He also got shot in the back by his fellow Army bros, not an enemy combatant
Yeah, I don't want to get all
@GR8 2 B FL G8R on everyone's ass but I don't even think it was accidental friendly fire, I think it was intentional fratricide (or even giving the benefit of the doubt, incredible ineptitude and then a coverup). If you read about what happened, right as he started expressing his anti-Bush and Anti-Iraq war leanings and discussing leaving the military and wanting to talk to Chomsky and all that. How convenient that his brother's half of the unit was mysteriously separated from him and then an "ambush" occurred (with no enemy) and Tillman was shot in the back from 10 meters by multiple .223 rounds (all of this was only uncovered after his brother made a huge deal over it). Then they burned his uniform, body armor, and his personal notebooks and hid all of this from his brother and claimed he was shot while heroically charging an enemy position.
Shooting a friendly soldier in the back from 30ft in daylight is like
@Reel leaving his finger on his mouse button in Arma level of ineptitude, and these were Army Rangers, so I just don't see how "accident" really explains what happened. The subsequent cover up and use of his death to glorify the war was fucking absurd. His family went through hell because of it. In fact, here is what the Army Investigator (who was caught in about a dozen lies) said about his Tillman's family "These people have a hard time letting it go. It may be because of their religious beliefs" and "When you die, I mean, there is supposedly a better life, right? Well, if you are an atheist and you don't believe in anything, if you die, what is there to go to? Nothing. You are worm dirt. So for their son to die for nothing and now he is no more... I do not know how an atheist thinks, I can only imagine that would be pretty tough." That guy was the worst.
I think it is the very worst example of our bloodthirsty nationalism that these fucks still hold up Pat Tillman as their hero when the dude was very likely murdered by his own government and then they tried to fuck his family just so the Army could keep their spotless hero narrative.