The lesson the media seems to be taking from the death of Pat Tillman doesn't seem to be that all troop casualties returning to America are deserving of praise and spectacle. Instead of treating Tillman as just another average soldier doing his duty they are making a big deal out of the fact that he was an EX-FOOTBALL STAR!! I'm speculating a little bit here, but if Tillman could tell us how he feels regarding the media coverage of his death he would probably say, "thanks a lot. Now what about my 700+ brothers and sisters who died serving their country the same way I did. Where's their big media spectacle"
I'm sure he'd say "leave me the fuck alone". That's pretty much what he said when a few of the networks wanted to "embed" (Christ, what a bloody stupid term that is) reporters to follow him in Afghanistan.
3. Yeah I know, but he was consciously rejecting privilege
and for him to now be one of the few soldiers privileged enough to have an actual televized memorial service. It sticks in my craw. If we're going to honor him, we should honor him by honoring all the troops equally and making them ALL visible - instead of just the famous ones.
and turned down millions of dollars to become an Army Ranger. He had options that others didn't, and still turned them down. Like it or not, that's a story.
And I agree Tillman would be horrified at the level of media attention he has received. He was just not that kind of guy.
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