| Jon Krakauer, a best-selling author famous for his | | | | George Bush. If Bush and his officials could use Lynch |
| non-fictional and biographical writing, has written a | | | | to their advantage and make her look like an |
| new book tackling a very difficult issue in the world | | | | admirable American who somehow survived the |
| today. His main topic in his new book "Where Men | | | | worst conditions possible, the rest of the American |
| Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman", is the epic | | | | public would build morale and support the war and |
| rise and fall of NFL star Pat Tillman. However, the | | | | the Bush Administration more. |
| there is so much more to the book than an | | | | Krakauer uses the Jessica Lynch example as a |
| extraordinary biography. The author talks in-depth | | | | building block to the death of Pat Tillman. Pat and his |
| about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the life of a | | | | brother Kevin were driving in a convoy of military |
| soldier from start to finish, and politics of the world | | | | vehicles in a hostile part of Afghanistan when one of |
| for approximately the last 30 years. Krakauer has | | | | their Humvee vehicles broke down and needed a |
| obviously done his homework while writing this book | | | | tow truck. The Army has a policy where a military |
| the result is a second-to-none, non-fictional account | | | | vehicle can never be left behind where the enemy |
| of an exceptional person. | | | | can capture it, so the men had to sit around and |
| Pat Tillman was a very active young boy with his | | | | figure out how to get the vehicle out of enemy |
| brother Kevin while they were growing up in | | | | territory. Eventually, commanders of Pat's group |
| California. Both were athletic and aggressive and | | | | demanded that the group split into two smaller |
| always outside playing. Kevin eventually went on to | | | | groups, leaving both of them vulnerable, so the truck |
| play minor league baseball which never amounted to | | | | could be brought to a main road and a small town |
| much while Pat went on to have a great football | | | | nearby could also be cleared of Taliban fighters by |
| career in college and the pros. Tillman played football | | | | sundown. Everyone in Pat's group thought this was a |
| at Arizona State University where he gained much | | | | bad idea, but had to continue since they cannot |
| attention as an undersized but extremely aggressive | | | | disobey orders from people ranking higher than them |
| defender. Eventually, his fearless attitude and reckless | | | | selves. |
| demeanor on the field caught the attention of NFL | | | | The decision to break the group up proved to be |
| scouts and after his senior year he joined with the | | | | ill-fated very quickly. Pat's group was quickly |
| Arizona Cardinals. No one even expected him to | | | | ambushed by Taliban forces shooting from higher |
| make the team due to his small stature. | | | | ground, causing pure chaos among the young and |
| Tillman showed up in a big way during training camp, | | | | inexperienced group of Rangers. The Rangers mostly |
| starting a few practice games at safety, and | | | | left their vehicles as taught in training and Tillman and |
| eventually earning a spot in the starting defensive | | | | another soldier ran to higher ground to get a better |
| lineup. Every year he seemed to get better as he | | | | angle on the action. Radio communication was |
| was hitting running backs and receivers with all he | | | | non-existent since everyone was trying to talk and |
| had and gaining recognition as one of the best | | | | yell at once. Many of the soldiers started firing |
| safeties in the NFL. While he kept getting better and | | | | upward blindly and were said to be "trigger-happy". |
| working harder in the NFL though, there were other | | | | One of the younger soldiers in charge of an |
| issues that were going on in the world that were | | | | automatic gun mounted on one of the vehicles |
| weighing heavily on Pat's mind. Specifically, the United | | | | started shooting upward in Pat's direction causing him |
| States had just gone to war with Iraq and | | | | to panic and wave his arms. What happened next is |
| Afghanistan after 9/11 and the United States was | | | | one of the most controversial events from the war |
| very uneasy and angry at the Taliban and other | | | | with Afghanistan and still is secretive until this day. |
| extremist groups. | | | | While Pat Tillman and his fellow Ranger were hiding |
| Tillman was so moved by the attacks on American | | | | on the hilltop behind a small boulder, waving their |
| soil and the decision to hunt down the Taliban that he | | | | arms frantically for the other Rangers to stop |
| decided to drop his illustrious NFL career and join the | | | | shooting at them, Tillman was struck three times in |
| Army Rangers. Pat was due to receive a massive | | | | the head above his eyebrow. There was no doubt |
| pay raise in the NFL and had just married his wife, | | | | that he died instantly, and all of the Rangers had to |
| but there was a burning desire in him to do what he | | | | decide what to do with his body. They decided not |
| though was right, and that was to go overseas and | | | | to tell his brother, Kevin, and leave him in the dark |
| fight for his country. Also, he was not going alone. | | | | about the mysterious body being brought down from |
| Pat recruited his brother Kevin to join him. Kevin | | | | the hilltop well within Kevin's view. Only much later did |
| easily dropped his minor league baseball career and | | | | Kevin and Pat's remaining family find out that Pat was |
| joined the same Army Ranger class as his brother | | | | killed by friendly fire. Needless to say, Pat's family |
| allowing them to serve together for their entire time | | | | was beyond angry. Not only was he killed by friendly |
| in the Army. | | | | fire, he was not treated according to standard Army |
| The Army was not what Pat and Kevin had | | | | protocol. His clothes were burned before his autopsy |
| expected when they left their family and friends | | | | to hide evidence, and his autopsy was never |
| back in California to fight for their country. What | | | | signed-off on due to mysterious clues that the |
| they found was a bunch of immature, annoying kids | | | | medical examiner cited and disagreed with. Despite all |
| who had no other prospects in life except to join the | | | | of the mistreatment of the American hero that was |
| Army so they could have a paycheck. The Tillman | | | | Pat Tillman, Bush and his fellow administrators saw an |
| brothers, along with some other older gentlemen in | | | | excellent opportunity to make another fine example |
| their class, were constantly telling the young guys to | | | | out of Pat Tillman, exactly like Jessica Lynch in Iraq. |
| quiet down and act their age. Even though they | | | | Tillman's funeral and burial were shown on every |
| were always annoyed by the immaturity around | | | | major news station, even ESPN. Nothing about his |
| them, they always thought about the prospect of | | | | mistreatment and death by friendly-fire were |
| going into battle and knowing what it is like to fight | | | | mentioned or made clear, leading on the American |
| for your own life while trying to take someone else's | | | | public that Tillman died by the hands of a Taliban |
| life from them. This idea really excited Pat and Kevin | | | | soldier. Investigations were being carried out by the |
| and kept them going the whole time. Also, Pat knew | | | | Army and monitored by the Tillman family, but |
| that his loving wife was waiting for him at home, and | | | | high-ranking military officials were lying to everyone |
| every night Pat would write in his journal how he | | | | just so they could save their jobs and reputations. |
| missed his wife and her undying love for him. Pat | | | | The soldiers responsible for actually killing Pat said |
| wanted nothing more than to return home to her | | | | that they were just doing their job and never once |
| and live the life he should not have left behind. | | | | said that they might have been a little trigger-happy. |
| One of Krakauer's main points in this book is how the | | | | The worst part is, most of these soldiers and |
| government uses military information and manipulates | | | | commanders who lied received little or no reprimand |
| it for their own good. For example, Krakauer talks in | | | | except a possible demotion from the Army Rangers |
| depth about the Jessica Lynch case in Iraq. Lynch | | | | to the general Army. Pat's mom and brother |
| supposedly was trapped in an Iraqi hospital fighting | | | | continued to press the Army to come up with |
| for her life and being tortured by the Iraqi forces, | | | | answers and admit to the wrongdoing over the past |
| but this was not the case at all. This idea of Lynch | | | | several years, but still there has not been much |
| fighting for her life was fabricated by high-ranking | | | | responsibility taken by anyone in the Army. |
| government official directly under the command of | | | | |