By now, most American's know that Pat Tillman, a former member of the Arizona Cardinals, left a $3.6 million contract in the NFL to join the army after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. Many also know that Tillman died for his country while serving in the army in Iraq.
The news today is who actually fired the shots that killed Tillman. And my question, aimed mostly at the media, is, "Does it really make a difference?" What is the real point of this story? Why does it qualify as news considering that the guy is dead? It seems to me that since no one is being charged with a crime, no one is going be arrested or falsely accused for murder, then bringing this story to light doesn't do anyone any good. Tillman is still a hero. Not so much for dying in a war that we probably shouldn't be in at this point, but for giving up a NFL career and the money that came along with it to serve his country. That is the mark of a true hero and role model.
So, let us not sully the name of Pat Tillman because no one can truly figure out who made the deadly shot. I think in any battle situation, it can be quite difficult to decide who's gun shot who, and none of this is going to bring back the man that people miss and who gave his life to a cause bigger than himself, and bigger than any of us.
I don't want to sound like I am advocating censorship. What I am saying is that sometimes the news itself does more damage then help in a situation where it wasn't even necessary to publish the news. And really, is this story newsworthy? I remember from my journalism classes a long time ago that certain stories while interesting didn't necessarily make good copy. And while this story is interesting, I think it makes lousy copy and while maybe not intentional, certainly has the affect of knocking a dead war hero slightly off the pedastel that those who remember him put him on. But since he was a true hero before he died, maybe the public will keep that in mind when they read this story and more importantly when they remember the man himself.
Posted by robdesign at May 29, 2004 03:07 PMYes, Rob, I think the story is newsworthy and necessary. Tillmans's intgrity stands regardless of how his life was taken. The story, for me, is very important in the ongoing travesty of a nation sacrificing lives while its leaders grope for direction and purpose."Dateline" did a segment this evening on the deaths of three soldiers. They made it very close and very personal. When the war begins to have a human face that is one you know, the war becomes very close and very personal. Tillman was a fine human being. What a pointless loss for us all. 2b
Posted by: 2b at May 30, 2004 11:10 PMI think the key issue in terms of death by friendly fire.
Is not weather he was a hero.. After all most soldiers have the same courage. It is the betrayal of the Bush administration in sending patriotic men to futile and senseless wars without due democratic process in place, The wars in Afghnaistan and Iraq are costing hundreds of US/ British lives and damaging relations with the Arabs worldwide. What about the 8,000 civilians killed by US bombing ? How is this different from terrorism ? and 9/11 . This is no solution