Pat Tillman
Pat Tillman was an American football player in the National Football League. He left his sports career and enlisted in the U.S. Army in June 2002 in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks. Tillman was the first professional football player to be killed in combat since Bob Kalsu, who died in the Vietnam War in 1970. Tillman was posthumously promoted from specialist to corporal. He also received posthumous Silver Star and Purple Heart Medals.
Tillman and his brother, Kevin, enlisted on May 31, 2002, and by September 2002, they completed basic training together. The two brothers then completed the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program and were assigned to the 2nd Ranger Battalion in Fort Lewis, Washington.
Tillman’s service in Iraq and Afghanistan and subsequent death were the subjects of national attention. At first, the Army reported that Tillman had been killed by enemy fire. Controversy ensued when a month later, on May 28, 2004, the Pentagon notified the Tillman family that a friendly fire incident had killed him. Tillman's platoon leader First Lieutenant David Uthlaut and his radiotelephone operator (RTO), 19-year-old Jade Lane, were also wounded in the incident. An investigation by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command (CID) concluded that Tillman was killed by friendly fire when one allied group fired upon another in confusion following nearby gunfire that 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 (Tillman's platoon had to split up because of a broken Humvee; the parts were called Serial 1 and 2) was ambushed and became engaged in a running gun battle with enemy combatants. Serial 1 (Tillman's portion of the platoon) 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 over watch 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."
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