Pat Tillman's Political Beliefs
It was revealed last week in an article by the San Francisco Chronicle that perhaps Pat Tillman wasn’t really completely supportive of the war in Iraq. Several soldiers from his Ranger unit were quoted stating his opposition to the war. The piece even alluded to a secret meeting arranged with Noam Chomsky scheduled after his tour in Afghanistan. The article makes for an interesting read, describing the horrific details of his tragic death and the subsequent anguish his family has suffered.
Almost a year and half after his death, this story really isn’t headline news. Perhaps the most interesting reaction has been from conservatives like Ann coulter, who on “Hannity and Colmes” dismissed the possibility of his misgivings. The news would be hard for almost anyone to swallow. Having followed the story from day one when he enlisted in the Army, many had formed an image of a stalwart hero. This image was of Tillman, 100% American, charging after the enemy with unwaverable faith in his country and leadership.
Last week, during a conversation with a friend of mine we breached the subject of Iraq and the war. My response (opposing his) made him say “Ben, I’m surprised you say that, you were in the military!” In other words, he believes as many do: that joining the military renders the subject of all independent thought. While it is true that most of those in service lean to the right (and hard) there are plenty that do not see things in the same light. Just like our country, there are those who can ask questions of themselves and what they are a part of.
The military is merely an arm of government. It is strong and powerful arm, but not capable of mind control. When someone signs up they normally have a reason for doing so. For myself, I wanted to get out and see something new, have some adventure, and of course get money for college. The fact is, I was very grateful for my country and felt that I owed it something but that reason for enlistment ranked way behind all others. There are many like Pat Tillman who joined solely to serve their country.
When serving your country, you have to place a certain amount of blind faith that you will not be steered into the wrong place. As I swore to defend this land ‘against all enemies, foreign and domestic’ I remembered thinking: “What if my gun-toting dad joins some militia and decides to wreck havoc? Would I have the balls to defend against him?” The general public would assume that most members, guided by their faith in country would defend it against their own crazy fathers. That may be true, but there would be many still who question the validity of their actions and whether it was right. I’m sure that once Tillman was fully ingrained into the Army he truly realized that he was merely a piece of that powerful arm and they depended on him and those like him. However, he realized that his ability to think freely was not taken from him; that it was possible, to serve and question at the same time.
Almost a year and half after his death, this story really isn’t headline news. Perhaps the most interesting reaction has been from conservatives like Ann coulter, who on “Hannity and Colmes” dismissed the possibility of his misgivings. The news would be hard for almost anyone to swallow. Having followed the story from day one when he enlisted in the Army, many had formed an image of a stalwart hero. This image was of Tillman, 100% American, charging after the enemy with unwaverable faith in his country and leadership.
Last week, during a conversation with a friend of mine we breached the subject of Iraq and the war. My response (opposing his) made him say “Ben, I’m surprised you say that, you were in the military!” In other words, he believes as many do: that joining the military renders the subject of all independent thought. While it is true that most of those in service lean to the right (and hard) there are plenty that do not see things in the same light. Just like our country, there are those who can ask questions of themselves and what they are a part of.
The military is merely an arm of government. It is strong and powerful arm, but not capable of mind control. When someone signs up they normally have a reason for doing so. For myself, I wanted to get out and see something new, have some adventure, and of course get money for college. The fact is, I was very grateful for my country and felt that I owed it something but that reason for enlistment ranked way behind all others. There are many like Pat Tillman who joined solely to serve their country.
When serving your country, you have to place a certain amount of blind faith that you will not be steered into the wrong place. As I swore to defend this land ‘against all enemies, foreign and domestic’ I remembered thinking: “What if my gun-toting dad joins some militia and decides to wreck havoc? Would I have the balls to defend against him?” The general public would assume that most members, guided by their faith in country would defend it against their own crazy fathers. That may be true, but there would be many still who question the validity of their actions and whether it was right. I’m sure that once Tillman was fully ingrained into the Army he truly realized that he was merely a piece of that powerful arm and they depended on him and those like him. However, he realized that his ability to think freely was not taken from him; that it was possible, to serve and question at the same time.
posted by Ben at 1:50 PM
1 Comments:
I enjoyed this post quite a bit, and I think that you raise some interesting questions. If this report of Tillman's doubts concerning the war in Iraq are true, I am curious to what extent this will be used by either conversatives or liberals to further their own agendas. We can already see sonething like this going on with Ann Coulter.
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