560
It's an imposition of a level of wisdom
and maturity on soldiers...
306
00:21:52,728 --> 00:21:58,441
...that doesn't apply to 19 year olds
anywhere, ever.
307
00:21:58,609 --> 00:22:00,527
I ain't fucking out, dude.
308
00:22:00,695 --> 00:22:06,866
A 19-year-old kid is far less interested
in displaying wisdom...
309
00:22:07,034 --> 00:22:11,454
...than they are in, like, giving some
sort of a practical demonstration...
310
00:22:11,622 --> 00:22:14,749
...of their masculinity,
you know what I mean?
311
00:22:16,335 --> 00:22:21,131
The atmosphere in a military unit
like that, is a locker-room atmosphere.
312
00:22:21,298 --> 00:22:22,841
Tapping.
313
00:22:24,260 --> 00:22:25,927
Fucker.
314
00:22:26,429 --> 00:22:29,389
It's not philosophical.
315
00:22:30,891 --> 00:22:35,395
- I turn my back on you.
- Get that fucking camera out of here.
316
00:22:48,492 --> 00:22:51,953
I expected Pat to be kind of like,
you know, in a general sense...
317
00:22:52,121 --> 00:22:55,248
...the general depiction of, like,
your jock, your meathead.
318
00:22:55,416 --> 00:22:57,083
Not very intelligent.
319
00:22:57,251 --> 00:23:01,713
Kind of like the guys I knew
in high school. They were just...
320
00:23:03,174 --> 00:23:04,215
...jerks.
321
00:23:06,719 --> 00:23:09,262
Arrogant, you know, full of himself.
322
00:23:09,430 --> 00:23:12,807
Why the hell is somebody leaving
an NFL contract...
323
00:23:12,975 --> 00:23:16,561
...to come to this shit hole
and deal with this kind of nonsense?
324
00:23:17,438 --> 00:23:20,815
There was just
kind of a low mumble...
325
00:23:20,983 --> 00:23:25,862
...that he really was looking
to become a political leader.
326
00:23:26,947 --> 00:23:30,784
A lot of people thought he just didn't
have a good head on his shoulders.
327
00:23:30,951 --> 00:23:34,954
He wanted to kind of do the macho,
red-blooded American, patriotic thing.
328
00:23:36,582 --> 00:23:40,043
He was an ex-football player, he was
used to getting millions of dollars...
329
00:23:40,628 --> 00:23:44,923
...and he was used to
pretty much having it his way.
330
00:23:45,966 --> 00:23:47,884
He was a private...
331
00:23:48,636 --> 00:23:53,139
...which in Ranger mentality, it means
that you're on the same level as dirt.
332
00:23:55,810 --> 00:24:01,106
There was a time where I did have
to take corrective action against Pat...
333
00:24:01,273 --> 00:24:08,029
...for, basically, coming unglued on me
for an order that he was given.
334
00:24:09,115 --> 00:24:11,157
That's just the way
that the military goes.
335
00:24:11,325 --> 00:24:13,493
You get orders,
sometimes you don't like them.
336
00:24:13,661 --> 00:24:16,704
You don't have the option of saying:
337
00:24:16,872 --> 00:24:18,998
"I don't like this.
Let's do this another way."
338
00:24:19,166 --> 00:24:24,963
Or in his case, saying,
"This is completely fucking stupid."
339
00:24:25,131 --> 00:24:28,091
Pat had something,
you know, that I wanted.
340
00:24:28,259 --> 00:24:33,012
You know, there was something
that Pat knew and just got...
341
00:24:33,180 --> 00:24:36,141
...that I needed, that I wanted.
342
00:24:38,644 --> 00:24:41,980
I went in looking for that one thing
that I couldn't put my finger on...
343
00:24:42,148 --> 00:24:45,859
...that was going to help me to
accomplish everything I wanted to do...
344
00:24:46,026 --> 00:24:48,820
...and Pat had that something.
345
00:24:49,405 --> 00:24:52,699
He wasn't at all
what I expected to find.
346
00:24:52,867 --> 00:24:55,493
He didn't seem like
this tough knucklehead guy.
347
00:24:55,661 --> 00:24:59,038
You know, he was interested
in Emerson, in Chomsky...
348
00:24:59,206 --> 00:25:03,001
...and he just seemed
very, just, open.
349
00:25:03,294 --> 00:25:06,880
It didn't matter who you were, where
you were from, what you were into...
350
00:25:07,047 --> 00:25:10,049
...Pat always wanted to find out
what you were about.
351
00:25:10,885 --> 00:25:13,887
And he would ask
a million questions.
352
00:25:14,555 --> 00:25:17,599
I walked in on him one time and
he was reading the Book of Mormon.
353
00:25:19,727 --> 00:25:22,437
And, you know, it really hit me
because I am Mormon.
354
00:25:22,605 --> 00:25:26,107
So I asked him, "Hey, you know,
you have any questions...
355
00:25:26,275 --> 00:25:27,734
...please feel free to ask.
356
00:25:27,902 --> 00:25:30,653
I'll explain whatever I can to you
as best as I can.
357
00:25:30,821 --> 00:25:36,075
I knew that he wasn't religious, but he
told me that he respected all religions.
358
00:25:36,660 --> 00:25:41,831
Bryan O'Neal was kind of a small guy,
a very nervous guy.
359
00:25:41,999 --> 00:25:44,375
I wasn't real impressed.
360
00:25:44,543 --> 00:25:47,295
I think he was really looking
for a place to fit in...
361
00:25:47,463 --> 00:25:49,214
...looking for more family...
362
00:25:49,381 --> 00:25:52,258
...looking for something
that was a little bit of a closer tie.
363
00:25:52,426 --> 00:25:55,553
I was kind of terrified going there
because, you know...
364
00:25:55,721 --> 00:26:00,558
...the rumors of hazing and tricks that
the senior guys play on the new guys.
365
00:26:01,977 --> 00:26:04,395
Pat was different
from everyone else in the platoon.
366
00:26:04,563 --> 00:26:08,358
He didn't ever, you know,
treat me like I was lower than him.
367
00:26:08,525 --> 00:26:13,529
I think the only time,
you know, that I upset Pat...
368
00:26:13,697 --> 00:26:17,492
...is he asked me to,
you know, prep some ChemLights...
369
00:26:17,660 --> 00:26:19,619
...for an objective
we had the next day...
370
00:26:19,787 --> 00:26:22,205
...and I forgot,
you know, I was doing other things.
371
00:26:22,373 --> 00:26:24,916
And he basically let me know
that I disappointed him...
372
00:26:25,084 --> 00:26:27,293
...that I didn't do
what he wanted me to do.
373
00:26:27,461 --> 00:26:29,921
And that really, you know--
374
00:26:30,089 --> 00:26:32,131
I wish he would've taken me
in the hallway...
375
00:26:32,299 --> 00:26:35,802
...and smoked me up and down,
and, you know, treated me horribly...
376
00:26:35,970 --> 00:26:37,345
...you know, called me stupid.
377
00:26:37,513 --> 00:26:41,975
But him telling me that I disappointed
him, it really upset me, you know.
378
00:26:42,142 --> 00:26:44,185
I decided
I was never gonna do that again...
379
00:26:44,353 --> 00:26:48,147
...because he was such a great guy
I didn't wanna let him down.
380
00:26:48,315 --> 00:26:51,651
When Bryan came in,
Pat kind of picked him up.
381
00:26:53,070 --> 00:26:57,949
He just put an arm around him and
scooped him up the best he could.
382
00:26:59,034 --> 00:27:02,370
Everyone was actually envious
that he was my team leader...
383
00:27:02,538 --> 00:27:07,333
...that little scrawny me would be
working with this huge football player.
384
00:27:07,835 --> 00:27:11,296
I blamed myself for quite some time
that maybe...
385
00:27:11,463 --> 00:27:14,966
...you know, Pat's not in a place
where he should be...
386
00:27:15,134 --> 00:27:18,177
...because I didn't put forth
more effort.
387
00:27:18,345 --> 00:27:21,848
And, you know, it's something
I still think about today.
388
00:27:22,016 --> 00:27:25,643
You know,
that because of my lack of faith...
389
00:27:25,811 --> 00:27:28,980
...you know,
he may be suffering for it.
390
00:27:37,865 --> 00:27:39,574
For all those who are here tonight...
391
00:27:39,742 --> 00:27:42,535
...we honor the memory
and accomplishments of Pat Tillman...
392
00:27:42,703 --> 00:27:48,833
...by permanently retiring
his number 42 ASU football jersey.
393
00:27:50,669 --> 00:27:53,838
Arizona was always very good
to Pat...
394
00:27:54,006 --> 00:27:58,468
...but it's very hard when
you're put out there kind of on display.
395
00:28:02,431 --> 00:28:07,018
The public grieving
is not something that I can do.
396
00:28:07,186 --> 00:28:09,562
I don't wanna do it.
397
00:28:10,064 --> 00:28:12,857
It's an awkward spot.
398
00:28:13,233 --> 00:28:17,445
The issue at the time was trying to
figure out what had happened to Pat.
399
00:28:18,197 --> 00:28:23,576
It was, you know,
sort of a difficult situation...
400
00:28:23,744 --> 00:28:28,164
...because it was a very private thing
that happened...
401
00:28:28,332 --> 00:28:33,252
...that was then being played out
in the public.
402
00:28:38,217 --> 00:28:43,554
And so I had this sense of sort of
wanting to hold on to what I could.
403
00:28:46,433 --> 00:28:50,061
Even at that point,
he was totally getting lost.
404
00:28:51,814 --> 00:28:56,526
Pat, who he was as a person,
was lost in the conversation.
405
00:28:56,693 --> 00:28:58,694
--what you did with Pat Tillman--
406
00:28:58,862 --> 00:29:02,198
Oh, there we go,
typical Republican personal attack.
407
00:29:02,366 --> 00:29:04,951
- Can't stick to the issues--
- Let me finish the point.
408
00:29:05,119 --> 00:29:06,911
Pat Tillman
was a Noam Chomsky fan...
409
00:29:07,079 --> 00:29:09,872
...was gonna vote for John Kerry,
was against the war in Iraq.
410
00:29:10,040 --> 00:29:12,417
- I don't believe it.
- I don't believe it either.
411
00:29:12,584 --> 00:29:15,294
He signed up
because of his desire to fight.
412
00:29:15,462 --> 00:29:18,297
They would take parts
of who he was...
413
00:29:18,465 --> 00:29:22,635
...and magnify those
to suit their purposes.
414
00:29:25,639 --> 00:29:30,560
I was trying to figure out
how to live without him.
415
00:29:32,062 --> 00:29:34,730
You feel like
your world has stopped...
416
00:29:34,898 --> 00:29:39,485
...and yet, everything goes on
like normal.
417
00:29:50,205 --> 00:29:55,126
It started pretty much overnight
after Pat was killed.
418
00:29:55,669 --> 00:29:58,880
The day after he was killed,
there were cameras on my front lawn...
419
00:29:59,047 --> 00:30:00,506
...which was bizarre.
420
00:30:00,674 --> 00:30:04,260
I mean, I was not expecting
anything like that at all.
421
00:30:04,428 --> 00:30:07,388
He lived here in University Place
with his wife.
422
00:30:07,556 --> 00:30:10,808
I remember my mom was always
going around closing the blinds.
423
00:30:10,976 --> 00:30:14,395
Today three men from Fort Lewis
walk slowly to the house...
424
00:30:14,563 --> 00:30:17,440
...to tell his wife, Marie, they care.
425
00:30:17,608 --> 00:30:21,277
Staff Sergeant David High, a Ranger,
tried unsuccessfully...
426
00:30:21,445 --> 00:30:25,239
...to express his feelings,
choked up, and walked away.
427
00:30:25,407 --> 00:30:27,366
No, that's not good. Sorry.
428
00:30:27,534 --> 00:30:32,330
But the newsmen camped out
on Marie's lawn had the story wrong.
429
00:30:32,581 --> 00:30:36,375
In fact, the casualty-assistance
officers were there to compel Marie...
430
00:30:36,543 --> 00:30:39,712
...to sign off on a funeral
at Arlington National Cemetery...
431
00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,757
...with full military honors.
432
00:30:43,383 --> 00:30:48,429
They were sort of pushing
for a military funeral...
433
00:30:49,056 --> 00:30:52,058
...which was not
what his wishes were.
434
00:30:53,477 --> 00:30:56,145
During basic training,
Pat had a premonition...
435
00:30:56,313 --> 00:31:00,691
...that if he died, he might be used
as a public-relations' stunt.
436
00:31:00,859 --> 00:31:04,737
So he'd smuggled a copy
of his final wishes home to Marie.
437
00:31:04,905 --> 00:31:07,573
I really had to
kind of push back on them.
438
00:31:10,244 --> 00:31:13,746
They were proceeding as if this was
the way things were gonna happen.
439
00:31:13,914 --> 00:31:16,916
Probably thinking that,
you know, I was so grief-stricken...
440
00:31:17,084 --> 00:31:19,835
...that I would just go along with it.
441
00:31:20,003 --> 00:31:22,421
My mission here
is to support the family...
442
00:31:22,589 --> 00:31:27,093
...and help them through the process,
and make it easier for her.
443
00:31:29,096 --> 00:31:32,098
That's the first episode, in a way.
444
00:31:32,933 --> 00:31:36,185
Before Pat's body is even cold.
445
00:31:36,895 --> 00:31:39,939
The death didn't just belong
to the family.
446
00:31:40,107 --> 00:31:41,941
This was bigger than the family.
447
00:31:45,696 --> 00:31:47,905
"This is ours," you know.
448
00:31:51,326 --> 00:31:53,578
It's ours to interpret.
449
00:31:57,874 --> 00:32:00,751
And you will see him again
when a loving God reunites us all...
450
00:32:00,919 --> 00:32:04,463
...with the loved ones
who preceded us in death.
451
00:32:04,631 --> 00:32:06,632
The contrast
of the memorial service...
452
00:32:06,800 --> 00:32:09,969
...should have hit a warning shot
to the military.
453
00:32:10,137 --> 00:32:13,472
You got people out there speaking
in these glittering generalities.
454
00:32:13,890 --> 00:32:17,852
Pat, your family
doesn't have to worry anymore.
455
00:32:18,020 --> 00:32:22,815
You are home, you are safe,
and you will not be forgotten.
456
00:32:23,817 --> 00:32:26,819
And then you've got his brother
coming up there.
457
00:32:27,154 --> 00:32:32,825
Somebody who's willing to speak
the brutality of that reality for them.
458
00:32:33,327 --> 00:32:37,663
He was always giving gifts.
Thanks, Pat.
459
00:32:40,709 --> 00:32:43,753
I didn't write shit
because I'm not a writer.
460
00:32:43,920 --> 00:32:46,964
And I just want to say, it was--
461
00:32:47,174 --> 00:32:49,675
There's a lot of people here, thanks.
462
00:32:50,260 --> 00:32:53,846
It was really amazing
to be his little baby brother.
463
00:32:57,809 --> 00:33:01,520
Yeah, I'm not just gonna sit up here
and break down on you, but....
464
00:33:02,022 --> 00:33:05,608
Thank you for coming.
Pat's a fucking champion...
465
00:33:06,526 --> 00:33:08,527
...and always will be.
466
00:33:09,529 --> 00:33:11,697
Just make no mistake,
he'd want me to say this.
467
00:33:11,865 --> 00:33:14,992
He's not with God, he's fucking dead.
He's not religious, so....
468
00:33:15,160 --> 00:33:18,329
Thanks for your thoughts,
but he's fucking dead.
469
00:33:22,417 --> 00:33:25,169
I don't regret any of that.
470
00:33:25,337 --> 00:33:27,296
You know,
as far as what I was thinking...
471
00:33:27,464 --> 00:33:29,590
...I was just simply miserable,
you know.
472
00:33:29,758 --> 00:33:33,260
I was, you know--
I was sad for my whole my family.
473
00:33:33,428 --> 00:33:35,680
I was sad for my mom, my dad,
Marie, Kevin.
474
00:33:37,933 --> 00:33:41,060
This isn't a production.
It's my brother's service.
475
00:33:42,396 --> 00:33:47,066
I didn't plan on saying that, it just....
476
00:33:47,984 --> 00:33:51,362
He's not what these people
wished he was.
477
00:33:53,490 --> 00:33:55,199
Everyone grabbed at Pat's death.
478
00:33:55,701 --> 00:33:59,829
Not necessarily just the military,
everybody grabbed at him.
479
00:34:00,497 --> 00:34:04,250
They just chose the wrong family
to try to do it in front of.
480
00:34:11,675 --> 00:34:14,677
Not to say that we always did
the right thing in this house...
481
00:34:14,845 --> 00:34:16,262
...we made lots of mistakes...
482
00:34:16,430 --> 00:34:21,225
...but I think that we did make
an attempt to tell the truth.
483
00:34:21,768 --> 00:34:23,936
You know, sometimes you have
to work at that.
484
00:34:26,356 --> 00:34:30,818
In 1976, Patrick and Dannie Tillman
moved to New Almaden...
485
00:34:30,986 --> 00:34:34,113
...a two-road town
near San Jose, California...
486
00:34:34,281 --> 00:34:38,284
...where he practiced law
and she worked as a teacher.
487
00:34:39,453 --> 00:34:42,705
Part of the reason
for living out in New Almaden...
488
00:34:42,873 --> 00:34:47,168
...was a deliberate decision...
489
00:34:47,586 --> 00:34:50,463
...to set a better environment
for the kids.
490
00:34:51,131 --> 00:34:54,967
We discouraged watching TV.
491
00:34:55,260 --> 00:34:57,219
We did the same thing
with the telephone.
492
00:34:57,387 --> 00:35:00,681
We had one telephone and it was
right in the middle of the house.
493
00:35:00,849 --> 00:35:02,558
If you wanted to talk to somebody...
494
00:35:02,726 --> 00:35:05,811
...then you'd talk
right in front of everybody else.
495
00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:10,149
So it wasn't like we isolated them,
it's just there were certain priorities...
496
00:35:10,317 --> 00:35:15,446
...and it wasn't that difficult
to deprive them for their own good.
497
00:35:17,783 --> 00:35:21,827
You know, we did grow up together.
Pat and Kevin were so close in age...
498
00:35:21,995 --> 00:35:25,664
...they were only 14 months apart,
so they were together all the time.
499
00:35:25,832 --> 00:35:27,708
They would go to the creek,
the mountains.
500
00:35:27,876 --> 00:35:30,669
I was exhausted by 7
because they were all over the place...
501
00:35:30,837 --> 00:35:33,380
...and I just didn't have
that kind of stamina.
502
00:35:33,548 --> 00:35:35,633
It was just our own little world.
503
00:35:35,801 --> 00:35:39,804
And we happened to have a very just
and kind leader in Pat.
504
00:35:39,971 --> 00:35:43,307
And it pushed Kevin and myself
to do things...
505
00:35:43,475 --> 00:35:46,852
...that, you know, we probably wouldn't
have normally done.
506
00:35:47,521 --> 00:35:49,814
The boys had that colorful language.
507
00:35:52,943 --> 00:35:54,485
It just was the way they talked.
508
00:35:55,195 --> 00:35:59,198
Well, the F-word
is one of their more popular words...
509
00:35:59,366 --> 00:36:02,368
...and they can use it as an adjective,
a verb, a noun.
510
00:36:02,536 --> 00:36:06,831
They can, you know-- And then other
parts of speech that we don't know.
511
00:36:07,374 --> 00:36:09,625
Yeah, that's true.
512
00:36:09,793 --> 00:36:13,045
They kind of-- They swear a lot.
513
00:36:13,213 --> 00:36:15,339
Did you have rules in the house
about cussing?
514
00:36:15,507 --> 00:36:16,841
Evidently not.
515
00:36:17,008 --> 00:36:19,718
I never met Pat, so the only way
that I know Pat Tillman...
516
00:36:19,886 --> 00:36:22,930
...is through what I've heard
from his family.
517
00:36:23,098 --> 00:36:27,935
Pat was a pretty typical kid,
but then he also had this gift.
518
00:36:28,854 --> 00:36:30,354
You know, he had this gift.
519
00:36:30,522 --> 00:36:34,692
He was a comparatively little guy
that could just really run fast...
520
00:36:34,860 --> 00:36:37,695
...and knock the shit out of people.
521
00:36:40,490 --> 00:36:43,868
We first noticed Pat Tillman when he
scored the game-winning touchdown...
522
00:36:44,035 --> 00:36:48,038
...against Independence last season,
then did a flip in full pads.
523
00:36:48,206 --> 00:36:49,373
Made it up, I don't know.
524
00:36:49,541 --> 00:36:52,084
Came to me right about the time
I did it. I don't know.
525
00:36:52,252 --> 00:36:56,714
He was very low-key about getting
the compliments and the accolades.
526
00:36:57,048 --> 00:36:58,299
It kind of embarrassed him.
527
00:36:58,466 --> 00:37:00,426
You're always so modest
when I talk to you.
528
00:37:00,594 --> 00:37:02,469
This time,
take some credit for yourself.
529
00:37:02,637 --> 00:37:04,138
You're not gonna do it, are you?
530
00:37:04,306 --> 00:37:08,100
I had a big line
and a great offensive coordinator.
531
00:37:08,268 --> 00:37:10,394
I don't know where he is,
but well-coached.
532
00:37:10,562 --> 00:37:12,062
He wasn't much of a showman.
533
00:37:12,230 --> 00:37:13,814
- Give him the plaque.
- Here you go.
534
00:37:13,982 --> 00:37:17,568
He enjoyed the game. He enjoyed
all the games that he played.
535
00:37:27,454 --> 00:37:29,788
He liked climbing things.
536
00:37:29,956 --> 00:37:31,624
He liked jumping off of things.
537
00:37:35,712 --> 00:37:39,924
He liked taking risks, yeah.
Yeah, he was big on risks.
538
00:37:40,091 --> 00:37:43,802
He challenged himself that way.
He wouldn't let me see any of that.
539
00:37:43,970 --> 00:37:46,805
If you're gonna do that kind of stuff,
do it behind my back.
540
00:37:53,980 --> 00:37:57,483
Pat was given a football scholarship
to Arizona State University...
541
00:37:57,651 --> 00:37:59,777
...where he became
an academic All-American...
542
00:37:59,945 --> 00:38:01,820
...with a 3.8 grade point average.
543
00:38:01,988 --> 00:38:04,490
We never lose at home.
We kicked the shit out of them.
544
00:38:04,658 --> 00:38:07,660
His square-jawed intensity
and long-haired California cool...
545
00:38:07,827 --> 00:38:09,662
...soon made him a local celebrity.
546
00:38:09,829 --> 00:38:11,830
I want you to talk about Patton...
547
00:38:11,998 --> 00:38:14,792
...military leaders
that you kind of tap into...
548
00:38:14,960 --> 00:38:18,087
...for your own,
I guess, abilities on a football field.
549
00:38:18,254 --> 00:38:21,548
You know, Patton's a cool guy.
I like his stuff.
550
00:38:21,716 --> 00:38:26,387
He made some comment one time,
something to the effect of:
551
00:38:26,554 --> 00:38:28,806
"No one ever won a war
dying for their country.
552
00:38:28,974 --> 00:38:31,100
Let the other son of a bitch
die for his."
553
00:38:31,267 --> 00:38:34,603
It's things like that, it's guys like that,
guys where their attitude--
554
00:38:34,771 --> 00:38:36,105
They're a little bit crazy...
555
00:38:36,272 --> 00:38:39,191
...but it's that craziness
that propels them to greatness.
556
00:38:40,694 --> 00:38:45,072
The throw. Shoots it over the middle.
And, whoa, what a hit.
557
00:38:45,490 --> 00:38:48,701
Pat Tillman knocked the helmet
off of Isaac Byrd.
558
00:38:48,868 --> 00:38:50,828
- That was scary.
- Oh, my.
559
00:38:50,996 --> 00:38:53,414
Because he was considered small,
at 5'11"...
560
00:38:53,581 --> 00:38:55,874
...Pat was never expected
to make it in NFL.
561
00:38:56,710 --> 00:39:01,422
But from his very first training camp,
he set the tone for his career.
562
00:39:06,803 --> 00:39:09,722
I mean, they are gonna be fights
in training camp.
563
00:39:11,433 --> 00:39:13,142
I got Pitt and Pat Tillman together.
564
00:39:13,309 --> 00:39:15,728
Those two are important to me.
There was no problem.
565
00:39:15,895 --> 00:39:18,564
You know, 9:00 in the morning,
get your ass knocked off...
566
00:39:18,732 --> 00:39:20,733
...I might be mad too.
567
00:39:23,069 --> 00:39:26,655
He would hit you
as hard as he possibly could.
568
00:39:29,993 --> 00:39:32,870
Never even looked at Pat Tillman.
Never even thought--
569
00:39:33,038 --> 00:39:37,249
That's a perfect job for Pat Tillman
because he's a little bit free of spirit.
570
00:39:37,417 --> 00:39:40,586
To his new teammates,
Pat was a bit of an oddball.
571
00:39:40,754 --> 00:39:42,629
He didn't own a cell phone
or a car...
572
00:39:42,797 --> 00:39:45,716
...and would leave his beach cruiser
in the team parking lot...
573
00:39:45,884 --> 00:39:48,302
...among the Escalades and BMWs.
574
00:39:48,678 --> 00:39:52,347
But to fans, Pat was a rare example
of a public figure...
575
00:39:52,515 --> 00:39:55,434
...who wasn't afraid
to speak his mind.
576
00:39:55,685 --> 00:39:58,604
Why should the fans think
this year's gonna be any different?
577
00:39:58,772 --> 00:40:00,564
You know what? They shouldn't.
578
00:40:00,732 --> 00:40:04,109
We haven't done anything
at this point to prove that we're not--
579
00:40:04,277 --> 00:40:07,863
We didn't have a good year last year,
and that's the only thing that matters.
580
00:40:08,031 --> 00:40:09,948
We need to go out
and start winning games.
581
00:40:10,116 --> 00:40:13,118
When we start winning games,
the fans will come out and watch us.
582
00:40:13,286 --> 00:40:15,954
Until that happens, you know,
I wouldn't come out either.
583
00:40:16,289 --> 00:40:19,291
The Cardinals win
and they go to the playoffs.
584
00:40:19,459 --> 00:40:22,961
He liked the physicality of it,
but I think he really liked that feeling...
585
00:40:23,129 --> 00:40:26,507
...of being connected
with the man next to you.
586
00:40:28,635 --> 00:40:31,929
I think he thrived
on that feeling of unity.
587
00:40:38,812 --> 00:40:42,773
At the age of 25,
four years into his NFL career...
588
00:40:42,941 --> 00:40:45,484
...Pat married
his high-school sweetheart.
589
00:40:47,070 --> 00:40:48,403
This is very special for me.
590
00:40:48,571 --> 00:40:52,074
It means a lot that my older brother
is getting married--
591
00:40:52,242 --> 00:40:56,036
Pat first crossed paths
with Marie Ugenti at the age of 4...
592
00:40:56,204 --> 00:40:59,540
...when they played
in the same youth soccer league.
593
00:41:00,792 --> 00:41:03,752
She was his first and only girlfriend.
594
00:41:05,046 --> 00:41:07,548
And even though they would go
to different colleges...
595
00:41:07,715 --> 00:41:10,175
...and he would become
a high-profile athlete...
596
00:41:10,343 --> 00:41:14,513
...Pat remained faithful to Marie
until the end of his life.
597
00:41:16,724 --> 00:41:20,310
As far as an older brother, you couldn't
ask for anything more than him.
598
00:41:22,230 --> 00:41:26,358
I mean, he's lights out, he's fantastic.
And to know that he's with Marie...
599
00:41:26,526 --> 00:41:30,487
...the greatest girl in the whole world,
it's just money, man.
600
00:41:30,655 --> 00:41:32,489
It's absolutely money for me.
601
00:41:32,657 --> 00:41:36,118
I don't know, I love it, dude.
This is fucking awesome.
602
00:41:39,622 --> 00:41:43,000
To see Pat and Marie get married--
It was just an awesome day.
603
00:41:43,710 --> 00:41:45,210
I didn't realize that--
604
00:41:45,378 --> 00:41:48,380
You know, what was known
at that point, obviously.
605
00:41:48,548 --> 00:41:50,716
But it was....
606
00:41:51,342 --> 00:41:55,220
I'm glad I didn't. I don't think I would
have had as much fun, that's for sure.
607
00:41:58,433 --> 00:42:01,560
They made this decision,
the three of them...
608
00:42:01,728 --> 00:42:05,480
...Kevin and Pat and Marie.
It was something they talked about.
609
00:42:05,648 --> 00:42:10,736
They kept it from us until after
Pat and Marie were actually married.
610
00:42:11,154 --> 00:42:16,033
The boys, they called me on,
actually, Mother's Day of 2002...
611
00:42:16,201 --> 00:42:20,078
...and they told me
that they were going to enlist.
612
00:42:22,373 --> 00:42:27,002
And Dannie was not happy
about the whole thing.
613
00:42:28,796 --> 00:42:30,589
She made it known.
614
00:42:32,091 --> 00:42:36,762
Members of the family
go back for generations serving.
615
00:42:36,930 --> 00:42:39,598
My father, my father-in-law...
616
00:42:39,766 --> 00:42:44,561
...all my uncles,
served in World War II or Korea.
617
00:42:45,063 --> 00:42:47,606
And, you know,
I talked to the boys a lot...
618
00:42:47,774 --> 00:42:50,943
...about, you know,
the camaraderie of war.
619
00:42:51,945 --> 00:42:56,240
And I suppose it concerned me
that I did talk too much about that.
620
00:42:56,407 --> 00:43:00,410
That it became more intriguing to them
than it should've been.
621
00:43:02,121 --> 00:43:06,041
Some people thought that, you know,
I could have talked him out of it...
622
00:43:06,209 --> 00:43:08,627
...or asked him not to do it.
623
00:43:09,420 --> 00:43:14,841
But that was just never something
I would've done.
624
00:43:15,927 --> 00:43:20,973
Somehow or another, Dannie had
a lot more foresight than I did...
625
00:43:21,140 --> 00:43:24,351
...because it dawned on her
right then and there...
626
00:43:24,519 --> 00:43:27,729
...that she cannot deal
with losing one of her sons.
627
00:43:30,900 --> 00:43:32,776
My comment at the time was:
628
00:43:32,944 --> 00:43:37,823
"Could you imagine someone seeing
Pat and Kevin coming after them?
629
00:43:37,991 --> 00:43:40,617
I feel bad for those people."
630
00:43:41,244 --> 00:43:45,289
So that was a bad call on my part.
631
00:43:56,551 --> 00:44:00,262
We'll never know exactly
why Pat Tillman enlisted.
632
00:44:00,430 --> 00:44:04,683
He made a deliberate choice
not to make it a public matter.
633
00:44:06,352 --> 00:44:09,354
But after he died,
an interview surfaced.
634
00:44:09,522 --> 00:44:12,482
Even as athletes, we bitch and moan
every now and again...
635
00:44:12,650 --> 00:44:15,694
...about this or that,
and if we ever just, you know--
636
00:44:15,862 --> 00:44:18,280
Times like this,
you stop and think about just how--
637
00:44:18,448 --> 00:44:22,242
Not only how good we have it, but
what kind of a system we live under...
638
00:44:22,410 --> 00:44:26,204
...what freedoms we're allowed,
and that wasn't built overnight.
639
00:44:26,372 --> 00:44:27,873
And it's kind of--
640
00:44:28,041 --> 00:44:30,834
The flag is a symbol of all that,
the symbol of--
641
00:44:31,002 --> 00:44:33,086
You know,
you just don't think about it--
642
00:44:33,254 --> 00:44:36,840
On the day after 9/11, the Cardinals
had conducted team interviews...
643
00:44:37,008 --> 00:44:39,051
...so players could comment
on the country...
644
00:44:39,218 --> 00:44:41,053
...in the wake
of the terrorist attacks.
645
00:44:41,471 --> 00:44:43,513
My great-grandfather
was at Pearl Harbor...
646
00:44:43,681 --> 00:44:46,975
...and a lot of my family has given up--
Has gone and fought in wars.
647
00:44:47,143 --> 00:44:49,061
And I really haven't done
a damn thing...
648
00:44:49,228 --> 00:44:51,480
...as far as laying myself
on the line like that.
649
00:44:51,647 --> 00:44:54,149
So I have a great deal of respect
for those that have.
650
00:44:54,317 --> 00:44:56,610
And what the flag stands for.
651
00:44:58,071 --> 00:45:00,405
The interview became known
as Pat's explanation...
652
00:45:00,573 --> 00:45:03,950
...for why he dropped everything
and joined the Army...
653
00:45:04,327 --> 00:45:06,912
...even though he wouldn't actually
make his decision...
654
00:45:07,080 --> 00:45:08,997
...for another six months.
655
00:45:09,916 --> 00:45:12,959
It would be used
to violate his only request...
656
00:45:13,127 --> 00:45:17,089
...that his motivation for enlisting
be kept private.
657
00:45:19,759 --> 00:45:22,427
Pat Tillman
had everything to live for.
658
00:45:22,595 --> 00:45:25,263
All that was missing
was a true sense of purpose.
659
00:45:25,848 --> 00:45:29,393
He said he found that
on September 11th, 2001.
660
00:45:29,560 --> 00:45:31,436
Former safety
for the Arizona Cardinals...
661
00:45:31,604 --> 00:45:34,272
...gave up a multimillion-dollar
pro-football deal...
662
00:45:34,440 --> 00:45:36,274
...the day after September 11th.
663
00:45:36,442 --> 00:45:37,943
Tillman explained his decision--
664
00:45:38,111 --> 00:45:40,278
This is what he said
the day after the attacks--
665
00:45:40,446 --> 00:45:42,197
Here's how he explained
his decision--
666
00:45:42,365 --> 00:45:45,033
"To make right," he said,
"what 9/11 had made so wrong."
667
00:45:57,797 --> 00:46:00,090
He was a human being...
668
00:46:00,258 --> 00:46:03,176
...and by putting this kind of heroic,
saintly quality to him...
669
00:46:03,344 --> 00:46:06,638
...you're taking away the struggle
of being a human being.
670
00:46:09,642 --> 00:46:12,227
I mean, he had to make choices,
just like we all do.
671
00:46:12,395 --> 00:46:15,981
And he tried
to make the right choices.
672
00:46:16,315 --> 00:46:20,652
When he didn't make the right choice,
he was the first person to tell you.
673
00:46:45,136 --> 00:46:49,097
The military was not
what Pat expected it to be.
674
00:46:49,765 --> 00:46:52,684
He thought, just like the majority
of people in this country...
675
00:46:52,852 --> 00:46:56,354
...that going into Afghanistan
was the right thing to do.
676
00:46:57,064 --> 00:46:58,982
And then,
of course, once they enlisted...
677
00:46:59,150 --> 00:47:02,194
...the talks started veering
towards going into Iraq.
678
00:47:02,361 --> 00:47:07,115
And when they were over there,
he didn't like what he saw.
679
00:47:11,120 --> 00:47:15,207
In February 2003,
Pat and Kevin were deployed to Iraq.
680
00:47:16,542 --> 00:47:19,044
One month later,
the Rangers were ordered...
681
00:47:19,212 --> 00:47:22,714
...to provide perimeter support
for the rescue of Jessica Lynch...
682
00:47:22,882 --> 00:47:25,634
...a supply clerk who had reportedly
engaged the enemy...
683
00:47:25,801 --> 00:47:28,929
...in a fierce firefight
before being taken prisoner.
684
00:47:29,096 --> 00:47:30,972
She showed true courage.
685
00:47:31,140 --> 00:47:33,225
She shot until
she ran out of ammunition.
686
00:47:33,392 --> 00:47:35,352
She's alive, she's being tortured.
687
00:47:37,063 --> 00:47:39,064
Despite the apparent urgency...
688
00:47:39,232 --> 00:47:43,527
...the rescue of Jessica Lynch
was inexplicably put on hold.
689
00:47:43,694 --> 00:47:46,488
Russell Baer waited out the delay
on top of a bunker...
690
00:47:46,656 --> 00:47:49,241
...with Pat and his brother Kevin.
691
00:47:49,784 --> 00:47:56,081
Just watching these bombs
and these A-10's strafe the city.
692
00:47:57,959 --> 00:48:01,753
That was the first time I'd heard Pat
in kind of like no-kidding opinion...
693
00:48:01,921 --> 00:48:03,713
...on kind of
what was going on there.
694
00:48:04,090 --> 00:48:06,841
He just said,
"This war is just so fucking illegal."
695
00:48:07,009 --> 00:48:09,094
You know,
just watching this scene unfold...
696
00:48:09,262 --> 00:48:11,388
...you know,
the city's being blown to shit.
697
00:48:11,556 --> 00:48:13,598
Come right, come right.
698
00:48:14,183 --> 00:48:17,185
Okay.
I'm moving to cover our backs.
699
00:48:17,937 --> 00:48:20,397
- Okay.
- This is oppressive.
700
00:48:21,107 --> 00:48:23,775
Hold it there, please.
701
00:48:24,402 --> 00:48:27,529
It's pretty clear the Special Ops team
could have essentially...
702
00:48:27,697 --> 00:48:30,699
...walked into the hospital,
picked her up and carried her out...
703
00:48:30,866 --> 00:48:33,577
...and would've been cooperated with
all along the way.
704
00:48:33,744 --> 00:48:35,787
It would come out later
that Jessica Lynch...
705
00:48:35,955 --> 00:48:38,873
...had neither fired her weapon
nor been tortured...
706
00:48:39,041 --> 00:48:40,792
...and that the inexplicable delay...
707
00:48:40,960 --> 00:48:43,962
...had been to enable a combat
camera crew to record the mission.
708
00:48:44,130 --> 00:48:45,797
- Camera right here?
- Can you smile?
709
00:48:45,965 --> 00:48:48,341
- Can you smile for the family?
- For your folks?
710
00:48:48,509 --> 00:48:52,178
There you go. You're doing great,
Jessica. You're doing wonderful.
711
00:48:52,346 --> 00:48:53,805
It was a film production.
712
00:48:53,973 --> 00:48:56,808
Jessica Lynch's rescue
was a film production.
713
00:48:56,976 --> 00:48:59,978
We understand that there is video
taken by a combat camera team.
714
00:49:00,146 --> 00:49:02,439
- Can you show us that video?
- Do we have the tape?
715
00:49:03,524 --> 00:49:06,651
Some brave souls put their lives
on the line to make this happen.
716
00:49:06,819 --> 00:49:09,154
Loyal to the creed that they know...
717
00:49:09,322 --> 00:49:11,573
...that they'll never leave
a fallen comrade...
718
00:49:11,741 --> 00:49:16,077
...and never embarrass their country.
With that, I'll take your questions.
719
00:49:16,245 --> 00:49:18,955
The media has been
more than complicit.
720
00:49:19,123 --> 00:49:22,792
The military has just released new
video this morning of the daring raid.
721
00:49:22,960 --> 00:49:25,670
They wanna take all the complexities
of a real situation...
722
00:49:25,838 --> 00:49:29,966
...and reduce them
into a comfortable fable.
723
00:49:30,134 --> 00:49:32,969
It was a mission one described
as "a midnight ballet."
724
00:49:33,137 --> 00:49:35,013
One that's easy to sort of digest...
725
00:49:35,181 --> 00:49:37,891
...and, you know,
consists of good guys and bad guys...
726
00:49:38,059 --> 00:49:40,518
...that are clearly recognizable
from movies.
727
00:49:40,686 --> 00:49:42,437
Saving Private Lynch.
728
00:49:42,605 --> 00:49:46,858
Private First Class Jessica Lang,
a 19-year-old U.S. Army soldier.
729
00:49:48,194 --> 00:49:50,195
I apologize. It's Jessica "Lynch."
730
00:49:55,034 --> 00:49:58,286
If you wanna get the public
to cosign something...
731
00:49:58,454 --> 00:50:01,373
...you gotta give them something
that they're willing to cosign.
732
00:50:01,540 --> 00:50:03,708
It has to be turned into
a morality play.
733
00:50:03,876 --> 00:50:06,252
- American hero.
- American hero.
734
00:50:06,420 --> 00:50:08,463
I do not wanna see dead bodies.
735
00:50:09,382 --> 00:50:13,009
I do not wanna see coffins.
I wanna remain comfortable.
736
00:50:13,386 --> 00:50:14,761
Welcome home.
737
00:50:14,929 --> 00:50:18,098
And so, you know, the government
gives them what they want.
738
00:50:18,265 --> 00:50:19,891
The press gives them
what they want.
739
00:50:29,694 --> 00:50:32,195
Pat and Kevin,
when they came back from Iraq...
740
00:50:32,363 --> 00:50:37,867
...were like,
"This is just 100 percent bullshit."
741
00:50:38,411 --> 00:50:41,413
I think after coming home from Iraq,
he was a little disillusioned.
742
00:50:42,748 --> 00:50:44,582
It was right around
the halfway mark...
743
00:50:44,750 --> 00:50:50,004
...and he was in a stage
of looking towards the next step.
744
00:50:51,632 --> 00:50:54,300
Just before Pat was due to return
to combat duty...
745
00:50:54,468 --> 00:50:57,846
...an opportunity arose
that would have saved his life.
746
00:50:58,681 --> 00:51:00,974
One of the NFL teams
had approached his agent...
747
00:51:01,142 --> 00:51:04,269
...and, you know, said that
he would be eligible to get out...
748
00:51:04,437 --> 00:51:06,771
...since he had been
on a combat tour.
749
00:51:07,690 --> 00:51:09,315
In a back-channel agreement...
750
00:51:09,483 --> 00:51:13,153
...the military said that Pat could be
immediately discharged with honors...
751
00:51:13,320 --> 00:51:16,823
...and could return to his football
career by the following season.
752
00:51:16,991 --> 00:51:19,284
As coach Dave McGinnis
later recalled...
753
00:51:19,452 --> 00:51:21,745
...Pat sought him out
to discuss the secret offer.
754
00:51:21,912 --> 00:51:23,496
When he came in and talked to me--
755
00:51:23,664 --> 00:51:25,623
We talked for about two hours
in my office.
756
00:51:25,791 --> 00:51:28,168
And we talked about some things
that at the time...
757
00:51:28,335 --> 00:51:30,420
...that he asked that I not talk about.
758
00:51:30,588 --> 00:51:34,466
He said, "Coach Mac, I'll tell you
some things, but I would prefer--"
759
00:51:34,633 --> 00:51:37,218
And believe me,
I will hold those things forever.
760
00:51:37,386 --> 00:51:41,723
Just know this,
that Pat Tillman made a decision...
761
00:51:41,891 --> 00:51:45,393
...based on some very real values.
762
00:51:45,561 --> 00:51:50,315
And the words: honor, integrity,
dignity, commitment...
763
00:51:50,483 --> 00:51:52,984
...they were not just adjectives
with Pat Tillman...
764
00:51:53,152 --> 00:51:56,362
...they were realities in his life...
765
00:51:56,530 --> 00:51:59,240
...and that came through
very loud and clear.
766
00:52:00,451 --> 00:52:03,661
He committed for three years and
he was gonna fulfill his commitment.
767
00:52:03,829 --> 00:52:07,332
It's the same reason why Kevin
didn't leave after Pat was killed.
768
00:52:07,500 --> 00:52:11,753
They made a commitment
and they honored that.
769
00:52:12,171 --> 00:52:16,257
Did you get the impression that
he planned on returning to football?
770
00:52:19,845 --> 00:52:22,806
Just give me a minute here
because this is....
771
00:52:23,808 --> 00:52:25,934
You know, he had....
772
00:52:30,189 --> 00:52:31,773
That's what he wanted to do...
773
00:52:31,941 --> 00:52:36,027
...because one of the last things that
he said to me when we left up there--
774
00:52:36,195 --> 00:52:39,823
You know, I said, "Okay, good luck.
Stay in touch, we'll be--"
775
00:52:39,990 --> 00:52:42,242
And he said, "You know, I'd...."
776
00:52:42,910 --> 00:52:44,452
And then-- And his last--
777
00:52:44,620 --> 00:52:48,331
He said, "Coach, I just-- You know,
I wanna come back and play for you."
778
00:52:53,546 --> 00:52:58,716
Pat reported for his second tour
of duty in April of 2004.
779
00:52:59,218 --> 00:53:02,637
His platoon was sent to Afghanistan
and assigned to carry out...
780
00:53:02,805 --> 00:53:06,683
...reconnaissance sweeps
near the Pakistani border.
781
00:53:07,810 --> 00:53:11,229
The Rangers were accompanied
by a group of allied Afghan militia...
782
00:53:11,397 --> 00:53:13,064
...known as AMF soldiers.
783
00:53:14,942 --> 00:53:19,571
Pat was now in charge of a small
fire team including Bryan O'Neal.
784
00:53:21,240 --> 00:53:24,242
At that time,
I mean, I was still brand-new.
785
00:53:25,411 --> 00:53:26,578
Being from Arizona...
786
00:53:26,745 --> 00:53:30,081
...I thought a lot of Afghanistan
looked like a lot of Arizona.
787
00:53:30,249 --> 00:53:32,083
The people were a bit different.
788
00:53:35,296 --> 00:53:37,422
These photos were taken
by Pat's platoon...
789
00:53:37,590 --> 00:53:41,676
...in the days leading up
to the incident of April 22nd.
790
00:53:42,803 --> 00:53:45,847
On that day,
while traversing the rugged terrain...
791
00:53:46,015 --> 00:53:49,267
...one of the platoon's Humvees
broke down.
792
00:53:50,936 --> 00:53:54,981
After six hours stuck in a small village,
the commanders back at base...
793
00:53:55,149 --> 00:53:59,611
...ordered the platoon
split in two halves, or "serials."
794
00:54:00,195 --> 00:54:02,697
One serial was to deal
with the downed vehicle...
795
00:54:02,865 --> 00:54:07,118
...while the other, including Pat,
Russell Baer and Bryan O'Neal...
796
00:54:07,286 --> 00:54:09,787
...was to carry on with the mission.
797
00:54:10,039 --> 00:54:14,417
I remember thinking that it was
a horrible idea to split the convoy.
798
00:54:14,585 --> 00:54:17,462
You know, you're taking half
of your firepower away...
799
00:54:17,630 --> 00:54:19,923
...especially in this area
we were going through.
800
00:54:20,090 --> 00:54:23,384
As soon as we took off,
we basically went into this canyon...
801
00:54:23,552 --> 00:54:25,178
...where the walls were so steep.
802
00:54:25,346 --> 00:54:28,973
442 Zulu.
We're running down the canyon.
803
00:54:29,141 --> 00:54:32,268
Staff Sergeant ****
is going to narrate as best he can...
804
00:54:32,436 --> 00:54:35,939
...his recollection of events
passing through this canyon.
805
00:54:36,649 --> 00:54:40,401
This video shows the actual canyon
where Pat was killed.
806
00:54:40,569 --> 00:54:42,278
It was presented to the Tillman's...
807
00:54:42,446 --> 00:54:46,115
...as part of the military's
official explanation of the incident.
808
00:54:46,283 --> 00:54:51,788
Okay, we're rolling.
This is April 23rd, 2006. 0551 Zulu.
809
00:54:51,956 --> 00:54:54,415
The Army's investigator
returned to Afghanistan...
810
00:54:54,583 --> 00:54:56,209
...with members of Pat's platoon...
811
00:54:56,377 --> 00:54:58,711
...who walked him through
the sequence of events...
812
00:54:58,879 --> 00:55:01,422
...and laid out the routes
of the two serials.
813
00:55:04,343 --> 00:55:07,512
Traveling along a dry creek bed
at the bottom of a narrow gorge...
814
00:55:07,680 --> 00:55:11,683
...Pat, Bryan O'Neal, Russell Baer,
and the rest of Serial 1...
815
00:55:11,850 --> 00:55:14,852
...made it through the canyon
unscathed.
816
00:55:16,021 --> 00:55:19,732
At the mouth of the canyon,
they arrived at a small village.
817
00:55:19,900 --> 00:55:24,028
There was a rolling hill
with some compounds on it.
818
00:55:24,196 --> 00:55:27,824
My squad leader said, "Stop the
vehicles. Get out, stretch your legs.
819
00:55:27,992 --> 00:55:31,703
Let's figure out where we're at.
Let's figure out where Serial 2's at."
820
00:55:33,080 --> 00:55:36,374
And that's when we heard
the first initial explosion.
821
00:55:39,169 --> 00:55:41,421
I remember hearing
these explosions go off...
822
00:55:41,588 --> 00:55:45,466
...and I knew they were in the back
of the canyon where we just were.
823
00:55:45,634 --> 00:55:48,886
Which kind of surprised me
because, you know, I didn't realize...
824
00:55:49,054 --> 00:55:53,307
...that the second half of the convoy
was following behind us like they were.
825
00:55:53,684 --> 00:55:54,892
In the steep terrain...
826
00:55:55,060 --> 00:55:58,396
...the two serials had lost
radio contact with each other.
827
00:55:58,564 --> 00:56:00,064
Pat's serial didn't know...
828
00:56:00,232 --> 00:56:04,527
...that half a mile behind them
in the canyon, was the second serial.
829
00:56:05,946 --> 00:56:11,242
In the last of five vehicles was
Kevin Tillman and Jason Parsons.
830
00:56:11,535 --> 00:56:15,038
We was moving through the canyon
and then there was an explosion.
831
00:56:15,205 --> 00:56:17,999
I mean,
it was a pretty decent explosion.
832
00:56:18,167 --> 00:56:20,585
We seen rocks and dust
and everything fly.
833
00:56:21,045 --> 00:56:24,088
People in a vehicle
further up the canyon...
834
00:56:24,256 --> 00:56:27,133
...believed that it was
an RPG attack...
835
00:56:27,301 --> 00:56:30,428
...so they began
lighting up that position.
836
00:56:35,267 --> 00:56:38,102
The Army initially reported
that the Rangers were set upon...
837
00:56:38,270 --> 00:56:41,272
...by an ambush
of up to 20 Taliban fighters.
838
00:56:41,440 --> 00:56:43,608
But in the entire course
of this attack...
839
00:56:43,776 --> 00:56:46,110
...not a single Ranger
was wounded by enemy fire.
840
00:56:46,278 --> 00:56:49,947
Not even a bullet hole was found
in any of the equipment.
841
00:56:50,199 --> 00:56:53,201
Even though you go through
all the statements, no one ever saw...
842
00:56:53,368 --> 00:56:56,287
...more than two people at a time
that were attacking them.
843
00:56:56,455 --> 00:56:59,457
And in many cases, they sounded
very unsure of themselves...
844
00:56:59,625 --> 00:57:01,584
...even saying that.
845
00:57:02,127 --> 00:57:03,795
It's completely conceivable...
846
00:57:03,962 --> 00:57:07,965
...that these explosions were maybe
one of our guys AD'd his weapon.
847
00:57:08,133 --> 00:57:11,886
AD meaning they discharged
the weapon accidentally.
848
00:57:12,679 --> 00:57:15,348
That's his perspective.
I'll let him have it.
849
00:57:15,516 --> 00:57:19,560
But from my perspective,
there was two mortars that hit...
850
00:57:19,728 --> 00:57:21,312
...there were rounds coming in...
851
00:57:21,480 --> 00:57:25,399
...I had one impact 6 to 7 feet
away from me.
852
00:57:25,567 --> 00:57:28,528
In the end, the existence
of any enemy combatants...
853
00:57:28,695 --> 00:57:30,863
...has been disputed.
854
00:57:31,365 --> 00:57:33,908
What has never been disputed is that,
in this moment...
855
00:57:34,076 --> 00:57:37,203
...the Rangers in Serial 2
unleashed their full firepower...
856
00:57:37,371 --> 00:57:38,788
...up into the canyon walls...
857
00:57:38,956 --> 00:57:42,166
...as they continued driving
towards Serial 1.
858
00:57:42,334 --> 00:57:44,502
It was not a fog of war,
not in my mind at all.
859
00:57:44,670 --> 00:57:46,212
I believe it was a lust to fight.
860
00:57:46,380 --> 00:57:49,841
I don't think these soldiers were scared
when they came out of that canyon.
861
00:57:50,008 --> 00:57:52,927
I think they were relieved
they were out of the canyon...
862
00:57:53,095 --> 00:57:54,637
...and they just wanted to shoot.
863
00:58:01,603 --> 00:58:03,563
Hearing the explosion
and gun fire...
864
00:58:03,730 --> 00:58:07,650
...Serial 1 ran back toward the canyon
to help Serial 2.
865
00:58:07,818 --> 00:58:11,112
I remember seeing Pat, you know.
He yelled at me, "O'Neal, follow me!"
866
00:58:11,280 --> 00:58:13,364
And, you know, I do what I was told.
867
00:58:13,532 --> 00:58:16,450
You know, he's my team leader,
I follow him wherever I go.
868
00:58:16,618 --> 00:58:20,288
And I was really surprised
at how quick O'Neal was following Pat.
869
00:58:20,455 --> 00:58:23,040
I mean, he has just as much gear on
as everybody else...
870
00:58:23,208 --> 00:58:25,209
...and he was just keeping up
with him.
871
00:58:25,377 --> 00:58:30,047
I remember getting halfway up this hill
and Pat turning around...
872
00:58:30,215 --> 00:58:32,091
...asking Sergeant Weeks,
my squad leader:
873
00:58:32,259 --> 00:58:35,428
"Hey, Sergeant Weeks,
can we take our body armor off?"
874
00:58:35,596 --> 00:58:37,221
And I remember thinking to myself:
875
00:58:37,389 --> 00:58:39,348
"Fuck that.
I am keeping my body armor on."
876
00:58:39,516 --> 00:58:42,018
Pat is wanting to get up there
as quickly as possible.
877
00:58:42,186 --> 00:58:43,895
Tillman was at about this location...
878
00:58:44,062 --> 00:58:47,857
...and he asked
if he could drop his body armor...
879
00:58:48,025 --> 00:58:51,068
...and start pursuing up this hill.
880
00:58:51,236 --> 00:58:53,070
I told him no.
881
00:58:54,531 --> 00:58:58,534
At that time, I noticed there was
an Afghani militia man with us.
882
00:58:58,702 --> 00:59:01,329
He jumped in with us
and we just started running.
883
00:59:03,582 --> 00:59:06,709
At the moment Pat's fire team
reached these rocks...
884
00:59:06,877 --> 00:59:11,339
...the lead vehicle of Serial 2 emerged
from the canyon below them.
885
00:59:13,175 --> 00:59:17,678
The vehicle had left Kevin, Jason
and the rest of the convoy behind.
886
00:59:17,846 --> 00:59:20,848
It pulled into the clearing,
and the soldiers onboard took aim...
887
00:59:21,016 --> 00:59:23,976
...directly up at Pat's fire team.
888
00:59:25,020 --> 00:59:26,979
The AMF soldier
standing next to Pat...
889
00:59:27,147 --> 00:59:29,941
...was shot eight times in the chest
and dropped dead.
890
00:59:30,108 --> 00:59:31,943
Facing the gentleman,
and I approached--
891
00:59:32,110 --> 00:59:34,278
People started to yell, "Cease fire!"
892
00:59:34,446 --> 00:59:37,782
Then people said, "Hey, I think
they're fucking shooting at us."
893
00:59:37,950 --> 00:59:43,162
And then, you know, we knew,
no shit, that they were shooting at us.
894
00:59:45,457 --> 00:59:49,418
A .50 cal can shoot
900 rounds a minute...
895
00:59:49,586 --> 00:59:53,381
...and it could have been no less than
a minute that they were shooting at us.
896
00:59:53,799 --> 00:59:57,468
You could see on the rock
all the marks from the rounds...
897
00:59:57,636 --> 01:00:00,805
...all except the spot
where I was lying.
898
01:00:01,390 --> 01:00:03,641
I just remember thinking,
"I'm gonna die."
899
01:00:03,809 --> 01:00:06,519
And, you know, asking Pat,
"What are we gonna do?
900
01:00:06,687 --> 01:00:10,898
How are we gonna get out of this?"
And he said, "I've got an idea."
901
01:00:14,111 --> 01:00:16,279
He popped a smoke grenade
and threw it...
902
01:00:16,446 --> 01:00:19,407
...and they stopped shooting at us.
903
01:00:20,826 --> 01:00:24,912
And after they stopped shooting at us,
you know, me and Pat stood up...
904
01:00:25,330 --> 01:00:27,290
...let our hearts slow down
for a second.
905
01:00:27,457 --> 01:00:30,626
I remember looking at Pat asking him,
"How could that happen?
906
01:00:30,794 --> 01:00:32,503
How did they not see us?"
907
01:00:32,671 --> 01:00:35,881
And, you know, he couldn't
answer me, he didn't know.
908
01:00:36,341 --> 01:00:40,011
I was actually more afraid for the guys
that had just got done shooting at us...
909
01:00:40,178 --> 01:00:42,430
...that they were gonna
get in trouble.
910
01:00:42,848 --> 01:00:44,932
The soldiers didn't get in trouble...
911
01:00:45,100 --> 01:00:47,101
...because the military
always maintained...
912
01:00:47,269 --> 01:00:50,229
...that what happened next
transpired in only four seconds...
913
01:00:50,397 --> 01:00:53,024
...during the confusion of combat.
914
01:00:53,358 --> 01:00:55,359
For years, we get this story...
915
01:00:55,527 --> 01:00:59,447
...that Pat was shot
from probably 200, 300 yards away.
916
01:00:59,614 --> 01:01:02,116
They were going
about 25 to 35 miles an hour...
917
01:01:02,284 --> 01:01:04,327
...firing wildly to the right...
918
01:01:04,494 --> 01:01:09,707
...and Pat and this Afghan were just
an unfortunate consequence...
919
01:01:09,875 --> 01:01:11,876
...of people being excited.
920
01:01:12,044 --> 01:01:16,047
But Bryan O'Neal has said,
in no uncertain terms that...
921
01:01:16,214 --> 01:01:18,716
...that was not the case.
922
01:01:18,884 --> 01:01:21,969
Today was the first day I've ever
actually seen this PowerPoint.
923
01:01:22,387 --> 01:01:26,724
It's really interesting to see
from this perspective now.
924
01:01:32,189 --> 01:01:36,233
I don't find this video accurate
because it depicts, on his account...
925
01:01:36,401 --> 01:01:39,070
...that they were moving
continuously...
926
01:01:39,237 --> 01:01:41,405
...through the valley
where they were driving.
927
01:01:41,573 --> 01:01:43,407
In actuality, from my memory...
928
01:01:43,575 --> 01:01:48,037
...I remember them stopping and firing
on two occasions.
929
01:01:49,539 --> 01:01:52,458
What he's saying here
is a complete lie.
930
01:01:54,086 --> 01:01:57,630
The driver took them
from about a hundred yards away...
931
01:01:57,798 --> 01:02:00,883
...over to a better location
to kill them.
932
01:02:01,051 --> 01:02:03,511
Now they're about 40 yards away.
933
01:02:03,845 --> 01:02:08,474
You know, they stopped
and then drove forward...
934
01:02:08,642 --> 01:02:11,352
...and then reengaged us,
dismounted...
935
01:02:11,520 --> 01:02:14,355
...and then started reengaging
us again.
936
01:02:15,315 --> 01:02:17,608
At that point,
I thought we were all gonna die.
937
01:02:17,776 --> 01:02:19,610
And....
938
01:02:23,323 --> 01:02:28,702
I remember putting my weapon on fire,
and having my finger on the trigger...
939
01:02:28,870 --> 01:02:31,122
...and knowing
these are my buddies down there...
940
01:02:31,289 --> 01:02:34,125
...but knowing that they're gonna
kill us and kill everybody.
941
01:02:34,292 --> 01:02:38,129
And I was, you know, a second away
from just loading them up...
942
01:02:38,296 --> 01:02:40,798
...just killing them all,
and I could have done it.
943
01:02:41,258 --> 01:02:46,178
I started to say a prayer out loud,
you know, and it was something like:
944
01:02:46,430 --> 01:02:51,183
"Oh, God, please, if you can help us
out of this situation...
945
01:02:51,351 --> 01:02:53,978
...you know, I'll be very grateful...
946
01:02:54,146 --> 01:02:59,150
...and I'll do what I can to repay you
for this debt that I will owe you."
947
01:02:59,317 --> 01:03:04,697
And I remember Pat saying,
"O'Neal, quit praying."
948
01:03:04,865 --> 01:03:07,616
You know,
God is not the one to help you now.
949
01:03:08,452 --> 01:03:10,870
This is reality,
this is what we need to focus on.
950
01:03:11,037 --> 01:03:13,164
I don't want you
to go into some la-la land...
951
01:03:13,331 --> 01:03:16,167
...not pay attention
and then get killed."
952
01:03:22,382 --> 01:03:24,383
I was actually grateful
for him to say that.
953
01:03:24,551 --> 01:03:29,930
I was really trying to put my focus
somewhere else and not keep it here.
954
01:03:30,474 --> 01:03:34,518
Pat, he saved my life.
955
01:03:36,062 --> 01:03:38,606
All of the sudden,
they started shooting at us again...
956
01:03:38,773 --> 01:03:41,817
...and I just remember Pat,
you know, yelling his name.
957
01:03:41,985 --> 01:03:43,235
"I'm Pat Tillman.
958
01:03:43,403 --> 01:03:46,489
I'm Pat fucking Tillman,
why are you shooting at me?"
959
01:03:49,034 --> 01:03:53,871
Pat's last words were, repeatedly,
"I'm Pat fucking Tillman."
960
01:03:55,207 --> 01:03:59,710
And that was after he got lit up
by the machine gun the first time.
961
01:03:59,878 --> 01:04:06,217
He's flat on the ground,
sitting on the ground, he was hurt.
962
01:04:08,970 --> 01:04:13,390
And I suspect
he was a bit disappointed...
963
01:04:13,558 --> 01:04:16,727
...that his own team
is shooting at him.
964
01:04:16,895 --> 01:04:23,234
And I imagine that those comments
of his, "I'm Pat fucking Tillman"...
965
01:04:23,401 --> 01:04:25,903
...he said while looking
right at them...
966
01:04:26,071 --> 01:04:30,908
...with a face that would make
most people nervous.
967
01:04:39,334 --> 01:04:43,420
I remember hearing the sound
of a drinking fountain.
968
01:04:43,588 --> 01:04:45,214
Like, when you press the button...
969
01:04:45,382 --> 01:04:48,384
...to get water out of the drinking
fountain, the sound it makes.
970
01:04:48,969 --> 01:04:51,887
And I just look over at my side
and I see this blood...
971
01:04:52,055 --> 01:04:55,015
...pouring down this rock
that I'm sitting behind.
972
01:04:55,183 --> 01:04:57,935
He-- His head was gone.
973
01:04:58,770 --> 01:05:00,437
Completely gone.
974
01:05:02,148 --> 01:05:05,609
And I take my helmet off
and I throw it against the ground...
975
01:05:05,777 --> 01:05:09,780
...and then I kind of blackout.
976
01:05:18,415 --> 01:05:21,208
I just heard this guttural scream.
977
01:05:22,460 --> 01:05:26,255
And I automatically thought,
"Someone's dead."
978
01:05:26,423 --> 01:05:27,881
It's the first thing I had.
979
01:05:28,049 --> 01:05:32,636
And I caught Dannie about seven,
eight feet outside her door...
980
01:05:32,804 --> 01:05:35,389
...and she was collapsing,
and I caught her...
981
01:05:35,557 --> 01:05:37,391
...and she had a telephone
in her hand.
982
01:05:37,559 --> 01:05:40,477
One sad thing,
and I'll never forget this...
983
01:05:40,645 --> 01:05:45,107
...but she went
and got a picture of Patrick...
984
01:05:45,275 --> 01:05:49,653
...and she had this picture
and she just kept saying:
985
01:05:50,363 --> 01:05:54,158
"April the 22nd, 2004.
986
01:05:54,326 --> 01:05:58,329
April the 22nd, Pat is gone.
987
01:05:58,496 --> 01:06:01,373
April the 22nd--"
988
01:06:04,461 --> 01:06:08,756
I was with Kevin when he found out
Pat had been killed.
989
01:06:09,924 --> 01:06:12,509
He got out of the vehicle...
990
01:06:12,677 --> 01:06:17,181
...and you could see there was a
million things going through his head.
991
01:06:17,349 --> 01:06:20,225
There was absolute horror
and shock...
992
01:06:20,393 --> 01:06:25,356
...and I remember him screaming
several times.
993
01:06:25,523 --> 01:06:29,360
I remember him taking his helmet off
and slamming it on the ground.
994
01:06:30,195 --> 01:06:32,029
I remember...
995
01:06:32,697 --> 01:06:35,199
...our medic, Doc...
996
01:06:35,367 --> 01:06:38,786
...kind of coming up to him, you know,
saying, "Hey, give me your weapon."
997
01:06:41,539 --> 01:06:47,044
And then I saw him go over to his
brother's body and he just sat there.
998
01:06:50,340 --> 01:06:52,800
I remember seeing Kevin
in his Humvee...
999
01:06:52,967 --> 01:06:56,303
...and I was told by Colonel Bailey...
1000
01:06:56,471 --> 01:07:00,057
...to not tell him
Pat was killed by friendly fire.
1001
01:07:00,225 --> 01:07:02,059
You know,
"Your career is on the line...
1002
01:07:02,227 --> 01:07:06,063
...do not tell Kevin
exactly what happened."
1003
01:07:08,233 --> 01:07:12,069
Kevin had arrived on the scene
10 minutes after the shooting.
1004
01:07:12,445 --> 01:07:15,280
He was immediately quarantined
and the rest of the platoon...
1005
01:07:15,448 --> 01:07:18,742
...was ordered not to tell him
what had happened.
1006
01:07:22,580 --> 01:07:25,374
Russell Baer was put on a plane
with Kevin.
1007
01:07:25,542 --> 01:07:28,419
He was ordered
to escort Pat's remains back home...
1008
01:07:28,586 --> 01:07:32,840
...and to present the family with flags
on behalf of the country.
1009
01:07:33,842 --> 01:07:39,221
That was a difficult experience for me.
Just with everything that I knew...
1010
01:07:40,223 --> 01:07:43,851
...and I was scared
about what was to come afterwards.
1011
01:07:44,018 --> 01:07:47,271
You know, I was just--
I was afraid for it all.
1012
01:07:52,110 --> 01:07:55,195
I mean, it was the first time
I'd ever met Pat's mom...
1013
01:07:55,363 --> 01:07:58,866
...and she saw how difficult it was
for me and she....
1014
01:08:03,037 --> 01:08:07,291
She grabbed my hand,
kind of just patted my hand a little bit.
1015
01:08:08,293 --> 01:08:11,795
The real test of a man is not when he
plays the role he wants for himself...
1016
01:08:11,963 --> 01:08:15,048
...but when he plays the role
destiny has for him.
1017
01:08:15,216 --> 01:08:18,844
So when that little voice in your head
tells you not to do the easy things...
1018
01:08:19,012 --> 01:08:21,305
...but the right things...
1019
01:08:21,473 --> 01:08:25,726
...it's Pat. Right in your ear, man.
It's Pat.
1020
01:08:28,897 --> 01:08:30,647
Right after Pat died...
1021
01:08:30,815 --> 01:08:36,737
...we probably felt the most sense of
comfort from people from the military.
1022
01:08:36,905 --> 01:08:42,326
And we were very honored to see
that General Kensinger was present.
1023
01:08:43,828 --> 01:08:46,789
I wanna thank
anybody involved in the military...
1024
01:08:46,956 --> 01:08:49,374
...especially the Rangers.
Outstanding human beings--
1025
01:08:49,542 --> 01:08:53,003
Then to find out that they were
the very people to lie to us...
1026
01:08:53,671 --> 01:08:54,797
...it's outrageous.
1027
01:08:54,964 --> 01:08:58,175
I don't know a lot about
what happened to Pat...
1028
01:08:59,010 --> 01:09:02,095
...but the last few days
have not been very pleasant.
1029
01:09:03,431 --> 01:09:08,185
It's only been a week
and it ain't getting any better.
1030
01:09:10,355 --> 01:09:12,606
It's a horrible thing to lie.
1031
01:09:12,774 --> 01:09:16,360
It's an atrocity that they would take a
young man with honorable intentions...
1032
01:09:16,528 --> 01:09:17,861
...who served his country...
1033
01:09:18,029 --> 01:09:20,364
...and lie about how he died
to promote a war.
1034
01:09:20,532 --> 01:09:24,368
To use him as a political--
A propaganda tool, basically.
1035
01:09:24,536 --> 01:09:26,286
That is immoral.
1036
01:09:31,709 --> 01:09:36,547
The five shooters never gave a
credible explanation for their actions.
1037
01:09:36,714 --> 01:09:38,799
But by the time
the Tillmans had unredacted...
1038
01:09:38,967 --> 01:09:40,968
...the entire box of documents...
1039
01:09:41,135 --> 01:09:44,179
...they understood that the deception
about their son's death...
1040
01:09:44,347 --> 01:09:47,558
...went much higher
than the soldiers on the ground.
1041
01:09:47,725 --> 01:09:49,017
Pat Tillman has been killed.
1042
01:09:49,185 --> 01:09:51,895
Forty-five minutes later,
he's been killed by fratricide.
1043
01:09:52,063 --> 01:09:55,983
"Oh, shit. What do we do now?"
1044
01:09:56,317 --> 01:10:00,070
"Okay, let's spin this
as a heroic action.
1045
01:10:00,238 --> 01:10:03,407
We'll turn his dead body
into a recruiting poster."
1046
01:10:03,575 --> 01:10:08,871
They destroyed his uniform,
his body armor, his helmet, his diary.
1047
01:10:09,080 --> 01:10:12,207
Every piece of evidence
that could ever be used...
1048
01:10:14,836 --> 01:10:16,753
...to explain what happened
is eliminated.
1049
01:10:19,549 --> 01:10:22,384
You just don't do shit
without telling your superior officer.
1050
01:10:23,761 --> 01:10:26,305
"Oh, I'm gonna go burn Pat's uniform."
1051
01:10:26,472 --> 01:10:27,514
No.
1052
01:10:28,892 --> 01:10:31,018
You don't piss without permission...
1053
01:10:32,437 --> 01:10:34,271
...so this goes pretty damn high.
1054
01:10:36,274 --> 01:10:38,108
Once the Tillmans
shifted their focus...
1055
01:10:38,276 --> 01:10:40,944
...to the higher-ups responsible
for the cover-up...
1056
01:10:41,112 --> 01:10:43,405
...the lead investigator
assigned to their case...
1057
01:10:43,573 --> 01:10:46,742
...began publicly suggesting
that it was time to move on.
1058
01:10:47,952 --> 01:10:50,913
I don't know. These people,
they have a hard time letting it go.
1059
01:10:53,291 --> 01:10:55,375
It may be
because of their religious beliefs.
1060
01:10:57,795 --> 01:10:59,796
- I don't know how an atheist thinks.
- Right.
1061
01:10:59,964 --> 01:11:02,549
But I can only imagine that,
that would be pretty tough.
1062
01:11:02,717 --> 01:11:04,384
Right.
1063
01:11:04,552 --> 01:11:07,179
If you're an atheist,
then you don't believe in anything?
1064
01:11:07,347 --> 01:11:11,642
If you die, what is there to go to?
Nothing. You're worm dirt.
1065
01:11:11,809 --> 01:11:14,186
It's pretty hard
to get your head around that.
1066
01:11:14,354 --> 01:11:17,439
So you suspect that's the reason
why this thing's dragging on.
1067
01:11:17,607 --> 01:11:21,109
I think so. There's not a whole lot
of trust in the system.
1068
01:11:21,277 --> 01:11:24,279
- Right.
- Or faith in the system.
1069
01:11:26,491 --> 01:11:32,371
It was my understanding at the time
that this investigation is over...
1070
01:11:32,956 --> 01:11:35,415
...that this has been closed...
1071
01:11:35,583 --> 01:11:38,251
...they're not gonna give me the truth,
it's a done deal.
1072
01:11:38,419 --> 01:11:43,924
And that being said, there's not much
I can do to force the issue.
1073
01:11:44,801 --> 01:11:46,468
So I wrote them a letter.
1074
01:11:46,636 --> 01:11:48,512
I just went through and blew out...
1075
01:11:48,680 --> 01:11:52,975
...just about everything
they considered to be a fact.
1076
01:11:53,142 --> 01:11:56,520
And explained to them
why that is a lie...
1077
01:11:56,688 --> 01:12:01,692
...and concluded by telling them
that I have low regard for them.
1078
01:12:02,860 --> 01:12:05,487
I just wanted to tell somebody off.
1079
01:12:12,537 --> 01:12:16,123
Unbeknownst to Pat Sr., the Army
considered the wording of his letter...
1080
01:12:16,290 --> 01:12:19,543
...to be a formal accusation
of criminal misconduct.
1081
01:12:20,461 --> 01:12:23,296
This automatically initiated
a new investigation...
1082
01:12:23,464 --> 01:12:25,215
...by the inspector general's office.
1083
01:12:25,383 --> 01:12:26,925
Thank you for being here today.
1084
01:12:27,093 --> 01:12:31,638
It's kind of obnoxious that the letter
did have the impact that it did.
1085
01:12:31,806 --> 01:12:36,852
It's like, wait a minute, my mom has
been working her ass off for years...
1086
01:12:37,020 --> 01:12:40,439
...and if she knew all she had to do
was tell you to go fuck yourself...
1087
01:12:40,606 --> 01:12:43,900
...and you'd actually do your job,
I'm sure she would have done that...
1088
01:12:44,068 --> 01:12:45,569
...two and a half years before.
1089
01:12:46,863 --> 01:12:50,282
After an 18-month inquiry,
the Army secretary announced...
1090
01:12:50,450 --> 01:12:53,910
...that the military was finally ready
to assign blame.
1091
01:12:54,078 --> 01:12:56,913
We present to you the results
of the Wallace Investigation...
1092
01:12:57,081 --> 01:12:59,332
...into the tragic death
of Corporal Pat Tillman.
1093
01:12:59,500 --> 01:13:03,253
I'm on my way to an anniversary
in Las Vegas.
1094
01:13:04,088 --> 01:13:08,550
I get a phone call from my wife
that says, "Hey, you're on CNN."
1095
01:13:10,595 --> 01:13:13,805
Up first, new information
about who bungled the initial probe...
1096
01:13:13,973 --> 01:13:15,599
...into the friendly-fire death...
1097
01:13:15,767 --> 01:13:18,810
...of Army Ranger
and former football star Pat Tillman.
1098
01:13:19,270 --> 01:13:23,273
Let's go to the news conference now
over at the Pentagon. Let's listen in.
1099
01:13:23,441 --> 01:13:26,443
General Wallace did find
a senior official...
1100
01:13:26,611 --> 01:13:29,613
...Lieutenant General Kensinger,
the senior leader in...
1101
01:13:29,781 --> 01:13:34,034
...the administrative chain of command
for the 75th Ranger Regiment...
1102
01:13:34,202 --> 01:13:36,244
...found him guilty of deception.
1103
01:13:36,662 --> 01:13:41,958
General Kensinger was the captain
of that ship and his ship ran aground.
1104
01:13:42,126 --> 01:13:43,960
It ran aground because he failed--
1105
01:13:44,128 --> 01:13:48,131
Devastating. Devastating to be called
the villain in the process...
1106
01:13:48,299 --> 01:13:52,469
...or the captain
who ran his ship aground...
1107
01:13:52,637 --> 01:13:55,847
...and let all his soldiers down.
1108
01:13:56,808 --> 01:13:59,184
General Kensinger
was the public face of the Army...
1109
01:13:59,352 --> 01:14:00,977
...in the weeks after Pat's death.
1110
01:14:01,145 --> 01:14:03,063
I will not be taking questions.
1111
01:14:03,231 --> 01:14:05,899
The Army said that Kensinger knew
about the fratricide...
1112
01:14:06,067 --> 01:14:08,944
...when he attended
Pat's memorial service.
1113
01:14:09,112 --> 01:14:12,239
He would be stripped
of his third star.
1114
01:14:12,406 --> 01:14:13,698
But as a reporter noted...
1115
01:14:13,866 --> 01:14:16,827
...there may have be another reason
why Kensinger took the fall.
1116
01:14:16,994 --> 01:14:20,122
--yet, all the blame
falls on General Kensinger.
1117
01:14:20,289 --> 01:14:22,040
I'm just trying to make sense of that.
1118
01:14:22,208 --> 01:14:25,418
He happens to be retired,
is there a coincidence there?
1119
01:14:25,753 --> 01:14:26,795
The fact that he--
1120
01:14:26,963 --> 01:14:30,298
He's the only one
who's really being singled out.
1121
01:14:30,758 --> 01:14:32,592
I believe the buck stops
with Kensinger.
1122
01:14:32,760 --> 01:14:35,929
He was the senior leader
in the chain of command for--
1123
01:14:36,097 --> 01:14:38,014
I don't think the buck stops
at Kensinger.
1124
01:14:38,182 --> 01:14:42,018
There's no way this cover-up started at
the three-star level. It had to go higher.
1125
01:14:42,186 --> 01:14:43,854
You look at what Kensinger's role--
1126
01:14:44,021 --> 01:14:47,107
I don't think Kensinger would have
been inclined to cover it up...
1127
01:14:47,275 --> 01:14:48,525
...if he wasn't ordered to.
1128
01:14:48,693 --> 01:14:50,193
--if he performed his duty--
1129
01:14:50,361 --> 01:14:51,486
I mean, he was culpable.
1130
01:14:51,654 --> 01:14:55,073
I mean, he could've easily
picked up the phone and called us...
1131
01:14:55,241 --> 01:14:58,201
...you know, but this is their life,
this is their career...
1132
01:14:58,369 --> 01:15:02,539
...and they're terrified of losing
what they've worked so hard for.
1133
01:15:03,207 --> 01:15:05,750
My wife says
I'm too much of a soldier.
1134
01:15:05,918 --> 01:15:09,504
I've been doing it, you know,
since 17.
1135
01:15:09,672 --> 01:15:13,884
When somebody tells me something,
tells me to go do something, you say--
1136
01:15:14,051 --> 01:15:18,889
In the Army, you salute and, you know,
about-face, and go get it done.
1137
01:15:22,560 --> 01:15:27,939
To think that, you know, this is how,
you know, you get treated.
1138
01:15:29,317 --> 01:15:31,276
Thank you. Thanks a lot.
1139
01:15:31,444 --> 01:15:33,236
With the end
of the press conference...
1140
01:15:33,404 --> 01:15:36,489
...the Army declared
the Tillman matter over.
1141
01:15:36,908 --> 01:15:39,993
But two days later,
as if in response to this...
1142
01:15:40,161 --> 01:15:42,913
...a reporter received
an anonymous leak.
1143
01:15:44,916 --> 01:15:47,751
It was a copy of a top-secret
internal communiqué...
1144
01:15:47,919 --> 01:15:49,753
...known as a P4 memo...
1145
01:15:49,921 --> 01:15:52,339
...sent just seven days
after Pat's death...
1146
01:15:52,506 --> 01:15:56,760
...and a full month before
the family learned of the fratricide.
1147
01:15:57,386 --> 01:16:00,847
After this briefing that we received
from the inspector general...
1148
01:16:01,390 --> 01:16:06,686
...someone from Associated Press
was sent a P4 memo...
1149
01:16:06,854 --> 01:16:10,106
...that went out
to the highest generals in the land.
1150
01:16:11,692 --> 01:16:14,194
Not only did the P4 memo
clearly state...
1151
01:16:14,362 --> 01:16:18,281
...that Pat was killed by friendly fire,
but it left no doubt...
1152
01:16:18,449 --> 01:16:22,661
...that the cover-up reached well
above General Kensinger's rank.
1153
01:16:36,467 --> 01:16:38,760
Thank you, all.
1154
01:16:38,928 --> 01:16:43,223
General Stanley McChrystal
had sent the P4 memo on April 29th...
1155
01:16:43,391 --> 01:16:46,142
...after White House speechwriters
had requested details...
1156
01:16:46,310 --> 01:16:48,228
...about Pat's death
from the Pentagon.
1157
01:16:56,153 --> 01:17:00,782
The P4 memo states they must
warn the president about this...
1158
01:17:00,950 --> 01:17:05,453
...because they'll be giving speeches
and they shouldn't be embarrassed...
1159
01:17:05,621 --> 01:17:10,166
...if the circumstances of Pat's death
become public.
1160
01:17:11,002 --> 01:17:13,253
He set aside a career in athletics--
1161
01:17:13,421 --> 01:17:15,672
The warning seemed to work.
1162
01:17:15,840 --> 01:17:18,258
In a speech,
given two days before the memorial...
1163
01:17:18,426 --> 01:17:21,511
...the president avoided
the very details of Pat's death...
1164
01:17:21,679 --> 01:17:23,513
...that his speechwriters
had requested.
1165
01:17:24,098 --> 01:17:28,226
Friends say that this young man saw
the images of September the 11th...
1166
01:17:28,394 --> 01:17:32,188
...and seeing that evil,
he felt called to defend America.
1167
01:17:36,610 --> 01:17:41,448
Our suspicions in the beginning were
very much validated by that P4 memo.
1168
01:17:41,866 --> 01:17:44,409
These generals had plenty of time...
1169
01:17:44,577 --> 01:17:49,039
...to make sure that we, as a family,
were told the truth...
1170
01:17:49,206 --> 01:17:51,458
...but they chose not to tell us.
1171
01:17:53,586 --> 01:17:55,837
The P4 memo clearly showed...
1172
01:17:56,005 --> 01:17:59,632
...that while America was being told
the valorous account of Pat's death...
1173
01:17:59,800 --> 01:18:02,927
...the entire chain of command
not only knew it was a lie...
1174
01:18:03,095 --> 01:18:05,680
...but were urgently concerned
about the implications...
1175
01:18:05,848 --> 01:18:07,891
...should the truth get out.
1176
01:18:15,608 --> 01:18:17,317
Armed with this new evidence...
1177
01:18:17,485 --> 01:18:20,403
...the family was able to take
their case above the military...
1178
01:18:20,905 --> 01:18:25,617
...and in April 2007, the House of
Representatives convened hearings...
1179
01:18:25,785 --> 01:18:29,913
...to investigate whether there had
been a cover-up in the Tillman case.
1180
01:18:32,458 --> 01:18:34,626
The first testimony given
was from the man...
1181
01:18:34,794 --> 01:18:37,837
...who had remained silent
throughout the ordeal...
1182
01:18:38,005 --> 01:18:40,673
...Pat's brother, Kevin Tillman.
1183
01:18:44,678 --> 01:18:46,930
Even after discovering
that the entire platoon...
1184
01:18:47,098 --> 01:18:49,432
...had been lying to him
about the fratricide...
1185
01:18:49,600 --> 01:18:53,520
...Kevin had insisted on completing
the full term of his enlistment.
1186
01:18:54,230 --> 01:18:57,524
Once he got out of the Army,
Kevin went into seclusion...
1187
01:18:57,691 --> 01:19:01,653
...refusing, until now,
to speak publicly about his brother.
1188
01:19:06,617 --> 01:19:08,576
My name is Kevin Tillman.
1189
01:19:08,744 --> 01:19:10,787
Two days ago
marked the third anniversary...
1190
01:19:10,955 --> 01:19:14,165
...of the death of my older brother,
Pat Tillman. Spera, Afghanistan.
1191
01:19:14,333 --> 01:19:16,835
To our family and friends,
it was a devastating loss.
1192
01:19:17,002 --> 01:19:19,462
To the nation,
it was a moment of disorientation.
1193
01:19:19,630 --> 01:19:22,006
To the military, it was a nightmare.
1194
01:19:22,174 --> 01:19:25,802
But to others within the government,
it appears to have been an opportunity.
1195
01:19:26,720 --> 01:19:30,974
A terrible tragedy was transformed
into an inspirational message...
1196
01:19:31,142 --> 01:19:35,145
...that served instead, to support
the nation's foreign-policy wars.
1197
01:19:36,313 --> 01:19:39,232
After the truth of Pat's death
was partially revealed...
1198
01:19:39,400 --> 01:19:42,944
...the Army was now left with the task
of briefing our family...
1199
01:19:43,112 --> 01:19:45,071
...and answering our questions.
1200
01:19:45,239 --> 01:19:48,575
With any luck, our family
would sink quietly into our grief...
1201
01:19:48,742 --> 01:19:52,328
...and the whole unsavory episode
would be swept under the rug.
1202
01:19:52,496 --> 01:19:56,124
However, they miscalculated
our family's reaction.
1203
01:19:56,625 --> 01:19:59,794
Through the amazing strength
and perseverance of my mother...
1204
01:19:59,962 --> 01:20:02,255
...the most amazing woman
on earth...
1205
01:20:02,631 --> 01:20:06,509
...our family has managed to have
multiple investigations conducted.
1206
01:20:06,677 --> 01:20:10,388
However, while each investigation
gathered more information...
1207
01:20:10,556 --> 01:20:13,725
...the mountain of evidence was
never used to arrive at an honest...
1208
01:20:13,893 --> 01:20:16,227
...or even sensible conclusion.
1209
01:20:16,395 --> 01:20:18,021
That is why we ask Congress...
1210
01:20:18,189 --> 01:20:20,690
...as a sovereign representative
of the whole people...
1211
01:20:20,858 --> 01:20:23,443
...to investigate Pat's death.
1212
01:20:23,611 --> 01:20:26,863
Anything less than the truth
is a betrayal of those values...
1213
01:20:27,031 --> 01:20:31,326
...that all soldiers who have fought
for this nation have sought to uphold.
1214
01:20:31,494 --> 01:20:33,036
Thank you for your time.
1215
01:20:34,079 --> 01:20:35,997
Thank you very much
for your testimony.
1216
01:20:36,165 --> 01:20:38,541
Ms. Tillman, I know he was speaking
for both of you.
1217
01:20:38,709 --> 01:20:40,376
Is there anything you want to add?
1218
01:20:40,544 --> 01:20:41,961
I would like to say...
1219
01:20:42,129 --> 01:20:44,130
...we have been asked,
over and over again:
1220
01:20:44,298 --> 01:20:48,718
"Well, what can we do for your family?
How can we appease you?"
1221
01:20:48,886 --> 01:20:50,720
And it makes me sick.
1222
01:20:50,888 --> 01:20:53,139
It's not about our family.
1223
01:20:53,307 --> 01:20:56,768
Our family will never be satisfied.
We'll never have Pat back.
1224
01:20:56,936 --> 01:21:01,314
But what is so outrageous
is this isn't about Pat.
1225
01:21:01,482 --> 01:21:04,317
This is about
what they did to a nation.
1226
01:21:04,485 --> 01:21:06,486
Pat died for this country.
1227
01:21:06,654 --> 01:21:09,656
He believed it was a great country
that had a system that worked.
1228
01:21:09,823 --> 01:21:12,575
It's not perfect,
no one has ever said that...
1229
01:21:12,743 --> 01:21:17,580
...but to write these glorious tales
is really a disservice to Pat...
1230
01:21:17,748 --> 01:21:20,083
...and to all the other soldiers.
1231
01:21:20,251 --> 01:21:22,502
You're diminishing
their true heroism.
1232
01:21:22,670 --> 01:21:25,880
It may not be pretty, it may not be
like out of a John Wayne movie...
1233
01:21:26,048 --> 01:21:31,261
...but that's not what war is all about.
It's ugly, it's bloody, it's painful.
1234
01:21:31,428 --> 01:21:34,097
Everyone should understand
what's going on.
1235
01:21:34,265 --> 01:21:38,768
And we shouldn't have smokescreens
thrown in our face.
1236
01:21:40,312 --> 01:21:41,396
Thank you.
1237
01:21:44,233 --> 01:21:48,403
Pat Tillman was the most famous
enlisted man in the military.
1238
01:21:49,738 --> 01:21:53,950
Pat Tillman is killed.
It's obvious that it was fratricide.
1239
01:21:54,118 --> 01:21:59,455
The idea, the very idea, that anyone
in that chain of command...
1240
01:22:00,916 --> 01:22:07,422
...would dare keep this information
from anyone above them...
1241
01:22:07,590 --> 01:22:09,424
...is absolutely inconceivable.
1242
01:22:10,634 --> 01:22:13,803
Pat Tillman received a letter
congratulating him on his enlistment...
1243
01:22:15,723 --> 01:22:18,683
...under the signature
of Donald Rumsfeld.
1244
01:22:19,101 --> 01:22:22,478
The Secretary of Defense didn't
give me a congratulations letter...
1245
01:22:22,646 --> 01:22:24,439
...whenever I joined the Army.
1246
01:22:24,815 --> 01:22:29,569
Not only did Rumsfeld write a letter
to Pat right after he enlisted...
1247
01:22:29,737 --> 01:22:34,490
...he also sent a high-priority e-mail
to the secretary of the Army...
1248
01:22:34,658 --> 01:22:38,161
...saying that this guy is very special,
we need to keep an eye on him.
1249
01:22:40,164 --> 01:22:42,999
At the urging of the Tillmans,
the investigating committee...
1250
01:22:43,167 --> 01:22:46,544
...requested testimony
from the recipients of the P4 memo...
1251
01:22:46,712 --> 01:22:51,299
...as well as Secretary Rumsfeld
and General Richard Myers.
1252
01:22:51,467 --> 01:22:54,844
We finally were face to face
with the highest generals in the land.
1253
01:22:55,012 --> 01:22:58,640
You know,
the former Secretary of Defense.
1254
01:22:58,807 --> 01:23:01,351
And then we also had people
that have the power...
1255
01:23:01,518 --> 01:23:03,478
...to make these guys accountable.
1256
01:23:03,479 --> 01:23:04,437
...to make these guys accountable.
1257
01:23:07,191 --> 01:23:11,194
General Abizaid, let me start with you.
When did you receive this memo?
1258
01:23:13,113 --> 01:23:17,283
On the 29th, General McChrystal
sent his message...
1259
01:23:17,451 --> 01:23:20,119
...and it went to my headquarters
in Tampa...
1260
01:23:20,287 --> 01:23:23,122
...and it was not retransmitted...
1261
01:23:24,249 --> 01:23:28,544
...for reasons of difficulties with our
systems within the headquarters...
1262
01:23:28,712 --> 01:23:30,713
...until the 6that the earliest--
1263
01:23:30,881 --> 01:23:34,050
Yeah, yeah.
General Abizaid didn't get the fax...
1264
01:23:34,218 --> 01:23:37,178
...and there was a mix-up at the office.
That's a good one.
1265
01:23:37,346 --> 01:23:41,265
Probably the 6th. It's a guess.
I can't be sure exactly of the date--
1266
01:23:41,433 --> 01:23:45,186
Abizaid is responsible for the entire
Middle East and North Africa...
1267
01:23:45,354 --> 01:23:47,188
...and this guy's not gonna
be informed?
1268
01:23:47,356 --> 01:23:49,524
Well, General Myers,
let's turn to you.
1269
01:23:49,692 --> 01:23:52,026
The other generals recounted
similar stories.
1270
01:23:52,194 --> 01:23:54,362
I can't tell you.
I don't know how I knew.
1271
01:23:54,530 --> 01:23:57,573
To the best of my knowledge,
I've never seen this P4.
1272
01:23:57,741 --> 01:24:01,369
First of all, on the message,
on the P4, I was an info addressee...
1273
01:24:01,537 --> 01:24:04,330
...which is not
the primary addressee--
1274
01:24:04,498 --> 01:24:06,916
In the next three hours,
the committee would hear...
1275
01:24:07,084 --> 01:24:11,337
...some variation of the phrase
"I don't recall," 82 times.
1276
01:24:11,505 --> 01:24:12,547
I just don't know.
1277
01:24:12,715 --> 01:24:17,176
Incredibly, this urgent warning had
somehow slipped through the cracks.
1278
01:24:17,344 --> 01:24:19,762
There's an interesting thing
about the P4 that says:
1279
01:24:19,930 --> 01:24:23,933
"Deliver during normal duty hours."
And so, again--
1280
01:24:24,101 --> 01:24:25,518
It was very disappointing.
1281
01:24:25,686 --> 01:24:27,520
That's not even the word,
we were angry.
1282
01:24:27,688 --> 01:24:29,605
All the generals were lying,
1283
01:24:29,773 --> 01:24:32,775
They should have been called
on a lot of things and they weren't.
1284
01:24:32,943 --> 01:24:35,027
I thought this was
an oversight committee.
1285
01:24:35,487 --> 01:24:36,946
To me, an oversight committee...
1286
01:24:37,114 --> 01:24:39,449
...is someone that does
a bit of investigation...
1287
01:24:39,616 --> 01:24:41,409
...it's not a cheerleading outfit.
1288
01:24:41,577 --> 01:24:43,786
I believe
this is appropriately handled...
1289
01:24:43,954 --> 01:24:47,039
...and those who made errors
were held accountable.
1290
01:24:47,207 --> 01:24:51,669
Ninety-nine point nine percent
of the military do an outstanding job...
1291
01:24:51,837 --> 01:24:54,672
...and I thank you
for setting an example.
1292
01:24:54,840 --> 01:24:59,135
These folks were held accountable.
Is that correct, General Myers?
1293
01:24:59,303 --> 01:25:01,929
General? All generals?
1294
01:25:02,097 --> 01:25:03,890
From what I understand,
that's correct.
1295
01:25:04,057 --> 01:25:08,686
You know, a lot of politics
is theatrical wrestling, you know...
1296
01:25:08,854 --> 01:25:12,940
...which, behind the scenes it's like,
"Okay, let's don't get anybody hurt."
1297
01:25:13,108 --> 01:25:16,486
Mr. Secretary, thank you
for being with us today.
1298
01:25:16,904 --> 01:25:20,490
How and when did you learn
that Corporal Tillman had been killed?
1299
01:25:22,159 --> 01:25:25,119
I don't recall precisely
how I learned that he was killed.
1300
01:25:25,954 --> 01:25:27,580
Okay.
1301
01:25:28,832 --> 01:25:31,667
Before he did so,
were you aware that President Bush...
1302
01:25:31,835 --> 01:25:33,920
...was going to reference
Corporal Tillman...
1303
01:25:34,087 --> 01:25:36,339
...in a correspondents' dinner speech
on May 1st?
1304
01:25:36,507 --> 01:25:38,216
No.
1305
01:25:39,176 --> 01:25:41,302
It was embarrassing to watch.
1306
01:25:41,470 --> 01:25:43,554
I have no recollection
of discussing it--
1307
01:25:43,722 --> 01:25:46,057
These guys didn't have
the ammunition...
1308
01:25:46,225 --> 01:25:50,228
...to cross-examine him
and catch him in a lie.
1309
01:25:50,646 --> 01:25:53,940
Well, let me conclude the hearing
by just indicating the facts...
1310
01:25:54,107 --> 01:25:58,110
...that General Myers and General
Brown knew at the end of April.
1311
01:25:58,278 --> 01:25:59,946
General Abizaid learned on May 6th.
1312
01:26:00,113 --> 01:26:02,365
Secretary Rumsfeld learned
on May 20th.
1313
01:26:03,033 --> 01:26:05,535
Could I correct--?
Sir, could I make a point here?
1314
01:26:05,702 --> 01:26:07,286
Who? Yes, Mr. Secretary?
1315
01:26:07,454 --> 01:26:09,872
I wanna make sure
it's precisely accurate.
1316
01:26:10,040 --> 01:26:14,919
I do not believe I testified
that I learned on May 20th, and if I--
1317
01:26:15,087 --> 01:26:18,297
If that impression's been left,
I don't want that left.
1318
01:26:18,465 --> 01:26:21,717
My testimony is that
I just simply do not know...
1319
01:26:21,885 --> 01:26:24,554
...when I first learned
of the possibility of fratricide.
1320
01:26:24,721 --> 01:26:26,639
- I appreciate that correction.
- Thank you.
1321
01:26:26,807 --> 01:26:28,015
- And, sir, if I may?
- Yeah.
1322
01:26:28,183 --> 01:26:32,103
I also wanted to make sure
that the 6this a logical day.
1323
01:26:32,271 --> 01:26:34,230
- It's not the day.
- Okay.
1324
01:26:34,398 --> 01:26:38,901
It's the best that my staff and I
could come to the conclusion--
1325
01:26:39,069 --> 01:26:42,321
Well, you were all very busy.
There was no question about it.
1326
01:26:42,489 --> 01:26:45,992
Sir, one other thing,
if I could interrupt to also correct.
1327
01:26:46,159 --> 01:26:51,038
Your statement was that
I knew about the friendly fire.
1328
01:26:51,206 --> 01:26:54,250
I knew that there was an investigation
ongoing...
1329
01:26:54,418 --> 01:26:56,335
...about the potential for friendly fire.
1330
01:26:56,503 --> 01:26:58,796
That's goes for me too.
That's exactly right.
1331
01:26:58,964 --> 01:27:01,716
- And for me, as well.
- Okay.
1332
01:27:02,092 --> 01:27:04,343
At the point that
they let Abizaid off the hook...
1333
01:27:04,511 --> 01:27:06,679
...that's the point where
Dannie knew...
1334
01:27:06,847 --> 01:27:09,515
...you know, that this is as far
as it was gonna go.
1335
01:27:09,683 --> 01:27:10,725
Thank you, sir.
1336
01:27:10,893 --> 01:27:15,563
That concludes our business and the
committee hearing is adjourned.
1337
01:27:30,454 --> 01:27:32,538
On the way out
of the congressional hearing...
1338
01:27:32,706 --> 01:27:34,999
...this congressman,
he squats down next to me...
1339
01:27:35,167 --> 01:27:37,376
...and he holds out his hand
to shake my hand...
1340
01:27:37,544 --> 01:27:40,171
...and he just wanted to tell me
that he's proud of me...
1341
01:27:40,339 --> 01:27:42,548
...and he's proud of my son.
1342
01:27:42,966 --> 01:27:45,259
I just said, "Get out of here.
Get away from me."
1343
01:27:45,427 --> 01:27:48,095
He would not go away,
he wanted to keep talking.
1344
01:27:48,263 --> 01:27:52,141
I pulled my hand away from him,
I said, "Get out of here, right now.
1345
01:27:52,309 --> 01:27:53,476
Get away from me."
1346
01:27:59,691 --> 01:28:02,193
Where does this stuff end?
1347
01:28:03,987 --> 01:28:05,947
It's been four years.
1348
01:28:06,573 --> 01:28:11,327
None of the actors in this matter
have been held accountable.
1349
01:28:12,037 --> 01:28:16,916
But that's certainly no fault
of Dannie's.
1350
01:28:17,084 --> 01:28:20,336
Pat would be nothing but unbelievably
proud for her, you know.
1351
01:28:20,504 --> 01:28:23,089
I mean, she took it
as far as she could take it.
1352
01:28:23,256 --> 01:28:26,342
She did everything in her power
to fight for Pat.
1353
01:28:26,510 --> 01:28:28,511
And I mean,
she knocked it out of the park.
1354
01:28:29,096 --> 01:28:32,848
Unfortunately, the fucking government
moved the fence back, and it--
1355
01:28:33,016 --> 01:28:35,643
You know, that was it.
1356
01:28:37,020 --> 01:28:40,356
It's about all I can do at this point.
We've sort of, you know--
1357
01:28:40,524 --> 01:28:42,775
The questioning has sort of
run its course.
1358
01:28:44,528 --> 01:28:48,531
I guess I held out hope that at
the last hour we would get answers...
1359
01:28:48,699 --> 01:28:52,118
...but, no, that's not what happened.
1360
01:28:56,623 --> 01:28:59,583
I don't think there's much else
that can be done.
1361
01:29:18,645 --> 01:29:20,021
The be all and the end all...
1362
01:29:20,188 --> 01:29:23,691
...is not whether or not
Congress follows through.
1363
01:29:25,444 --> 01:29:28,237
Like it or not, there's a public
dimension to Pat Tillman...
1364
01:29:28,405 --> 01:29:30,156
...and it ain't gonna go away.
1365
01:29:32,909 --> 01:29:35,870
That's a dangerous thing
to fool around with though.
1366
01:29:36,830 --> 01:29:40,332
It's dangerous
to lionize people like Pat.
1367
01:29:40,959 --> 01:29:43,878
When people who are attracted
to the mystique of Pat Tillman...
1368
01:29:44,046 --> 01:29:47,214
...begin to actually study
who Pat Tillman was...
1369
01:29:47,382 --> 01:29:49,925
...they're gonna find out
that this story doesn't fit...
1370
01:29:50,093 --> 01:29:52,928
...into something that's all tidy
and mythic.
1371
01:29:58,435 --> 01:30:00,144
The danger of something like this...
1372
01:30:00,312 --> 01:30:03,481
...is it's an opportunity
for reality to break through.
1373
01:30:04,149 --> 01:30:06,734
People start asking questions...
1374
01:30:06,902 --> 01:30:10,321
...and then all of the sudden,
the Tillman story changes.
1375
01:30:14,951 --> 01:30:18,537
I've talked about it with my dad
actually, and it was just like:
1376
01:30:18,705 --> 01:30:22,625
"It'd be really neat to have a statue of
Pat where he's laughing his ass off."
1377
01:30:24,920 --> 01:30:26,128
You wanna make him a myth?
1378
01:30:26,296 --> 01:30:29,048
Go ahead and make him a myth,
just be accurate with it.
1379
01:30:29,466 --> 01:30:31,967
You know, if he could walk on water
in these myths...
1380
01:30:32,135 --> 01:30:34,512
...then let him have a beer
every once in a while...
1381
01:30:34,679 --> 01:30:37,598
...and let him hang out with friends
and let him be gracious...
1382
01:30:37,766 --> 01:30:40,392
...and let him be sensitive
and let him be funny...
1383
01:30:40,560 --> 01:30:43,521
...and let him be all the things
that he was.
1384
01:30:44,981 --> 01:30:46,065
When I talk about Pat--
1385
01:30:46,233 --> 01:30:49,652
And everybody is sort of on the same
page, at least, you know, the family.
1386
01:30:49,820 --> 01:30:53,405
That when you talk about Pat, he's
sort of like sitting in the room with you.
1387
01:30:53,573 --> 01:30:57,326
I mean, and that's such a--
That says so much about him.
1388
01:30:57,494 --> 01:31:01,872
I can conjure his face,
I can conjure his laughter.
1389
01:31:02,040 --> 01:31:06,001
You know, he just had this quality
to him that he so loved life...
1390
01:31:06,169 --> 01:31:11,715
...and he would want us to,
you know, move on, move forward.
1391
01:31:11,967 --> 01:31:15,845
I feel like, at least I've done
what I can for him.
1392
01:31:16,012 --> 01:31:19,431
And now, it's just the idea
of just kind of moving on...
1393
01:31:19,599 --> 01:31:24,186
...and just kind of bringing him
with us, sort of.
1394
01:31:29,359 --> 01:31:31,485
A few more seconds.
1395
01:31:35,740 --> 01:31:38,617
- That's it, we're done.
- All right.
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