Wow. Just Wow. Kevin Tillman speaks out

[Rodeo]

Kevin Tillman is a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan with his older brother, Pat. He has been silent since his brother died in 2004.

Last week, he wrote this. It's as powerful as anything I have read about the war in Iraq, the leadership of our country, and American apathy.

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.
Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.
Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.

Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.

Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.

Somehow this is tolerated.

Somehow nobody is accountable for this.

In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don’t be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that “somehow” was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.

Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat’s birthday.

Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman

[Jeff Higgins]

Must still be bitter over his brother.

[mikester]

Originally posted by Jeff Higgins
Must still be bitter over his brother.

Can't say I blame him if he is.

[speeder]

Yeah, what does he have to be pissed-off about?

[Porsche-O-Phile]

It's Clinton's fault.

[speeder]

This has Sandy Berger written all over it.

[lendaddy]

This just doesn't smell right, too many lib talking points in there. If it's legit he has every right to say it, he's certainly earned that.

[chibone_914]

Then why did they volunteer if they had so many objections???

[Porsche-O-Phile]

It's okay. Your brother is with Jesus in heaven now. He's done the right thing supporting the godly crusade of Reverend King George II. You need not worry.

[Jim Richards]

Originally posted by lendaddy
This just doesn't smell right, too many lib talking points in there. If it's legit he has every right to say it, he's certainly earned that.

CNN.com has the story, too. It certainly reads heartfelt. I'm sure he's bitter about Pat's death, too.

[HardDrive]

Originally posted by lendaddy
This just doesn't smell right, too many lib talking points in there. If it's legit he has every right to say it, he's certainly earned that.

When you are making your tin foil hat this morning, make sure you add a few extra layers.

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by HardDrive
When you are making your tin foil hat this morning, make sure you add a few extra layers.

The "illegal war" stuff is what gets me, if it's illegal now it was illegal when he signed up. Maybe it's just the grief messing with his head, which is understandable.

No hat required.

[Z-man]

It is on snopes.com, and has a status of "Undetermined - research in progress..."

-Z

[bivenator]

An article in Sports Illustrated not long ago was very revealing about Pat Tillman and his brother. It took a couple of hours before I could get the article out of my head. It can probably be seen somewhere on the net. PT was quite an interesting man and his volunteering for the army was not done so much for patriotic duty as some would have you believe.

[SlowToady]

Wait a minute...I'm confused. Didn't he sign up, of his own free will?

chibone914 has it right...if they have so many ill-feelings and objections, why did they sign up?

The militairy has one primary purpose: to make war. If you're not OK with that, why join?

[fastpat]

Originally posted by SlowToady
The militairy has one primary purpose: to make war. If you're not OK with that, why join?

Actually, no. In America the sole purpose of military is to defend the states from invasion.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Originally posted by fastpat
Actually, no. In America the sole purpose of military is to defend the states from invasion.

Of course, but what's a few hundred thousand illegal aliens a year between friends?

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by fastpat
Actually, no. In America the sole purpose of military is to defend the states from invasion.

And occasionally spank a few uppity southern folk back into shape.

[HardDrive]

It actually DOES seem fishy. Its almost like Cindy Shehananagins talking points.

[kach22i]

Originally posted by Rodeo
Kevin Tillman ..................

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..............
Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,
Kevin Tillman

I think that in retrospect many Americans after 9/11/2001 felt a strong uniting need to follow the leader and be good soldiers . Although I signed no papers I stood faithfully behind Bush and our country's leaders as we invaded Afghanistan.

I kept my mouth shut but my eyes open as I was taught to do.

When I saw Iraq emerge as a target, not as an issue I saw it as a diversion from our mission. A diversion, which could turn our troops into "walking targets". This is when I strongly objected; this is when America split in two.

When I saw the evidence to make the case against Iraq, I smelled lies and deceit. I saw cowardice in Congress at an unimagable scale. Almost all were afraid to be singled out as un-American, thinking only in the short term, their next elected term that is.

Why has Kevin Tillman waited so long?

Why has America waited so long?