Pat Tillman’s tragic death

Pat Tillman was a football player who turned down a multi-million-dollar contract to join the Army. Like any other American soldiers, Tillman was a national hero who had sacrificed for his country, Afghanistan. However, what causes of his death was still a mystery as the government did not know whether he was killed by the Taliban, or it was a result of the "friendly fire". The problem was the government tried to cover up the truth not only to protect its image, but to cover a big secret that Pat Tillman was murdered. In April 2004, Pat Tillman was killed on patrol in Afghanistan at the age of 27. Initial Army reports concluded that Tillman was killed by enemy fire when saving the lives of his fellow soldiers during a mountain ambush by the Taliban. However, four-part series which posted on ESPN.com in July 2006 showed many evidences that Pat Tillman was a victim of "fratricide". The latest investigation, written about by The Washington Post, stated that “Tillman was killed in a barrage of gunfire from his own men, mistaken for the enemy as he got into position to defend them,” it was also written that “soldiers in Afghanistan knew almost immediately that they had killed Tillman by mistake in what they believed was a firefight with enemies on a tight canyon road.” The troops thought the gunfire they heard was from the enemy, but they were mistaken. However, Tillman was almost murdered by his fellow Rangers. Tillman identified himself loudly, saying “Cease fire! Friendlies! I am Pat Tillman damn it!”. After throwing a smoke grenade, Tillman and his soldiers were waving their arms frantically to alert their fellow soldiers that they were firing at "friendlies.". Nevertheless, the soldiers thought that it was from the enemy, and they kept shooting until Tillman was accidentally dead. The soldiers were trained not to be panic and they must aim the target before shooting; therefore, it was doubt that they did not see anything as the driver of the Humvee realized