DarrylS

Letter written by Kevin Tillman, one the eve of his brother's birthday, guess he has come full circle. The first source is the newspaper it was printed in, which then give the link to Truthdig(a lefty source) where Kevin's letter is found.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/card...man-ON-CP.html

http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/...pats_birthday/

It is Pat’s birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice… until we got out.

Much has happened since we handed over our voice:

Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can’t be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.

Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few “bad apples” in the military.

Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It’s interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.

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"Being the best doesn't mean you always win. It just means you win more than anyone else".. tweet from Kurt Warner to Tom Brady.

PatsFanInEaglesLand

Even though I disagree with Kevin Tillman, he has earned the right to say what he wants, unlike others who criticize but never could nut up(AAB). And at least he doesn't through his fellow soldiers under the bus in his criticizm(Murtha,Kerry, mikey & NEM).

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patsfan13

Kevin has earned the right to his opinion. Reading the letter, I am amazed that he would volunteer to join the Rangers after a tour in Iraq given the way he characterizes it in his letter.

IIRC correctly kevin and Pat went to Ranger school BEFORE, their tour in Iraq. I will look into that. That would be a discrepency between the timeline in the letter and what theyactually did?

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"Some guys play in all-star games, some guys don't. I don't know who picks all those all-star teams. In all honesty, I don't know who picks the combine, for that matter," Belichick said. "How does (Miami-Ohio offensive lineman Brandon) Brooks not get invited to the combine? How did Vollmer not get invited to the combine? I don't know. We can't really worry about that. We just have to try to evaluate them the best we can."

Turd Furguson

I thought the Tillman bros served in Afghanistan?

Turd Furguson

Military men who speak out in favor of Iraq = Brainwashed

Military men who speak out against Iraq = Genious

Is that about it?

ELOrocks17

Turd..i sent you a PM

ELOrocks17

Boy NEM..you got alot out of my previous post. All i did was tell Turd that i sent him a PM...how you interpreted that into a debate over the war..i dunno...?

ELOrocks17

Sorry NEM, the dems will not win in Nov, Bush will not be put in front of a firing squad. And as far as the whole "respected and valued nation in a world of nations", That doesnt mean jack ***** to people who think the USA is the best country in the world (IE Conservatives). George Bush has done more to protect us from terrorism since Ronald Regan.

Tell me NEM, how have YOU PERSONALLY suffered from Bush? Are you paying more taxes? Is a loaf of bread $5? Did Bush take your drivers liscense from you? I just wonder how you have so much anger torwards someone you have never met, who doesnt even know who you are....what gives?

Turd Furguson

NEM like Mikey, loves pointing out soldiers deaths. It helps make their points and as an added bonus (as Mikey once pointed out), it means less Bush supporters.


Love that support the left gives our troops.

Holy Diver

I think its interesting how most soldiers who are discharged or not in service anymore come out and talk about how messed up the situation is. You don't hear too many ex military personel praising our plan for Iraq, and the direction the invasion has taken their country. These articles and personal accounts of whats going on are important information for the uninformed.

Reading the Sports Illustrated article about Pat Tillman, I came away believing that he too would be an anti-Iraq war advocate when he was able to speak. Listen to the Tillmans.

Those who dis the opinons of them and believe that this administration looks out for you, your family and the next generation, all because they are 'conservative' or 'republican' are seriously messed up. We have all been lied to, and taken to the cleaners. Unless you are in the richest 1% of the country, you've been had.

STAY THE COURSE!