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{{Short description|American football player and soldier (1976–2004)}}
{{current}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2019}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Pat Tillman
| image = Corporal Patrick Tillman.jpg
| caption = Tillman in 2003 as a ]
| birth_name = Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr.
| nickname = "Pat"
| birth_date = {{birth date|1976|11|6}}
| birth_place = ], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2004|4|22|1976|11|6}}
| death_place = ], ]
| placeofburial =
| allegiance = United States
| branch = ]
| rank = ] (posthumous)
| serviceyears = 2002–2004
| unit = ]<br />]
| commands =
| battles = ]<br />]{{KIA}}
| awards = ]<br />]<br />]
| spouse = Marie Ugenti
| module = {{Infobox NFL biography
| embed = yes
| name = Pat Tillman
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| number = 40
| position = ]
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 202
| high_school = ] {{nowrap|(])}}
| college = ] (1994–1997)
| draftyear = 1998
| draftround = 7
| draftpick = 226
| pastteams = * ] ({{NFL Year|1998|2001}})
| highlights = * ]
* ] retired
* First-team ] (])
* ] (1997)
* First-team ] (])
* 2× Second-team All-Pac-10 (], ])
* ] retired
| statlabel1 = ]s
| statvalue1 = 3
| statlabel2 = ]
| statvalue2 = 374
| statlabel3 = Forced ]s
| statvalue3 = 3
| statlabel4 = Fumble recoveries
| statvalue4 = 3
| pfr = T/TillPa20
| CollegeHOF = 2306
}}
}}


'''Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr.''' (November{{nbsp}}6, 1976{{nbsp}}– April{{nbsp}}22, 2004) was an American professional ] player for the ] of the ] (NFL) who left his sports career and enlisted in the ] ] in May 2002 in the aftermath of the ]. His service in ] and ], as well as his subsequent death, received national attention, especially so when it was discovered he had been killed by ].<ref>Multiple sources:
{{NFL player
*{{Cite news | url = https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/movies/20100903_Pat_Tillman_documentary_follows_family_s_quest_for_answers.html | first = Carrie | last = Rickey | title = Pat Tillman Documentary Follows Family's Quest for Answers | newspaper = The Philadelphia Inquirer | date = September 2, 2010 | access-date = May 28, 2020}}
|Image=Tillman_asu.jpg
*{{Cite web|last=Fish|first=Mike|date=July 19, 2006|others=ESPN|title=A Case of Fratricide: Who Killed Pat Tillman?|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/case-fratricide-killed-pat-tillman/story?id=2212545|access-date=June 1, 2021|website=ABC News}}
|Caption=Arizona Republic Photo.
*{{Cite web|date=April 25, 2007|title=Soldier: Army ordered me not to tell truth about Tillman|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/24/tillman.hearing/|access-date=June 1, 2021|website=CNN Inside Politics}}</ref>
|DateOfBirth=], ]
|Birthplace=]
|DateOfDeath=], ]
|Position=]
|College=]
|DraftedYear=1998
|DraftedRound=7/Pick 226
|DatabaseFootball=TILLMPAT01
|PFR=
|Awards=
|Records
|years=1998-2001
|teams=]
|ProBowls=
|HOF=}}


Tillman played ] for the ], earning first-team ] honors in 1997. After four seasons in the NFL, Tillman joined the ] and served several combat tours before he was killed in the mountains of Afghanistan. At first, the army reported that Tillman had been killed by enemy fire. A month later, on May{{nbsp}}28, 2004, ] notified the Tillman family that he was actually killed by fire from his own side. The family and other critics allege that the ] delayed the disclosure until weeks after Tillman's memorial service out of a desire to protect the image of the U.S. military. In 2007, the Pentagon released a report ruling Tillman's death as accidental.
'''Patrick Daniel Tillman''' (], ] &ndash; ], ]) was an ] player who left his professional sports career and enlisted in the ] in May 2002. He served in ] and, later, in ] where he was killed. Reports in the media of his death and the background of his sacrifice symbolized a heroic image in the minds of many Americans.


Tillman was posthumously promoted from ] to ]. He also posthumously received the ] and ] medals.
Subsequently, Tillman's death became a national controversy after ] disclosed to the Tillman family over a month after his death, on May 28, 2004, that he died as a result of a ] incident. The family and other critics allege the Pentagon delayed the disclosure for weeks after Tillman's memorial service out of a desire to protect the image of the U.S. armed forces.


==Early life and education==
==Biography==
Tillman was born on November 6, 1976,<ref>{{Cite web|last=Packwood|first=Hayden|date=November 6, 2019|title=On this day in 1976, an Arizona sports legend was born|url=https://www.12news.com/article/sports/nfl/cardinals/remember-honor-pat-tillman-birthday/75-4b923c39-ff41-4d3b-81bd-813873c1ab15|access-date=June 1, 2021|website=KPNX 12News|language=en-US}}</ref> in ], the son of Mary (Spalding) and Patrick Kevin Tillman.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.womensconference.org/mary-tillman/|title=Mary Tillman|website=The Women's Conference|access-date=January 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304033105/http://www.womensconference.org/mary-tillman/|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> The oldest of three sons, with Kevin and Richard as the other two, Tillman played competitive football. He went to ] and helped lead ] to the Central Coast Division I Football Championship. Tillman did not always play football. In his freshman year of high school, he was catcher for his baseball team, but did not make the varsity team. In his sophomore year he decided to concentrate on football.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Great Athletes, Football |last=Johnson |first=Rafer |publisher=Salem Press |year=2010 |isbn=9781587654763 |location=] |pages=484, 485 }}</ref> Tillman then went to ] on a football scholarship.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/articles/Pat-Tillman-197041 |title=Pat Tillman Biography |publisher=2006 A&E Television Networks |access-date=August 11, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100813033708/http://www.biography.com/articles/Pat-Tillman-197041 |archive-date=August 13, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
]
Born in ], ], Tillman started his college career at the ] position for ] in ], when he secured the last remaining scholarship for the team. Tillman excelled as a linebacker at Arizona State, despite being relatively small for the position at 5-feet 11-inches (1.80 m) tall. As a senior he was voted the ] Defensive Player of the Year. Academically, Tillman majored in ] and graduated in three and a half years with a 3.84 ].


Tillman was very close to his family and high school friends. He repeatedly mentioned in his personal journals during wartime service that he drew strength from and deeply valued his closest friendships, parents, wife and family. Tillman was very committed to his high school sweetheart, Marie Ugenti, whom he married shortly before his enlistment in the Army. He also was very close with his brother, Kevin, who enlisted with and served alongside him.<ref name="Krakauer, Jon 2009 Page 317">{{cite book |last=Krakauer |first=Jon |author-link=Jon Krakauer |title=] |publisher=Doubleday |date=September 16, 2009 |page= |isbn=978-0-385-52226-7 }}</ref>
In the ] ] Draft, Tillman was selected as the 226th pick by the ]. Tillman moved over to play the ] position in the NFL, and started 10 of 16 games in his ] season.


==College career==
]
He started his college career as a ] for ] in 1994, when he secured the last remaining scholarship for the team. Tillman excelled as a linebacker at Arizona State, despite being relatively small for the position at {{convert|5|ft|11|in|m|abbr=on}} tall. As a junior, he helped his team go undefeated ] as well as helping them make it to the ] that year. In 1997, he was voted the ] Defensive Player of the Year. In the same year, Tillman was also named Arizona State's MVP.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Fallen Stars: Five American Athletes Who Died in Military Service|last=Carson|first=Cunningham|publisher=Texas A&M University Press|year=2017|isbn=978-1623495602|page=179}}</ref>


Tillman majored in ] and graduated in three and a half years with a 3.85 ]. He also earned many academic awards including: the Clyde B. Smith Academic Award in 1996 and 1997; the Sporting News Honda Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1997; and the 1998 Sun Angel Student Athlete of Year. He was inducted into the ] in 2010, and was also posthumously inducted into the ] in 2018.
In May 2002, eight months after the ] ] attacks, and after completing the fifteen remaining games of the 2001 season which followed the attacks (at a salary of $512,000 per year), Tillman turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million over three years from the Cardinals to enlist in the ]. He enlisted along with his brother ], who had played ] professionally in the ] organization. The two brothers completed training for the elite ] school in late 2002, and were assigned to the second battalion of the ] in ], ]. Both Pat and Kevin were deployed to the ] as part of ].


==Professional career==
Tillman was subsequently redeployed to ], where, on ] ], he was killed in action by friendly fire while on patrol. His unit, according to the Army, was attacked in an apparent ambush on a road outside of the village of ] about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of ], near the Pakistan border. An Afghan militia soldier was killed and two other Rangers were injured as well. The U.S. ] concluded that Pat Tillman's death was due to friendly fire aggravated by the intensity of the firefight. It was later learned that in fact, no hostile forces were involved in the firefight, and that two allied groups fired on each other in confusion over an exploded mine or remote controlled bomb. ], however, initially claimed there was an exchange with hostile forces. A later investigation conducted by ] Jones found that the Army was slow to correct the story of a hostile exchange of fire after learning that it was false.
===Arizona Cardinals===
] during ].]]
In the ], Tillman was selected as the 226th pick by the ], and given a signing bonus of just $21,000 ({{Inflation|index=US|value=21000|start_year=1998|fmt=eq}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=1998 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1998/draft.htm |access-date=March 29, 2023 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Stannard |first=Matthew B. |date=2007-03-27 |title=In football and in life, Tillman was determined, independent |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/In-football-and-in-life-Tillman-was-determined-2577288.php |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=San Francisco Chronicle |language=en}}</ref> Tillman moved over to play the ] position in the NFL and started ten of 16 games in his ] season.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cluff|first=Jeremy|date=April 19, 2018|title=Arizona Cardinals drafted Pat Tillman 20 years ago|url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/heat-index/2016/04/19/cardinals-drafted-pat-tillman-18-years-ago/83249086/|access-date=June 1, 2021|website=The Arizona Republic|language=en-US}}</ref>


At one point in his NFL career, Tillman turned down a five-year, $9 million contract offer from the ] out of loyalty to the Cardinals.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Stannard|first=Matthew B.|date=March 27, 2007|title=In football and in life, Tillman was determined, independent|website=San Francisco Chronicle|url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/In-football-and-in-life-Tillman-was-determined-2577288.php|url-status=live|access-date=October 1, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525103828/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2007%2F03%2F27%2FMNGP4OSGB71.DTL|archive-date=May 25, 2007}}</ref>
Tillman was the first professional football player to be killed in combat since the death of ] of the ], who died in the ] in 1970. Tillman was posthumously promoted from ] to ]. He also received posthumous ] and ] medals. He is survived by his wife, Marie.


'']'' football writer ] named Tillman to his 2000 NFL All-Pro team after Tillman finished with 155 tackles (118 solo), 1.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 9 pass deflections, and 1 interception for 30&nbsp;yards.<ref>{{cite web|last=Zimmerman|first=Paul|date=2001-01-08|title=Dr. Z's All-Pro Team|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/2001/01/08/dr-zs-all-pro-team|access-date=May 17, 2021|work=Sports Illustrated Vault}}</ref>
==Controversy regarding circumstances of death==
A report described in the Washington Post on ], ] (prepared upon the request of Tillman's family) by Brig. Gen. Gary M. Jones revealed that in the days immediately following Tillman's death, ] investigators were aware that Tillman was killed by friendly fire. Jones reported that senior Army commanders, including Gen. ], knew of this fact within days of the shooting, but nevertheless approved the awarding of the ], ], and a posthumous promotion. The citation report accompanying these awards said that Tillman was killed by enemy forces and contained a detailed account of the alleged battle which Army leadership knew had never taken place.


Tillman finished his career with totals of 340 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions for 37&nbsp;yards, 3 forced fumbles, 15 pass deflections, and 3 fumble recoveries in 60 career games. In addition, he also had 1 rush attempt for 4&nbsp;yards and returned 3 kickoffs for 33&nbsp;yards.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pat Tillman|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TillPa20.htm|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107002354/https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TillPa20.htm|archive-date=November 7, 2018|access-date=January 15, 2019|work=Pro Football Reference}}</ref>
Jones reported that members of Tillman's unit burned his ] and uniform in an apparent attempt to hide the fact that he was killed by friendly fire. Several soldiers were subsequently punished for their actions by being removed from their ] unit.
Jones believed that Tillman should retain his medals and promotion, since he intended to engage the enemy, and, in Jones's opinion, behaved heroically.


In May 2002, eight months after the ], and after completing the 15 remaining games of the ] season which followed the attacks,<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/playerdetail.aspx?player=2307 |title=Pat Tillman |work=Salaries Database |publisher=] |access-date=November 23, 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071016061536/http://asp.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/playerdetail.aspx?player=2307 |archive-date=October 16, 2007}}</ref> Tillman turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million (${{Inflation|index=US|value=3.6|start_year=2002}} million in {{Inflation year|index=US}}) over three years from the Cardinals to enlist in the ].<ref name="MSNBC_20060426">{{Cite news|date=2004-04-23|title=Ex-NFL star Tillman makes 'ultimate sacrifice'|work=NBC News|publisher=NBCUniversal|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna4815441|access-date=November 23, 2006}}</ref>
Tillman's family was not informed of the finding that he was killed by friendly fire until weeks after his memorial service, although at least some senior Army officers knew of that fact prior to the service. Tillman's parents have sharply criticized the Army's handling of the incident; they charge that the Army was more concerned about protecting its image and its recruiting
efforts than about telling the truth.
His mother, Mary Tillman, told the '']'':


==Military career and death==
:''The fact that he was the ultimate team player and he watched his own men kill him is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. The fact that they lied about it afterward is disgusting.
Tillman and his brother Kevin enlisted on May 31, 2002. In September 2002, they completed ] together.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://militarytimes.com/valor/army-cpl-patrick-d-tillman/263007 |title=Army Cpl. Patrick D. Tillman |work=Military Times |access-date=February 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120615081114/http://militarytimes.com/valor/army-cpl-patrick-d-tillman/263007/ |archive-date=June 15, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="isbn0-385-52226-6p154">{{Cite book |author=Krakauer, Jon |title=Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman |publisher=Doubleday |location=Garden City, N.Y |year=2009 |page= |isbn=978-0-385-52226-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/wheremenwinglory00jonk/page/154 }}</ref> The two brothers completed the Ranger Assessment & Selection Program in late 2002 and were assigned to the ] in ]. Tillman resided in ] with his wife before being deployed to Iraq. After participating in the ] of Iraq as part of ], in September 2003, he entered ] at ], Georgia; he graduated on November 28, 2003.<ref name="isbn0-385-52226-6p220">{{Cite book |author=Krakauer, Jon |title=Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman |publisher=Doubleday |location=Garden City, N.Y |year=2009 |page= |isbn=978-0-385-52226-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/wheremenwinglory00jonk/page/220 }}</ref>


Tillman was subsequently deployed to Afghanistan, and posted at ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.jsonline.com/blogs/news/78571247.html|title=Musings on Pat Tillman and fried chicken|work=Dispatches from Afghanistan|publisher=JSOnline.com|date=December 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207022139/http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/78571247.html|archive-date=December 7, 2009|last=Jones|first=Meg|url-status=dead}}</ref> On April 22, 2004, he was initially reported to have been killed by enemy combatants. An ] allied soldier, Sayed Farhad, was also killed in the action. Tillman's platoon leader, First Lieutenant David Uthlaut, and his radiotelephone operator (RTO), 19-year-old Jade Lane, were wounded in the incident. The Army initially claimed that Tillman and his unit were attacked in an apparent ambush on a road outside of the village of ] about 25&nbsp;miles (40&nbsp;km) southwest of ], near the Pakistan border. It was not until after his burial that investigations by the ] and ] were launched, eventually ruling his death as having come by ].
Tillman's father Patrick Tillman Sr., was incensed by the coverup of the cause of his son's death, which he attributed to a conscious decision by the leadership of the U.S. Army to protect the Army's image:


'']'' reported that prior to his death, Tillman called the invasion and occupation of Iraq "]".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Robert |first=Collier |date=September 25, 2005 |title=Family Demands The Truth / New inquiry may expose events that led to Pat Tillman's death |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/FAMILY-DEMANDS-THE-TRUTH-New-inquiry-may-expose-2567400.php |access-date=March 14, 2024 |website=SFGate |language=en}}</ref>
:''After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this. They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy,"


An investigation by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) concluded that Tillman and the Afghan militia soldier were killed by friendly fire when one part of his platoon fired upon the other in confusion, after nearby gunfire was mistakenly believed to be from ]. The CID Report summary, dated March 19, 2007, stated that: <blockquote> ... during their movement through the canyon road, Serial 2 ]; the parts were called Serial 1 and 2] was ambushed and became engaged in a running gun battle with enemy combatants. Serial 1 had just passed through the same canyon without incident and were approximately one kilometer ahead of Serial 2. Upon hearing explosions, gunfire, and sporadic radio communication from Serial 2, Serial 1 dismounted their vehicles and moved on foot, to a more advantageous position to provide overwatch and fire support for Serial 2's movement out of the ambush. Upon exiting the gorge, and despite attempts by Serial 1 to signal a "friendly position", occupants of the lead vehicle of Serial 2 opened fire on Tillman's position, where he was fatally shot.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.militarytimes.com/static/projects/pages/CIDTillman.pdf |work=Military Times |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118094552/http://www.militarytimes.com/static/projects/pages/CIDTillman.pdf |archive-date=November 18, 2010 |title=U.S. Army CID report |pages=1–3 }}</ref></blockquote>
He also blamed high-ranking Army officers for presenting "outright lies" to the family and to the public.


The ] initially claimed that there was an exchange with hostile forces. After a lengthy investigation conducted by ] Gary&nbsp;M.&nbsp;Jones, the U.S. Department of Defense concluded that both the Afghan militia soldier's and Tillman's deaths were due to friendly fire aggravated by the intensity of the firefight.
Later, Tillman's father suggested in a letter to the ''Washington Post'' that the Army hierarchy's purported mistakes were part of a pattern of conscious misconduct:


Tillman's mother testified before Congress, stating "The deception surrounding this case was an insult to the family, but more importantly, its primary purpose was to deceive a whole nation."<ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-03-27 |title=Statement by the mother of Pat Tillman |url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2813963 |access-date=2024-04-09 |website=ESPN.com |language=en}}</ref>
:''With respect to the Army's reference to 'mistakes in reporting the circumstances of death': those 'mistakes' were deliberate, calculated, ordered (repeatedly) and disgraceful -- conduct well beneath the standard to which every soldier in the field is held."


==Awards and decorations==
He also alleged that the soldiers who had burned Tillman's body armor had done so on the direct orders of their superiors.
===Silver Star Citation===
]
'''Citation:'''
<blockquote>The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Corporal Patrick D. Tillman, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, during action in Afghanistan on 22 April 2004, against an armed enemy while serving as a Rifle Team Leader in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Caught between the crossfire of an enemy near ambush, Corporal Tillman put himself in the line of devastating enemy fire as he maneuvered his fire team to a covered position from which they could effectively employ their weapons on known enemy positions. His audacious leadership and courageous example under fire inspired his men to fight at great risk to their own personal safety, resulting in the enemy's withdrawal, his platoon's safe passage from the ambush kill zone, and his mortal wound. Corporal Tillman's personal courage, tactical expertise, and professional competence directly contributed to his platoon's overall success and survival. In making the ultimate sacrifice for his team and platoon, Corporal Patrick D. Tillman reflected great credit upon himself, the Joint Task Force, and the United States Army.<ref>{{cite web|title=Patrick D. Tillman|url=https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/3912|website=valor.militarytimes.com|access-date=December 8, 2020}}</ref></blockquote>


===Awards===
These complaints and allegations led the Pentagon's Inspector General to open a further inquiry into Tillman's death in August 2005.
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
| colspan="6"|]
|-
| colspan="6"|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-leaf|ribbon=Silver Star ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-leaf|ribbon=Purple Heart BAR.svg|width=106}}
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-leaf|ribbon=Meritorious Service ribbon.svg|width=106}}
| colspan="2" | {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Army Achievement Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
| colspan="2" | {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
| colspan="2" | {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary ribbon.svg|width=106}}
| colspan="2" | {{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Global War on Terrorism Service ribbon.svg|width=106}}
| colspan="2" | {{Ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=Army_Service_Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
| colspan="6"|]<span style="position:relative; top: 4px; left: -89px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">]</span><span style="position:relative; top: -25px; left: -59px; display: inline-block; width: 0;"></span>&nbsp;]
|-
| colspan="6"|]&nbsp;] ]
|-
| colspan="6"|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=oak|ribbon=United States Army and U.S. Air Force Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|width=106}}&nbsp;{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Joint Meritorious Unit Award ribbon.svg|width=106}} {{ribbon devices|number=|type=oak|ribbon=Army Superior Unit Award ribbon.svg|width=106}}<span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -73px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">]</span><span style="position:relative; top: 0px; left: -53px; display: inline-block; width: 0;">]</span>
|}


{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
On March 4, 2006 the U.S. Defense Department inspector general directed the Army to open a ] of Tillman's death. The Army's Criminal Investigative Division will determine if Tillman's death was the result of negligent homicide.
|-
!Badge
| colspan="12" | ]
|-
!1st row
| colspan="6" | ]
| colspan="6" | ]
|-
!2nd row
| colspan="4" | ]
| colspan="4" | ]
| colspan="4" | ]
|-
!3rd row
| colspan="4" | ]
| colspan="4" | ]
| colspan="4" | ]
|-
!Badges
| colspan="6"| ] <br>{{small|with ] trimming}}
| colspan="6"| ] <br>{{small|with rifle component bar}}
|-
!badges
| colspan="4" | ] <br>{{small|]}}
| colspan="4" | ] <br>{{small|]}}
| colspan="4" | ]
|-
!Unit citations
| colspan="4" | ] <br>{{small|with 1 ]}}
| colspan="4" | ]
| colspan="4" | ] <br>{{small|with 2 ]s}}
|}


In addition to his military awards, Tillman received the ] from ] in 2003, as part of that year's ] ceremony.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/espy2003/s/2003/0701/1575429.html|title=The 2003 ESPY Awards - Tillman brothers to receive Ashe Award|access-date=July 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717024540/http://espn.go.com/espy2003/s/2003/0701/1575429.html|archive-date=July 17, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Anti-war Stance ==
The September 25, 2005 edition of the '']'' newspaper reported that Tillman held views which were anti-war and did not personally support ]'s re-election. According to Tillman's mother, a friend of Tillman's had arranged a meeting with ], to take place after his return from Afghanistan. The article also reports that Tillman urged a soldier in his platoon to vote for ] in the ].


==Aftermath and legacy==
==Controversial criticisms==
===Questions surrounding Tillman's death===
] in ]. The plaque that was initially displayed inaccurately stated Tillman was in an enemy ambush. The plaque has since been corrected to accurately reflect the circumstances surrounding Corporal Tillman's death.]]


A report described in '']'' on May 4, 2005, prepared at the request of Tillman's family by Brigadier General Gary M. Jones, revealed that in the days immediately following Tillman's death, Army investigators were aware that Tillman had been killed by friendly fire, shot three times in the head at less than 10 yards away, according to Army doctors.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301502.html|title=Army Withheld Details About Tillman's Death|last=White|first=Josh|newspaper=] |date=May 4, 2005|access-date=September 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170724212512/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301502.html|archive-date=July 24, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/07/01/afghan.probe/ |work=CNN |title=U.S. military probes soldier's death |date=July 1, 2006 |access-date=July 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109222623/http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/07/01/afghan.probe/ |archive-date=November 9, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Jones reported that senior Army commanders, including General ], knew of this fact within days of the shooting, but nevertheless approved the awarding of the ], ], and a posthumous promotion to the rank of ].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://militarytimes.com/valor/army-cpl-patrick-d-tillman/263007/ |title=Army Cpl. Patrick D. Tillman&nbsp;– Honor The Fallen&nbsp;– Honoring those who fought and died in Iraq and Afghanistan |publisher=Military Times |access-date=October 23, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329013913/http://militarytimes.com/valor/army-cpl-patrick-d-tillman/263007 |archive-date=March 29, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>
In a column published on ] ] in the ] student newspaper, ], a graduate student, wrote that Tillman got what he deserved for being a "macho man". The student later apologized after a barrage of adverse national media coverage.


Lieutenant General ] approved the ] citation on April 28, 2004, which gave a detailed account of Tillman's death including the phrase "in the line of devastating enemy fire," but the next day he sent a P4 confidential memo warning senior government members that Tillman might actually have been killed by friendly fire.<ref>{{cite news|title=General's memo voiced doubts in Tillman's death|author=Scott Lindlaw|author2=Martha Mendoza|agency=Associated Press|date=August 4, 2007|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/03/AR2007080301868.html|via=WashingtonPost.com|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109101528/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/03/AR2007080301868.html|archivedate=November 9, 2012|accessdate=January 19, 2022}}</ref> Senior commanders within the U.S. Central Command, including former Commander of the ] (CENTCOM) General John Abizaid, were notified by the P4 memo,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna20113601|title=Full text of Tillman memo to top generals|website=] |date=August 4, 2007 }}</ref> which described Tillman's "highly possible" ], four days before Tillman's nationally televised memorial service during which he was lauded as a war hero for dying while engaging the enemy.<ref>{{Cite news|title=New questions raised over timing of Army's disclosure of killing by friendly fire|author=Robert Collier|website=San Francisco Chronicle|date=April 11, 2007|url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/THE-DEATH-OF-PAT-TILLMAN-New-questions-raised-2603205.php|access-date=January 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525103831/http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/04/11/MNGAVP6GKF1.DTL|archive-date=May 25, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=krakauertillmanbeast>{{cite web|title=Gen. McChrystal's Credibility Problem|work=The Daily Beast|first=Jon|last=Krakauer|date=October 14, 2009|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/gen-mcchrystals-credibility-problem|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100419224437/http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-14/gen-mcchrystals-credibility-problem/|archive-date=April 19, 2010|access-date=October 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
A ], 2004 strip by far left-wing political cartoonist ] distributed by ] portrayed Tillman as a misled "idiot" who had enlisted to "kill Arabs". A year later, in another cartoon dated ] ], under the titles "Here's where we'll get more troops" and "Reanimate dead soldiers", a ] shouts to a uniformed living dead, "And duck the friendly fire this time, soldier Zombie." Later, after claims of Tillman's purported privately held antiwar sentiments became public, Rall said he was wrong to have made such assumptions about Tillman's motives.


Jones reported that members of Tillman's unit burned his ] and uniform in an apparent attempt to hide the fact that he was killed by friendly fire.<ref name="armyWithheld">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301502.html |title=Army Withheld Details About Tillman's Death:Investigator Quickly Learned 'Friendly Fire' Killed Athlete |author=Josh White |newspaper=The Washington Post |page=A-3 |date=May 4, 2005 |access-date=November 23, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013144208/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/03/AR2005050301502.html |archive-date=October 13, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> His notebook, in which, according to author ], Tillman had recorded some of his thoughts on Afghanistan, was also burned; "a blatant violation of protocol."<ref name="coverup">{{Cite news |url=http://www.alternet.org/world/142692/inside_pat_tillman's_life,_and_the_bush_administration's_cover-up_of_his_death/?page=entire |title=Inside Pat Tillman's Life, and the Bush Administration's Cover-Up of His Death |author=Sarah Seltzer |work=Alternet |date=September 17, 2009 |access-date=September 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101029145723/http://www.alternet.org/world/142692/inside_pat_tillman%27s_life%2C_and_the_bush_administration%27s_cover-up_of_his_death/?page=entire |archive-date=October 29, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Several soldiers were punished for their actions by being removed from the ]. Jones believed that Tillman should retain his medals and promotion, since, according to Jones, he intended to engage the enemy and behaved heroically.<ref name="armyWithheld"/>
]


Tillman's family was not informed of the finding that he was killed by friendly fire until weeks after his memorial service, although at least some senior Army officers knew of that fact prior to the service.<ref name="armyWithheld"/> According to ] in his book '']'', the extensive coverup that followed Tillman's death included the military's order to Tillman's comrades to lie to his family at the funeral.<ref name="coverup"/> Tillman's parents have sharply criticized the Army's handling of the incident; Tillman's mother believed that "this lie was to cover their image,"<ref name="tillmansParents">{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/22/AR2005052200865_pf.html |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=Tillman's Parents Are Critical Of Army |author=Josh White |date=May 23, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080516052644/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/22/AR2005052200865.html |archive-date=May 16, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> while Tillman's father believed that the Army "purposely interfered in the investigation" because of the effect it could have on their recruiting efforts.
==Legacy==
After his death, the Pat Tillman Foundation was established to carry forward Tillman's legacy by inspiring and supporting those striving for positive change in themselves and the world around them. A highway bypass around the Hoover Dam will have a bridge bearing Tillman's name. When completed in 2008, the ] will span the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona.


{{blockquote |After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this. They purposely interfered with the investigation; they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their ].<ref name="tillmansParents"/>}}
The Cardinals retired his number ] and Arizona State did the same for the number ] he wore with the Sun Devils. The Cardinals said they will also name the plaza surrounding their ], currently under construction in the Phoenix suburb of ], "Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza."


He also blamed high-ranking Army officers for presenting "outright lies" to Tillman's family and to the public.<ref name = "tillmansParents"/>
Pat Tillman's high school, ] in San Jose, California, also renamed their football field after him.

On March 4, 2006, the U.S. Defense Department Inspector General directed the Army to open a criminal investigation of Tillman's death. The Army's Criminal Investigative Division was to determine whether Tillman's death was the result of negligent homicide.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/04/tillman/index.html |work=CNN |title=Army to open criminal probe of Tillman death |access-date=May 21, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504182128/http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/04/tillman/index.html |archive-date=May 4, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

On March 26, 2007, the Pentagon released their report on the events surrounding Tillman's death and coverup. The report reads in part:

{{blockquote |... we emphasize that all investigators established the basic facts of CPL Tillman's death&nbsp;– that it was caused by friendly fire, that the occupants of one vehicle in CPL Tillman's platoon were responsible, and that circumstances on the ground caused those occupants to misidentify friendly forces as hostile. None of the investigations suggested that CPL Tillman's death was anything other than accidental. Our review, as well as the investigation recently completed by Army CID, obtained no evidence contrary to those key findings.<ref name="IGR">{{Citation|url=http://www.defenselink.mil/home/pdf/Tillman_Redacted_Web_0307.pdf|publisher=Office of the Inspector General|title=Review of matters related to the death of Specialist Patrick Tillman|date=March 28, 2006|access-date=August 2, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809030538/http://www.defenselink.mil/home/pdf/Tillman_Redacted_Web_0307.pdf|archive-date=August 9, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref>}}

Tillman's brother Kevin testified before the ] that: <blockquote>The deception surrounding this Tillman case was an insult to the family: but more importantly, its primary purpose was to deceive a whole nation. We say these things with disappointment and sadness for our country. Once again, we have been used as props in a Pentagon public relations exercise.<ref name="mercuryNews">{{cite news |url=http://origin.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_5527484 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015225721/http://origin.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_5527484 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 15, 2007 |title=Family blasts latest investigation of Pat Tillman's friendly fire death as "shamefully unacceptable" |author=Julia Prodis Sulek |author2=Frank Davies |date=March 26, 2007|work=San Jose Mercury News }}</ref></blockquote>

After Kevin's testimony, ], acting ], stated to reporters, "We as an Army failed in our duty to the Tillman family, the duty we owe to all the families of our fallen soldiers: give them the truth, the best we know it, as fast as we can."<ref name="mercuryNews"/>

Tillman's notebook/diary was never returned to his family, and its whereabouts are not publicly known.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Monica Davey |author2=Eric Schmitt |title=2 Years After Soldier's Death, Family's Battle Is With Army |work=The New York Times |date=March 21, 2006 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/21/politics/21tillman.html?ei=5090&en=fccabd7478e61e52&ex=1300597200&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1185554875-gZxiz4QfsOk2xD0BdXVNIg |access-date=February 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426095941/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/21/politics/21tillman.html?ei=5090&en=fccabd7478e61e52&ex=1300597200&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1185554875-gZxiz4QfsOk2xD0BdXVNIg |archive-date=April 26, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>

One investigation of the autopsy report and photographs by two forensic pathologists in November 2006 concluded that Tillman was most likely killed as a result of fire from a ]. The M249 uses the same ] as the M16 rifle and M4 carbine, but is capable of higher rates of fire. This would allow a competent user to place three bullets within a several-inch target from 40 or 50 yards away, even from a moving vehicle.<ref name="Krakauer, Jon 2009 Page 317"/>

On July 26, 2007, ] reported on '']'' that Tillman's death may have been a case of deliberate murder by Tillman's fellow soldiers&nbsp;– specifically that the bullet holes were tight and neat, suggesting a shot at close range. Matthews based his speculation on a report from the doctors who examined Tillman's body. The following day the ] reported that a doctor who examined Tillman's body after his death wrote, "The medical evidence did not match up with the scenario as described",<ref name="newDetails">{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-26-tillman-friendly-fire_N.htm |title=AP: New Details on Tillman's Death |author=Mendoza, Martha |agency=Associated Press |date=July 27, 2007 |access-date=July 27, 2007 |work=USA Today |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090525150300/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-07-26-tillman-friendly-fire_N.htm |archive-date=May 25, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> also noting that the wound entrances appeared as though he had been shot with an ] from fewer than {{convert|10|yd|m}} away. A possible motive was not identified. When officers and soldiers were asked during a criminal investigation, they said they were certain the shooting was accidental. According to one of his fellow soldiers, Tillman "was popular among his fellow soldiers and had no enemies."<ref name="newDetails"/><ref name="family demands the truth"/>

In addition, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Associated Press, the Defense Department released 2,300 pages of documents which were reported to indicate:<ref name="newDetails"/>
* There has never been evidence of enemy fire found on the scene, and no members of Tillman's group had been hit by enemy fire.
* The three-star general who withheld details of Tillman's death from his parents for a number of months told investigators approximately 70 times that he had a bad memory and could not recall details of his actions.
* Army attorneys sent each other congratulatory e-mails for keeping criminal investigators at bay as the Army conducted an internal friendly-fire investigation that resulted in administrative, or non-criminal, punishments.
* Army doctors told the investigators that Tillman's wounds suggested murder because "the medical evidence did not match-up with the scenario as described."<ref name="newDetails"/>

===Congressional inquiries===
On April 24, 2007, Specialist Bryan O'Neal, the last soldier known to see Pat Tillman alive, testified before the ] that he was warned by superiors not to divulge information that a fellow soldier killed Tillman, especially to the Tillman family. Later, Pat Tillman's brother Kevin Tillman, who was also in the convoy traveling behind his brother at the time of the 2004 incident in Afghanistan but did not witness it, testified that the ] tried to spin his brother's death to deflect attention from emerging failings in the Afghan war.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/24/tillman.hearing/index.html |title=Soldier: Army ordered me not to tell truth about Tillman |work=CNN |date=April 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070427145123/http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/24/tillman.hearing/index.html |archive-date=April 27, 2007 |access-date=May 21, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On July 13, 2007, ] and ], the leading members of the ], revealed that the Bush administration and the Pentagon had withheld key documents relating to Tillman's death and denied any new document release request from Congress citing ].<ref>{{cite news | author = Lindlaw, Scott | url = http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TILLMAN_FRIENDLY_FIRE?SITE=WDBO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT | title = Panel Demands Records on Tillman's Death | agency = Associated Press | date = July 13, 2007 | access-date = August 18, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070713213002/http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/T/TILLMAN_FRIENDLY_FIRE?SITE=WDBO&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT | archive-date = July 13, 2007 | url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=White, Josh|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/13/AR2007071301929.html|title=White House Denies Request for Documents in Ex-NFL Player's Death|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=July 14, 2007|access-date=August 18, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829233527/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/13/AR2007071301929.html|archive-date=August 29, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/opinion/27fri2.html | title = Seeking the Truth About Pat Tillman | website = The New York Times | date = July 27, 2007 | access-date = August 18, 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150605100903/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/27/opinion/27fri2.html | archive-date = June 5, 2015 | url-status=live}}</ref>

On August 13, 2007, the ] reported that on behalf of ], 20 U.S. military veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan asked the NFL commissioner, ], to help secure the release of all documents relating to the death of Pat Tillman.<ref>{{Cite news|agency =Associated Press|title =Iraq war vets suggests NFL, union get involved in Tillman probe|work =ESPN.com|date =August 13, 2007|url =http://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2973297|access-date =September 30, 2017|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20171001031539/http://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2973297|archive-date =October 1, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070814183045/http://www.votevets.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336&Itemid=101|archive-date=August 14, 2007|title=Veterans Letter to the NFL and NFL Players Association|publisher=VoteVets|access-date=September 30, 2017|url=http://www.votevets.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=336&Itemid=101|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On July 14, 2008, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a proposed report titled "Misleading Information from the Battlefield: The Tillman and Lynch Episodes".<ref>{{cite web| author = House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform| author-link = United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform| title = Misleading Information from the Battlefield: The Tillman and Lynch Episodes | publisher = ]| date = July 14, 2008| url = http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070517170253.pdf| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070530191210/http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070517170253.pdf| archive-date = May 30, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news| last = Seibel| first = Mark| title = Bush officials' 'lack of recall' thwarted Tillman, Lynch probes| newspaper = ]| date = July 14, 2008| url = http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/world/article24491197.html| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080717054658/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/44191.html| archive-date = July 17, 2008| url-status=live}}</ref> The committee stated that its "investigation was frustrated by a near universal lack of recall" among "senior officials at the White House" and the military. It concluded: <blockquote>The pervasive lack of recollection and absence of specific information makes it impossible for the Committee to assign responsibility for the misinformation in Specialist Tillman's and ]'s cases. It is clear, however, that the Defense Department did not meet its most basic obligations in sharing accurate information with the families and with the American public.</blockquote>

===Memorials and tributes===
After his death, family and friends of Tillman including his widow Marie Tillman established the ] to carry forward Tillman's legacy by inspiring and supporting those striving for positive change in themselves and the world. Marie would serve as executive director and then chair of the board.

A highway bypass around the ] has a bridge bearing Tillman's name. Completed in October 2010, the ] spans the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona.

] has established the Pat Tillman Scholarship in honor of Tillman.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sentinel |first=Santa Cruz |date=October 14, 2015 |title=Milpitas resident receives law degree |url=https://www.santacruzsentinel.com/2015/10/14/milpitas-resident-receives-law-degree/ |access-date=October 6, 2024 |website=Santa Cruz Sentinel |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-10-14 |title=Milpitas resident receives law degree |url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2015/10/14/milpitas-resident-receives-law-degree/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170504104214/http://www.mercurynews.com/2015/10/14/milpitas-resident-receives-law-degree/ |archive-date=May 4, 2017 |access-date=2024-10-06 |website=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}</ref> Tillman's father earned his Juris Doctor from Lincoln in 1983.

On Sunday, September 19, 2004, all teams of the NFL wore a memorial decal on their helmets in honor of Tillman. The Arizona Cardinals continued to wear this decal throughout the 2004 season. Former Cardinals quarterback ] requested to also wear the decal for the entire season, but the NFL turned him down, saying his helmet would not be uniform with the rest of the ]. Plummer later grew a full beard and his hair long in honor of Tillman, who had such a style in the NFL before cutting his hair and shaving his beard off to fit military uniform guidelines.

]

The Cardinals retired his number 40, and Arizona State did the same for the number 42 he wore with the Sun Devils. The Cardinals have named the plaza surrounding their ] in ] Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza. Later, on November 12, 2006, during a Cardinals game versus the Cowboys, a bronze statue was revealed in his honor. ASU also named the football locker room entryway to ] the "Pat Tillman Memorial Tunnel" and made a "PT-42" patch that they place on the neck of their uniforms as a permanent feature. In 2011, Pat Tillman Veteran's Center in the lower level of the Memorial Union opened on the Tempe campus.<ref>{{cite news |author=Kharli Mandeville |url=http://www.statepress.com/2011/08/16/pat-tillman-veterans-center-opens-in-memorial-union/ |title=Pat Tillman Veterans Center opens in Memorial Union &#124; ASU News &#124; The State Press &#124; Arizona State University |publisher=The State Press |date=August 16, 2011 |access-date=May 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714201017/http://www.statepress.com/2011/08/16/pat-tillman-veterans-center-opens-in-memorial-union/ |archive-date=July 14, 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> Before the 2013 season, the Tillman Tunnel was renovated with new graphics and signage. Double doors separate the locker room from the tunnel, and a television with a sound system displays Tillman's career highlights. The gate which opens to the field features an image of Pat Tillman facing the field, looking as if he is leading the team out.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thesundevils.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30300&ATCLID=209251077 |title=Tillman Tunnel Undergoes Improvements |publisher=Arizona State Sun Devils |date=April 3, 2014 |access-date=May 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012090029/http://www.thesundevils.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=30300&ATCLID=209251077 |archive-date=October 12, 2013 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

On Saturday, April 15, 2005, 5,000 participants turned out for the inaugural Pat's Run (which has become the annual fundraising event for the Pat Tillman Foundation) in ]. The racers traveled along the {{convert|4.2|mi|km|1|adj=on}} course around ] to the finish line, on the 42-yard line of ] in order to commemorate the number which Tillman wore as a Sun Devil and which was later retired in his honor. A second race took place in ]. Sponsored by the Pat Tillman Foundation, Pat's Run has continued to grow every year, with more than 28,000 attendees in April 2019.<ref>{{cite news |title=Thousands pack Tempe for 15th annual Pat's Run |url=https://www.azfamily.com/promotions/pats_run/thousands-pack-tempe-for-th-annual-pat-s-run/article_80229356-6901-11e9-8e31-376065d94c79.html|website=AZFamily.com|date=April 27, 2019|access-date=November 15, 2019}}</ref> Various "honor runs", in locations such as ], take place around the country at the same time as Pat's Run and are supported by Arizona State University's Alumni Association.

In 2004, the NFL donated $250,000 to the ] to build a USO center in memory of Tillman. The Pat Tillman USO Center, the first USO center in Afghanistan, opened on ] on April 1, 2005.<ref>{{cite news|last=Landers|first=Jim|title=Tillman's Legacy Lives On At Center|work=]|date=January 18, 2009|page=22}}</ref> As of 2019, the NFL continues to support the Pat Tillman Foundation through its Salute to Service campaign honoring United States military service members along with other military and veteran nonprofits.<ref>{{cite news|title=NFL Salute to Service|url=http://www.nfl.com/salute|date=November 15, 2019}}</ref>

The song "]" by ], released March 14th, 2006, was written largely about Tillman.

The ] renamed its annual defensive player-of-the-year award in football to the ].<ref>{{cite press release |publisher=] |title=Pac-10 Names Award for Pat Tillman |date=June 8, 2004 |url=http://pac-10.org/News/tabid/863/Article/52096/pac-10-names-award-for-pat-tillman.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120401132201/http://www.pac-12.org/ |archive-date=April 1, 2012 |quote=The Pac-10 has renamed its annual defensive player of the year award in football the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year Award, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.}}</ref>

] Tillman was close to the ] border, near the village of Lwara in ], Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b/hotzone/blogs2908 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080405221321/http://hotzone.yahoo.com/b/hotzone/blogs2908 |archive-date=April 5, 2008 |title=The Last Outpost}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/22/opinion/afghanistan-us-tough-love/index.html|title=U.S. withdrawal is 'tough love' for disbelieving Afghans - CNN.com|author=Douglas Wissing, Special for|website=CNN|date=January 22, 2013|access-date=June 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627080528/http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/22/opinion/afghanistan-us-tough-love/index.html|archive-date=June 27, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

Tillman's high school, ] in San Jose, renamed its football field after him. In ], an unincorporated community adjacent to San Jose, where Tillman grew up, a memorial was constructed near the ]. This memorial was dedicated in September 2007 during the annual New Almaden Day celebration.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mercurynews.com/valley/ci_6543559 |title=Memorial to honor Pat Tillman, a kid New Almaden knew well|work=San Jose Mercury News|date=August 4, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Horii |first=Ronald |work=New Almaden Day |url=http://www.newalmaden.org/AQSPark/NewAlmadenDay07/NAD07-3.html |title=Pat Tillman Memorial Dedication |publisher=Newalmaden.org |date=September 8, 2007 |access-date=April 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120626175730/http://www.newalmaden.org/AQSPark/NewAlmadenDay07/NAD07-3.html |archive-date=June 26, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> In ], the ] named a middle school in 2018 after Tillman.<ref>{{cite web|last=Klapper|first=Clayton|url=https://www.abc15.com/news/region-phoenix-metro/central-phoenix/pat-tillman-elementary-school-phoenix-school-to-be-named-after-pat-tillman|title=Pat Tillman Middle School: Phoenix school named after Pat Tillman
|access-date=August 27, 2019|date=April 17, 2018}}</ref>

The skateboarding ] featured on ] and in an ] ] commercial was named after Tillman.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wygt6L_3L5Y |title=Tillman the Skateboarding Bulldog |work=YouTube |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715211808/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wygt6L_3L5Y |archive-date=July 15, 2015 }}</ref>

Two books about Tillman were published in 2009. ], author of '']'' and '']'', chronicles Tillman's story in '']'', published by Doubleday on September 15. Meanwhile, Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, also wrote a book about her son, '']'', which was released in April 2008.

Following Tillman's death, Ohio State Linebackers consisting of ], ], and ], as well as center ], grew their hair in tribute, imitating Tillman's trademark locks.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/draft/2006-03-08-osu-lb-feature_x.htm | title=Lot of bang from the Buckeyes | work=USA Today | first1=Jim | last1=Corbett | date=March 7, 2006 | access-date=May 21, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116032116/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/draft/2006-03-08-osu-lb-feature_x.htm | archive-date=November 16, 2010 | url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2008, Rory Fanning, a fellow Army Ranger who was stationed with Tillman in Fort Lewis, Washington, began his "Walk for Pat", a walk across the United States in an effort to raise money and awareness for the Pat Tillman Foundation. The stated fundraising goal is $3.6 million, the value of the contract Tillman turned down when he decided to enlist in the military.

The Arizona State University Sun Devils football team wore special uniforms made by Adidas to honor Tillman and his career on October 29, 2015, when they faced the Oregon Ducks. All proceeds from the uniforms went to the Pat Tillman Foundation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Arizona State uniforms will honor former Sun Devil Pat Tillman|url=https://www.espn.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/93947/arizona-state-unveils-pat-tillman-themed-uniforms|website=ESPN|date=October 29, 2015|access-date=October 29, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151030020601/http://espn.go.com/blog/pac12/post/_/id/93947/arizona-state-unveils-pat-tillman-themed-uniforms|archive-date=October 30, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

], which was played in Arizona where he played collegiately and professionally, was dedicated to Tillman. Four Tillman Foundation Scholars performed the ceremonial ].<ref>{{cite web|title=This year's Super Bowl coin toss will honor Pat Tillman|url=https://www.12news.com/article/sports/nfl/superbowl/super-bowl-coin-toss-will-honor-pat-tillman/75-bdc5474d-992c-46b5-abde-b74a9daa2373|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230204014609/https://www.12news.com/article/sports/nfl/superbowl/super-bowl-coin-toss-will-honor-pat-tillman/75-bdc5474d-992c-46b5-abde-b74a9daa2373|website=12 News|date=February 2, 2023 |access-date=February 2, 2023| archive-date=February 4, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Criticisms===
After reports of Tillman's anti-war views became public, ], who had previously written a comic calling Tillman a "fool" and "idiot", said that he was wrong to have assumed Tillman to be a "right wing poster child" when Tillman regarded the invasion of Iraq as illegal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tedrall.com/2005_10_01_archive.html#112880323465427889 |title=Pat Tillman Redux |author=Ted Rall |date=October 8, 2005 |access-date=July 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070918120108/http://www.tedrall.com/2005_10_01_archive.html#112880323465427889 |archive-date=September 18, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="family demands the truth">{{Cite news|title=Family demands the truth: new inquiry may expose events that led to Pat Tillman's death|access-date=September 24, 2017|date=September 25, 2005|author=Robert Collier|website=San Francisco Chronicle|url=http://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/FAMILY-DEMANDS-THE-TRUTH-New-inquiry-may-expose-2567400.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051231015231/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2005%2F09%2F25%2FMNGD7ETMNM1.DTL|archive-date=December 31, 2005|url-status=live}}</ref>

Then-Lieutenant Colonel ], Regimental Executive Officer at ] on Khost, Afghanistan, under which Tillman was serving at the time of his death, and led the second investigation into Tillman's death, made statements about the Tillman family's search for the truth based on Tillman's ]. In comments to ], Kauzlarich said: "These people have a hard time letting it go. It may be because of their religious beliefs" and "When you die, I mean, there is supposedly a better life, right? Well, if you are an atheist and you don't believe in anything, if you die, what is there to go to? Nothing. You are worm dirt. So for their son to die for nothing and now he is no more ... I do not know how an atheist thinks, I can only imagine that would be pretty tough."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060728_worm_dirt/ |title=Playing the Atheism Card Against Pat Tillman's Family |author=Stan Goff |date=July 28, 2006 |access-date=July 28, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070819010955/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060728_worm_dirt/ |archive-date=August 19, 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Kauzlarich conducted the second investigation into Tillman's death which lasted a week, from May 8 to 15, 2004.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.espn.com/espn/eticket/story?page=tillmantimeline&redirected=true |title=Pat Tillman Timeline |author=Mike Fish |date=Spring 2006 |access-date=July 31, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925162028/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=tillmantimeline |archive-date=September 25, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> Brigadier General Rodney Johnson, the Commanding General of the United States Army Criminal Investigations Command, testified before Congress that he found these statements "totally unacceptable". Acting Department of Defense Inspector General Thomas Gimble also testified that he was "shocked" that Lieutenant Colonel Kauzlarich would make these statements.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070517170253.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070530191210/http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070517170253.pdf |archive-date=May 30, 2007 |title=Letter to General Ham |author=Henry Waxman|author2=Tom Davis|date=May 16, 2007}}</ref> According to AP analysis, three lower-level officers are expected to be punished, and Kauzlarich may be one of the three. Tillman's mother continues to reject the Pentagon's characterization of the officers' offenses as "errors" in reporting Tillman's death, because several officers have said they made conscious decisions not to tell the Tillman family that friendly fire was suspected.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-07-26-tillman_N.htm |title=Report: General faces demotion in Tillman case |agency=Associated Press |date=July 26, 2007 |access-date=July 31, 2007 |work=USA Today |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080124141003/http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2007-07-26-tillman_N.htm |archive-date=January 24, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Media analyses===
Reviews by '']'' reporter ] of ]'s book '']'' noted that the book did well to compile the facts and "nauseating" details regarding the coverup of Tillman's death. "After Tillman's death, Army commanders violated many of their own rules, not to mention elementary standards of decency, to turn the killing into a propaganda coup for the American side," Filkins wrote.<ref name="The Good Soldier">{{Cite news |last=Filkins |first=Dexter |title=The Good Soldier |date=September 8, 2009 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/books/review/Filkins-t.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=June 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927235412/http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/books/review/Filkins-t.html |archive-date=September 27, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

A documentary film, '']'', was shown at the ] on January 23, 2010, and was released in August 2010.<ref name=TTSImdb>{{IMDb title|1568334|The Tillman Story}}</ref>

On October 19, 2006, Kevin Tillman broke his silence about his brother's death, lashing out at the Iraq War (and ] in general) in a 660-word essay published on ], a progressive online journal of news and opinion.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tillman |first=Kevin |date=October 19, 2006 |title=After Pat's Birthday |url=https://www.truthdig.com/articles/after-pats-birthday/ |work=Truthdig.com |access-date=October 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020184633/http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/200601019_after_pats_birthday/ |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> The essay was widely distributed and was cited in ''The New York Times'' and Associated Press.<ref>{{cite news |last=Archibold |first=Randal C. |date=October 24, 2006 |title=Brother of N.F.L. Star Posts Antiwar Essay |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/washington/24tillman.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=October 23, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515043856/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/washington/24tillman.html |archive-date=May 15, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Tillman was an ].<ref>{{cite web|author=Holden, Stephen|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/movies/20tillman.html|title=When Heroism Means Finding Truth|work=]|date=August 20, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111028035322/http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/movies/20tillman.html|archive-date=October 28, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Ordoňa, Michael|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-18-la-et-tillman-story-20100818-story.html|title=Shadowy Truth: Getting to the truth of Pat Tillman's death|work=]|date=August 18, 2010|page=D-6|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100825210624/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-tillman-story-20100818,0,2500845.story|archive-date=August 25, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Mondello, Bob|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129235553|title='The Tillman Story': One Family's Quest For The Truth|publisher=]|date=August 19, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820104043/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129235553|archive-date=August 20, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Pat Tillman's Atheism |url=https://michaelshermer.com/2011/09/pat-tillmans-atheism/ |website=MichaelShermer.com|date=September 13, 2011 }}</ref> According to speakers at his funeral, he was very well-read, having read a number of religious texts including the ], ], and the ], as well as ] authors such as ] and ]. However, responding to religious overtones at the funeral by ] and ], his youngest brother, Richard, said, "Just make no mistake, he'd want me to say this: He's not with God, he's fucking dead, he's not religious." Richard added, "Thanks for your thoughts, but he's fuckin' dead."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Bill Maher interviews brother of Afghanistan 'hero' Pat Tillman |date=September 27, 2010 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2010/sep/27/bill-maher-richard-tillman |location=London |work=The Guardian |access-date=February 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150115133840/http://www.theguardian.com/science/punctuated-equilibrium/2010/sep/27/bill-maher-richard-tillman |archive-date=January 15, 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref> Another article quotes Tillman as having told then-general manager of the ], ], in December 2003, "You know I'm not religious."<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2005-04-16-tillman-opportunity_x.htm |work=The Arizona Republic |title=Fallen Ranger Tillman turned down NFL overtures for 2004 season |first=Dan |last=Bickley |date=April 16, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511105550/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2005-04-16-tillman-opportunity_x.htm |archive-date=May 11, 2008 |access-date=May 21, 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The September 25, 2005, edition of the '']'' newspaper reported that Tillman held views which were critical of the Iraq War. According to Tillman's mother, a friend of Tillman had arranged a meeting for Tillman with author ], a prominent critic of American foreign and military policy, to take place after his return from Afghanistan.<ref name="family demands the truth"/>

==See also==
* '']''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book
| last = Krakauer
| first = Jon
| year = 2009
| title = ]
| publisher = Doubleday (September 15, 2009)
| isbn = 978-0-385-52226-7
}}
* {{Cite book
| last = Tillman
| first = Mary
| author2 = Narda Zacchino
| year = 2008
| title = Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman
| publisher = Modern Times
| isbn = 978-1-59486-880-1
| url = https://archive.org/details/bootsongroundbyd00till
}}
* {{Cite book
| last = Tillman
| first = Mary
| author2 = Narda Zacchino
| year = 2010
| title = ]
| publisher = Blurb, Inc.
}}
* {{Cite book
| last = Towle
| first = Mike
| year = 2004
| title = I've got things to do with my life: the making of an American hero
| publisher = Triumph Books
| isbn = 978-1-572-43708-1
| url = https://archive.org/details/ivegotthingstodo00mike
}}


==External links== ==External links==
{{Commons category|Pat Tillman}}
*
*{{Footballstats |nfl=Pat-Tillman
* , '']'', ], ]
|espn=1605 |yahoo=4455 |si=4455 |pfr=T/TillPa20}}
*{{cfbhof|id=2306|name=Pat Tillman}}
* *
{{Prone to spam|date=November 2014}}
*
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*

*http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-blumenthal/a-coverup-at-the-highest_b_7878.html
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Latest revision as of 02:48, 19 December 2024

American football player and soldier (1976–2004)

Pat Tillman
Tillman in 2003 as a specialist
Birth namePatrick Daniel Tillman Jr.
Nickname(s)"Pat"
Born(1976-11-06)November 6, 1976
Fremont, California, U.S.
DiedApril 22, 2004(2004-04-22) (aged 27)
Spera, Afghanistan
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branchUnited States Army
Years of service2002–2004
RankCorporal (posthumous)
Unit2nd Ranger Battalion
75th Ranger Regiment
Battles / warsIraq War
War in Afghanistan 
AwardsSilver Star
Purple Heart
Meritorious Service Medal
Spouse(s)Marie Ugenti
American football player
American football career
No. 40
Position:Safety
Personal information
Height:5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight:202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High school:Leland (San Jose, California)
College:Arizona State (1994–1997)
NFL draft:1998 / round: 7 / pick: 226
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Interceptions:3
Total tackles:374
Forced fumbles:3
Fumble recoveries:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference
College Football Hall of Fame

Patrick Daniel Tillman Jr. (November 6, 1976 – April 22, 2004) was an American professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL) who left his sports career and enlisted in the United States Army Special Operations in May 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. His service in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as his subsequent death, received national attention, especially so when it was discovered he had been killed by friendly fire.

Tillman played college football for the Arizona State Sun Devils, earning first-team All-American honors in 1997. After four seasons in the NFL, Tillman joined the Army Rangers and served several combat tours before he was killed in the mountains of Afghanistan. At first, the army reported that Tillman had been killed by enemy fire. A month later, on May 28, 2004, the Pentagon notified the Tillman family that he was actually killed by fire from his own side. The family and other critics allege that the Department of Defense delayed the disclosure until weeks after Tillman's memorial service out of a desire to protect the image of the U.S. military. In 2007, the Pentagon released a report ruling Tillman's death as accidental.

Tillman was posthumously promoted from specialist to corporal. He also posthumously received the Silver Star and Purple Heart medals.

Early life and education

Tillman was born on November 6, 1976, in Fremont, California, the son of Mary (Spalding) and Patrick Kevin Tillman. The oldest of three sons, with Kevin and Richard as the other two, Tillman played competitive football. He went to Bret Harte Middle School and helped lead Leland High School to the Central Coast Division I Football Championship. Tillman did not always play football. In his freshman year of high school, he was catcher for his baseball team, but did not make the varsity team. In his sophomore year he decided to concentrate on football. Tillman then went to Arizona State University on a football scholarship.

Tillman was very close to his family and high school friends. He repeatedly mentioned in his personal journals during wartime service that he drew strength from and deeply valued his closest friendships, parents, wife and family. Tillman was very committed to his high school sweetheart, Marie Ugenti, whom he married shortly before his enlistment in the Army. He also was very close with his brother, Kevin, who enlisted with and served alongside him.

College career

He started his college career as a linebacker for Arizona State University in 1994, when he secured the last remaining scholarship for the team. Tillman excelled as a linebacker at Arizona State, despite being relatively small for the position at 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) tall. As a junior, he helped his team go undefeated that season as well as helping them make it to the Rose Bowl that year. In 1997, he was voted the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. In the same year, Tillman was also named Arizona State's MVP.

Tillman majored in marketing and graduated in three and a half years with a 3.85 GPA. He also earned many academic awards including: the Clyde B. Smith Academic Award in 1996 and 1997; the Sporting News Honda Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1997; and the 1998 Sun Angel Student Athlete of Year. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010, and was also posthumously inducted into the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.

Professional career

Arizona Cardinals

Tillman's Arizona Cardinals jersey on display alongside his military jacket and other items at the NFL Experience during Super Bowl XLVI.

In the 1998 NFL draft, Tillman was selected as the 226th pick by the Arizona Cardinals, and given a signing bonus of just $21,000 (equivalent to $39,256 in 2023). Tillman moved over to play the safety position in the NFL and started ten of 16 games in his rookie season.

At one point in his NFL career, Tillman turned down a five-year, $9 million contract offer from the St. Louis Rams out of loyalty to the Cardinals.

Sports Illustrated football writer Paul Zimmerman named Tillman to his 2000 NFL All-Pro team after Tillman finished with 155 tackles (118 solo), 1.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 9 pass deflections, and 1 interception for 30 yards.

Tillman finished his career with totals of 340 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 interceptions for 37 yards, 3 forced fumbles, 15 pass deflections, and 3 fumble recoveries in 60 career games. In addition, he also had 1 rush attempt for 4 yards and returned 3 kickoffs for 33 yards.

In May 2002, eight months after the September 11 attacks, and after completing the 15 remaining games of the 2001 season which followed the attacks, Tillman turned down a contract offer of $3.6 million ($6 million in 2023) over three years from the Cardinals to enlist in the U.S. Army.

Military career and death

Tillman and his brother Kevin enlisted on May 31, 2002. In September 2002, they completed basic training together. The two brothers completed the Ranger Assessment & Selection Program in late 2002 and were assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion in Fort Lewis, Washington. Tillman resided in University Place with his wife before being deployed to Iraq. After participating in the initial invasion of Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, in September 2003, he entered Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia; he graduated on November 28, 2003.

Tillman was subsequently deployed to Afghanistan, and posted at FOB Salerno. On April 22, 2004, he was initially reported to have been killed by enemy combatants. An Afghan Militia Force allied soldier, Sayed Farhad, was also killed in the action. Tillman's platoon leader, First Lieutenant David Uthlaut, and his radiotelephone operator (RTO), 19-year-old Jade Lane, were wounded in the incident. The Army initially claimed that Tillman and his unit were attacked in an apparent ambush on a road outside of the village of Spera about 25 miles (40 km) southwest of Khost, near the Pakistan border. It was not until after his burial that investigations by the Department of Defense and U.S. Congress were launched, eventually ruling his death as having come by friendly fire.

The Washington Post reported that prior to his death, Tillman called the invasion and occupation of Iraq "fucking illegal".

An investigation by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) concluded that Tillman and the Afghan militia soldier were killed by friendly fire when one part of his platoon fired upon the other in confusion, after nearby gunfire was mistakenly believed to be from enemy combatants. The CID Report summary, dated March 19, 2007, stated that:

... during their movement through the canyon road, Serial 2 was ambushed and became engaged in a running gun battle with enemy combatants. Serial 1 had just passed through the same canyon without incident and were approximately one kilometer ahead of Serial 2. Upon hearing explosions, gunfire, and sporadic radio communication from Serial 2, Serial 1 dismounted their vehicles and moved on foot, to a more advantageous position to provide overwatch and fire support for Serial 2's movement out of the ambush. Upon exiting the gorge, and despite attempts by Serial 1 to signal a "friendly position", occupants of the lead vehicle of Serial 2 opened fire on Tillman's position, where he was fatally shot.

The Army Special Operations Command initially claimed that there was an exchange with hostile forces. After a lengthy investigation conducted by Brigadier General Gary M. Jones, the U.S. Department of Defense concluded that both the Afghan militia soldier's and Tillman's deaths were due to friendly fire aggravated by the intensity of the firefight.

Tillman's mother testified before Congress, stating "The deception surrounding this case was an insult to the family, but more importantly, its primary purpose was to deceive a whole nation."

Awards and decorations

Silver Star Citation

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Corporal Patrick D. Tillman, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving with the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, during action in Afghanistan on 22 April 2004, against an armed enemy while serving as a Rifle Team Leader in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. Caught between the crossfire of an enemy near ambush, Corporal Tillman put himself in the line of devastating enemy fire as he maneuvered his fire team to a covered position from which they could effectively employ their weapons on known enemy positions. His audacious leadership and courageous example under fire inspired his men to fight at great risk to their own personal safety, resulting in the enemy's withdrawal, his platoon's safe passage from the ambush kill zone, and his mortal wound. Corporal Tillman's personal courage, tactical expertise, and professional competence directly contributed to his platoon's overall success and survival. In making the ultimate sacrifice for his team and platoon, Corporal Patrick D. Tillman reflected great credit upon himself, the Joint Task Force, and the United States Army.

Awards

 
 
Bronze oak leaf cluster 
Badge Combat Infantryman Badge
1st row Silver Star Purple Heart
2nd row Meritorious Service Medal Army Achievement Medal National Defense Service Medal
3rd row Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Army Service Ribbon
Badges Parachutist Badge
with 2nd Ranger Battalion trimming
Expert Marksmanship badge
with rifle component bar
badges 2nd Ranger Battalion
Combat Service Identification Badge
75th Ranger Regiment
Distinctive unit insignia
Ranger Tab
Unit citations Army Presidential Unit Citation
with 1 Oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award Army Superior Unit Award
with 2 Oak leaf clusters

In addition to his military awards, Tillman received the Arthur Ashe Courage Award from ESPN in 2003, as part of that year's ESPY Awards ceremony.

Aftermath and legacy

Questions surrounding Tillman's death

Tribute to Cpl Tillman at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia. The plaque that was initially displayed inaccurately stated Tillman was in an enemy ambush. The plaque has since been corrected to accurately reflect the circumstances surrounding Corporal Tillman's death.

A report described in The Washington Post on May 4, 2005, prepared at the request of Tillman's family by Brigadier General Gary M. Jones, revealed that in the days immediately following Tillman's death, Army investigators were aware that Tillman had been killed by friendly fire, shot three times in the head at less than 10 yards away, according to Army doctors. Jones reported that senior Army commanders, including General John Abizaid, knew of this fact within days of the shooting, but nevertheless approved the awarding of the Silver Star, Purple Heart, and a posthumous promotion to the rank of Corporal.

Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal approved the Silver Star citation on April 28, 2004, which gave a detailed account of Tillman's death including the phrase "in the line of devastating enemy fire," but the next day he sent a P4 confidential memo warning senior government members that Tillman might actually have been killed by friendly fire. Senior commanders within the U.S. Central Command, including former Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) General John Abizaid, were notified by the P4 memo, which described Tillman's "highly possible" fratricide, four days before Tillman's nationally televised memorial service during which he was lauded as a war hero for dying while engaging the enemy.

Jones reported that members of Tillman's unit burned his body armor and uniform in an apparent attempt to hide the fact that he was killed by friendly fire. His notebook, in which, according to author Jon Krakauer, Tillman had recorded some of his thoughts on Afghanistan, was also burned; "a blatant violation of protocol." Several soldiers were punished for their actions by being removed from the United States Army Rangers. Jones believed that Tillman should retain his medals and promotion, since, according to Jones, he intended to engage the enemy and behaved heroically.

Tillman's family was not informed of the finding that he was killed by friendly fire until weeks after his memorial service, although at least some senior Army officers knew of that fact prior to the service. According to Krakauer in his book Where Men Win Glory, the extensive coverup that followed Tillman's death included the military's order to Tillman's comrades to lie to his family at the funeral. Tillman's parents have sharply criticized the Army's handling of the incident; Tillman's mother believed that "this lie was to cover their image," while Tillman's father believed that the Army "purposely interfered in the investigation" because of the effect it could have on their recruiting efforts.

After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this. They purposely interfered with the investigation; they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy.

He also blamed high-ranking Army officers for presenting "outright lies" to Tillman's family and to the public.

On March 4, 2006, the U.S. Defense Department Inspector General directed the Army to open a criminal investigation of Tillman's death. The Army's Criminal Investigative Division was to determine whether Tillman's death was the result of negligent homicide.

On March 26, 2007, the Pentagon released their report on the events surrounding Tillman's death and coverup. The report reads in part:

... we emphasize that all investigators established the basic facts of CPL Tillman's death – that it was caused by friendly fire, that the occupants of one vehicle in CPL Tillman's platoon were responsible, and that circumstances on the ground caused those occupants to misidentify friendly forces as hostile. None of the investigations suggested that CPL Tillman's death was anything other than accidental. Our review, as well as the investigation recently completed by Army CID, obtained no evidence contrary to those key findings.

Tillman's brother Kevin testified before the United States House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that:

The deception surrounding this Tillman case was an insult to the family: but more importantly, its primary purpose was to deceive a whole nation. We say these things with disappointment and sadness for our country. Once again, we have been used as props in a Pentagon public relations exercise.

After Kevin's testimony, Pete Geren, acting secretary of the Army, stated to reporters, "We as an Army failed in our duty to the Tillman family, the duty we owe to all the families of our fallen soldiers: give them the truth, the best we know it, as fast as we can."

Tillman's notebook/diary was never returned to his family, and its whereabouts are not publicly known.

One investigation of the autopsy report and photographs by two forensic pathologists in November 2006 concluded that Tillman was most likely killed as a result of fire from a M249 light machine gun. The M249 uses the same ammunition as the M16 rifle and M4 carbine, but is capable of higher rates of fire. This would allow a competent user to place three bullets within a several-inch target from 40 or 50 yards away, even from a moving vehicle.

On July 26, 2007, Chris Matthews reported on Hardball that Tillman's death may have been a case of deliberate murder by Tillman's fellow soldiers – specifically that the bullet holes were tight and neat, suggesting a shot at close range. Matthews based his speculation on a report from the doctors who examined Tillman's body. The following day the Associated Press reported that a doctor who examined Tillman's body after his death wrote, "The medical evidence did not match up with the scenario as described", also noting that the wound entrances appeared as though he had been shot with an M16 rifle from fewer than 10 yards (9.1 m) away. A possible motive was not identified. When officers and soldiers were asked during a criminal investigation, they said they were certain the shooting was accidental. According to one of his fellow soldiers, Tillman "was popular among his fellow soldiers and had no enemies."

In addition, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Associated Press, the Defense Department released 2,300 pages of documents which were reported to indicate:

  • There has never been evidence of enemy fire found on the scene, and no members of Tillman's group had been hit by enemy fire.
  • The three-star general who withheld details of Tillman's death from his parents for a number of months told investigators approximately 70 times that he had a bad memory and could not recall details of his actions.
  • Army attorneys sent each other congratulatory e-mails for keeping criminal investigators at bay as the Army conducted an internal friendly-fire investigation that resulted in administrative, or non-criminal, punishments.
  • Army doctors told the investigators that Tillman's wounds suggested murder because "the medical evidence did not match-up with the scenario as described."

Congressional inquiries

On April 24, 2007, Specialist Bryan O'Neal, the last soldier known to see Pat Tillman alive, testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that he was warned by superiors not to divulge information that a fellow soldier killed Tillman, especially to the Tillman family. Later, Pat Tillman's brother Kevin Tillman, who was also in the convoy traveling behind his brother at the time of the 2004 incident in Afghanistan but did not witness it, testified that the military tried to spin his brother's death to deflect attention from emerging failings in the Afghan war.

On July 13, 2007, Henry Waxman and Tom Davis, the leading members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, revealed that the Bush administration and the Pentagon had withheld key documents relating to Tillman's death and denied any new document release request from Congress citing executive privilege.

On August 13, 2007, the Associated Press reported that on behalf of VoteVets, 20 U.S. military veterans who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan asked the NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, to help secure the release of all documents relating to the death of Pat Tillman.

On July 14, 2008, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released a proposed report titled "Misleading Information from the Battlefield: The Tillman and Lynch Episodes". The committee stated that its "investigation was frustrated by a near universal lack of recall" among "senior officials at the White House" and the military. It concluded:

The pervasive lack of recollection and absence of specific information makes it impossible for the Committee to assign responsibility for the misinformation in Specialist Tillman's and Private Lynch's cases. It is clear, however, that the Defense Department did not meet its most basic obligations in sharing accurate information with the families and with the American public.

Memorials and tributes

After his death, family and friends of Tillman including his widow Marie Tillman established the Pat Tillman Foundation to carry forward Tillman's legacy by inspiring and supporting those striving for positive change in themselves and the world. Marie would serve as executive director and then chair of the board.

A highway bypass around the Hoover Dam has a bridge bearing Tillman's name. Completed in October 2010, the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge spans the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona.

Lincoln Law School of San Jose has established the Pat Tillman Scholarship in honor of Tillman. Tillman's father earned his Juris Doctor from Lincoln in 1983.

On Sunday, September 19, 2004, all teams of the NFL wore a memorial decal on their helmets in honor of Tillman. The Arizona Cardinals continued to wear this decal throughout the 2004 season. Former Cardinals quarterback Jake Plummer requested to also wear the decal for the entire season, but the NFL turned him down, saying his helmet would not be uniform with the rest of the Denver Broncos. Plummer later grew a full beard and his hair long in honor of Tillman, who had such a style in the NFL before cutting his hair and shaving his beard off to fit military uniform guidelines.

A memorial to Tillman was created at Sun Devil Stadium, where he played football for the Sun Devils and the Cardinals.

The Cardinals retired his number 40, and Arizona State did the same for the number 42 he wore with the Sun Devils. The Cardinals have named the plaza surrounding their State Farm Stadium in Glendale Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza. Later, on November 12, 2006, during a Cardinals game versus the Cowboys, a bronze statue was revealed in his honor. ASU also named the football locker room entryway to Sun Devil Stadium the "Pat Tillman Memorial Tunnel" and made a "PT-42" patch that they place on the neck of their uniforms as a permanent feature. In 2011, Pat Tillman Veteran's Center in the lower level of the Memorial Union opened on the Tempe campus. Before the 2013 season, the Tillman Tunnel was renovated with new graphics and signage. Double doors separate the locker room from the tunnel, and a television with a sound system displays Tillman's career highlights. The gate which opens to the field features an image of Pat Tillman facing the field, looking as if he is leading the team out.

On Saturday, April 15, 2005, 5,000 participants turned out for the inaugural Pat's Run (which has become the annual fundraising event for the Pat Tillman Foundation) in Tempe. The racers traveled along the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) course around Tempe Town Lake to the finish line, on the 42-yard line of Sun Devil Stadium in order to commemorate the number which Tillman wore as a Sun Devil and which was later retired in his honor. A second race took place in San Jose. Sponsored by the Pat Tillman Foundation, Pat's Run has continued to grow every year, with more than 28,000 attendees in April 2019. Various "honor runs", in locations such as Austin, Texas, take place around the country at the same time as Pat's Run and are supported by Arizona State University's Alumni Association.

In 2004, the NFL donated $250,000 to the United Service Organizations to build a USO center in memory of Tillman. The Pat Tillman USO Center, the first USO center in Afghanistan, opened on Bagram Air Base on April 1, 2005. As of 2019, the NFL continues to support the Pat Tillman Foundation through its Salute to Service campaign honoring United States military service members along with other military and veteran nonprofits.

The song "World Wide Suicide" by Pearl Jam, released March 14th, 2006, was written largely about Tillman.

The Pacific-10 Conference renamed its annual defensive player-of-the-year award in football to the Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year.

Forward Operating Base Tillman was close to the Pakistan border, near the village of Lwara in Paktika Province, Afghanistan.

Tillman's high school, Leland High School in San Jose, renamed its football field after him. In New Almaden, an unincorporated community adjacent to San Jose, where Tillman grew up, a memorial was constructed near the Almaden Quicksilver County Park. This memorial was dedicated in September 2007 during the annual New Almaden Day celebration. In Phoenix, the Balsz School District named a middle school in 2018 after Tillman.

The skateboarding bulldog featured on YouTube and in an Apple iPhone commercial was named after Tillman.

Two books about Tillman were published in 2009. Jon Krakauer, author of Into Thin Air and Into the Wild, chronicles Tillman's story in Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, published by Doubleday on September 15. Meanwhile, Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, also wrote a book about her son, Boots on the Ground by Dusk, which was released in April 2008.

Following Tillman's death, Ohio State Linebackers consisting of A. J. Hawk, Bobby Carpenter, and Anthony Schlegel, as well as center Nick Mangold, grew their hair in tribute, imitating Tillman's trademark locks.

In September 2008, Rory Fanning, a fellow Army Ranger who was stationed with Tillman in Fort Lewis, Washington, began his "Walk for Pat", a walk across the United States in an effort to raise money and awareness for the Pat Tillman Foundation. The stated fundraising goal is $3.6 million, the value of the contract Tillman turned down when he decided to enlist in the military.

The Arizona State University Sun Devils football team wore special uniforms made by Adidas to honor Tillman and his career on October 29, 2015, when they faced the Oregon Ducks. All proceeds from the uniforms went to the Pat Tillman Foundation.

Super Bowl LVII, which was played in Arizona where he played collegiately and professionally, was dedicated to Tillman. Four Tillman Foundation Scholars performed the ceremonial coin toss.

Criticisms

After reports of Tillman's anti-war views became public, Ted Rall, who had previously written a comic calling Tillman a "fool" and "idiot", said that he was wrong to have assumed Tillman to be a "right wing poster child" when Tillman regarded the invasion of Iraq as illegal.

Then-Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich, Regimental Executive Officer at Forward Operating Base Salerno on Khost, Afghanistan, under which Tillman was serving at the time of his death, and led the second investigation into Tillman's death, made statements about the Tillman family's search for the truth based on Tillman's atheism. In comments to ESPN, Kauzlarich said: "These people have a hard time letting it go. It may be because of their religious beliefs" and "When you die, I mean, there is supposedly a better life, right? Well, if you are an atheist and you don't believe in anything, if you die, what is there to go to? Nothing. You are worm dirt. So for their son to die for nothing and now he is no more ... I do not know how an atheist thinks, I can only imagine that would be pretty tough."

Kauzlarich conducted the second investigation into Tillman's death which lasted a week, from May 8 to 15, 2004. Brigadier General Rodney Johnson, the Commanding General of the United States Army Criminal Investigations Command, testified before Congress that he found these statements "totally unacceptable". Acting Department of Defense Inspector General Thomas Gimble also testified that he was "shocked" that Lieutenant Colonel Kauzlarich would make these statements. According to AP analysis, three lower-level officers are expected to be punished, and Kauzlarich may be one of the three. Tillman's mother continues to reject the Pentagon's characterization of the officers' offenses as "errors" in reporting Tillman's death, because several officers have said they made conscious decisions not to tell the Tillman family that friendly fire was suspected.

Media analyses

Reviews by The New York Times reporter Dexter Filkins of Jon Krakauer's book Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman noted that the book did well to compile the facts and "nauseating" details regarding the coverup of Tillman's death. "After Tillman's death, Army commanders violated many of their own rules, not to mention elementary standards of decency, to turn the killing into a propaganda coup for the American side," Filkins wrote.

A documentary film, The Tillman Story, was shown at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2010, and was released in August 2010.

On October 19, 2006, Kevin Tillman broke his silence about his brother's death, lashing out at the Iraq War (and American foreign policy in general) in a 660-word essay published on Truthdig, a progressive online journal of news and opinion. The essay was widely distributed and was cited in The New York Times and Associated Press.

Personal life

Tillman was an atheist. According to speakers at his funeral, he was very well-read, having read a number of religious texts including the Bible, Quran, and the Book of Mormon, as well as transcendentalist authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. However, responding to religious overtones at the funeral by Maria Shriver and John McCain, his youngest brother, Richard, said, "Just make no mistake, he'd want me to say this: He's not with God, he's fucking dead, he's not religious." Richard added, "Thanks for your thoughts, but he's fuckin' dead." Another article quotes Tillman as having told then-general manager of the Seattle Seahawks, Bob Ferguson, in December 2003, "You know I'm not religious."

The September 25, 2005, edition of the San Francisco Chronicle newspaper reported that Tillman held views which were critical of the Iraq War. According to Tillman's mother, a friend of Tillman had arranged a meeting for Tillman with author Noam Chomsky, a prominent critic of American foreign and military policy, to take place after his return from Afghanistan.

See also

References

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