Boots on the Ground by Dusk, Mary Tillman
Boots on the Ground by Dusk, Mary Tillman
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Boots on the Ground by Dusk
My Tribute to Pat Tillman

Author: Mary Tillman, Narda Zacchino

Narrator: Mary Tillman

Unabridged: 11 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 05/13/2008


Synopsis

Pat Tillman was seen by many as an American hero. A star college football player turned pro, he walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract after the 9/11 attacks, choosing to enlist in the U.S. Army. He graduated from their elite Ranger school and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. On April 22, 2004, Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan. The administration and the Pentagon immediately portrayed his death as the result of a dramatic gun battle with the enemy, and Pat was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and a promotion in recognition of his bravery. But as would later emerge, Army officials were all along hiding the truth: Pat was killed by his fellow Rangers. The Tillmans discovered this fact five weeks after Pat's death, and six separate investigations have since been launched, largely due to the family's passionate insistence. But even now, the true circumstances remain murky and fraught with contradictions.

Here is Mary Tillman's story, as she describes her attempts to uncover the truth about what happened to Pat and why the government went to such great lengths to keep the circumstances secret. In the process, she paints an indelible portrait of her son, a man of remarkable character who followed a set of guiding principles that ultimately led him to Afghanistan and, in death, into the hearts and minds of people all over the world.

Written to coincide with the release of the feature film The Tillman Story, Mary Tillman's explosive new foreword describes her family's ongoing appeals to President Obama, the Pentagon, and members of Congress to get to the bottom of what happened and hold accountable the senior military officials responsible for the cover-up of Pat's death.

"McChrystal's actions should have been grounds for firing. That is why it was so disturbing to us when President Obama instead promoted McChrystal to the position of top commander in Afghanistan.... On June 22, 2010, General Stanley McChrystal was forced to retire after remarks he and his staff made to a Rolling Stone reporter, Michael Hastings. I found myself feeling strangely validated." —Mary Tillman

About Mary Tillman

Mary Tillman is a special education teacher in San Jose, California, where she lives.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jon

Mary Tillman is not a writer by nature, she was a school teacher who gave birth to three glorious sons. One who became the Pac-10 Defensiver Player of the Year in 1997 as well as set the Arizona Cardinals record for tackles in a seaon with 224. This incredible athlete was aSafety in the NFL, all of......more

Goodreads review by John

Very sad episode in our history both relative to the Tillman family and what it reveals about our military and political leaders (in this case Bush, Rumsfeld and crew). The material gets a bit dry and repetitive in places, but overall all the military jargon is made very tolerable. An important book......more

Goodreads review by Matt

An amazing book. Very emotional. An excellent example of why no organization (especially the US military) should be allowed to investigate itself. From incompetence to criminal negligence to a cover-up conspiracy, this book exposes the moral vacuum that was the Bush administration and its military l......more

Very powerful and very interesting book. I read this book after reading both Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer and The Letter by Marie Tillman. I am glad I read this after Krakauer's book, because I felt his book was more level. Of course, Mary Tillman's account is very personal and recounts many,......more