The Tillman Story

Name:

Tutor:

Course:

Date:

The Tillman Story

Patrick Tillman was a celebrity when he decided to enlist in the army. Many people considered him a hero because of the sacrifices he made for his country. He gave up a multimillion career in the NFL following the September terror attacks in 2001. This decision was compelled by patriotism. He believed that he was fighting for the good of his country when he decided to join the military. The media is a powerful force in America, and its involvement in the Tillman story changed everything. It is an influential force and its depiction of Tillman as a sports hero who sacrificed everything for his country’s sake was enough to act as a promotional effort for the military. Part of the American culture is to admire those who are heroic and patriotic enough to stand for their country, and the Tillman story is no exception.

The Tillman family was not able to get justice because they were going up against the most powerful forces in the land. They were dealing with the US military, as well as the government. The top most offices in the land were involved in the cover-up of Patrick’s death. The government was able to get away with the cover up because it was not accountable to anybody. This was not a constitutional issue, as different factions were involved. The president read the statement declaring Patrick’s heroism. The family was relentless in its pursuit of the truth, and it forced the army to admit facts relating to the events that led to Patrick’s death. It went further than that when it asked for a congressional hearing. The family could not do anything else, even with all the media attention that the case received. Although the constitution guarantees separation of powers and accountability of different factions of power, it does not provide clear guidelines on what to do when different levels of high power are involved.