thedrifter
08-23-07, 08:08 AM
In Little Rock, Pat Tillman Widow Calls For 'Authentic Leaders'
By Peggy Harris
The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK -- The widow of Pat Tillman said Wednesday in her first public comments since her husband's death that the country needs "authentic leaders."
Saying that talking about her "best friend" was difficult, Marie Tillman told an audience at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service about the many good qualities of the NFL athlete and Army Ranger.
"Pat was a man with enormous talent. His athletic ability was matched by a deep and complex moral and intellectual side," she said. "He always tried to do the right thing and he was the first to admit when he didn't."
Tillman was cut down April 22, 2004, by bullets fired by his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan, not by enemy fire as the military initially claimed. The military said officers knew within hours that Tillman's death was from friendly fire, and violated regulations by not telling his family or the public for five weeks.
Tillman's death attracted worldwide attention because he had walked away from a huge contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, his brother Kevin and other family members maintain that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and others must have known more about Tillman's death sooner than they've acknowledged. The family has alleged a cover-up leading to the White House.
But Wednesday, Marie Tillman and brother-in-law Alex Garwood, who together head the Tillman Foundation inspired by his memory, steered clear of discussion about the controversy surrounding his death. They said they were invited by the Clinton School to speak and Marie Tillman said she believed it would be a good forum to discuss the foundation.
She said her husband was dynamic and action-oriented, something needed in private and public life. After the terrorist attacks on the country, he felt compelled to respond despite a lucrative contract with the Cardinals, she said.
"Many things have changed since Pat decided to join the Army. And unfortunately leadership on many levels has come into question," she said. "We are in need of authentic leadership on many levels, social, economic and political."
Marie Tillman offered brief remarks before her brother-in-law took the lectern.
She and Garwood said the foundation was committed to developing leaders among young people. Through its programs at Arizona State and in Tillman's home town of San Jose, Calif., young people work with mentors and focus on solving real-life problems, they said. The college has an undergraduate program on leadership similar to the Clinton School graduate program, Garwood said.
During a congressional hearing Aug. 1, Rumsfeld and three former generals expressed regret with the Pentagon's delay in telling the truth. They took no blame for the violation.
The inquiry came a day after the Army, in the seventh investigation of the Tillman affair, laid most of the blame for the response to Tillman's death on Philip Kensinger, a retired three-star general who led Army special operations forces after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Army censured Kensinger for "a failure of leadership" and accused him of lying to investigators and failing to notify the Tillman family properly. A review panel of four-star generals will decide whether Kensinger should have his rank reduced.
On the Net:
The Pat Tillman Foundation: www.pattillmanfoundation.net
Ellie
By Peggy Harris
The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK -- The widow of Pat Tillman said Wednesday in her first public comments since her husband's death that the country needs "authentic leaders."
Saying that talking about her "best friend" was difficult, Marie Tillman told an audience at the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service about the many good qualities of the NFL athlete and Army Ranger.
"Pat was a man with enormous talent. His athletic ability was matched by a deep and complex moral and intellectual side," she said. "He always tried to do the right thing and he was the first to admit when he didn't."
Tillman was cut down April 22, 2004, by bullets fired by his fellow soldiers in Afghanistan, not by enemy fire as the military initially claimed. The military said officers knew within hours that Tillman's death was from friendly fire, and violated regulations by not telling his family or the public for five weeks.
Tillman's death attracted worldwide attention because he had walked away from a huge contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, his brother Kevin and other family members maintain that former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and others must have known more about Tillman's death sooner than they've acknowledged. The family has alleged a cover-up leading to the White House.
But Wednesday, Marie Tillman and brother-in-law Alex Garwood, who together head the Tillman Foundation inspired by his memory, steered clear of discussion about the controversy surrounding his death. They said they were invited by the Clinton School to speak and Marie Tillman said she believed it would be a good forum to discuss the foundation.
She said her husband was dynamic and action-oriented, something needed in private and public life. After the terrorist attacks on the country, he felt compelled to respond despite a lucrative contract with the Cardinals, she said.
"Many things have changed since Pat decided to join the Army. And unfortunately leadership on many levels has come into question," she said. "We are in need of authentic leadership on many levels, social, economic and political."
Marie Tillman offered brief remarks before her brother-in-law took the lectern.
She and Garwood said the foundation was committed to developing leaders among young people. Through its programs at Arizona State and in Tillman's home town of San Jose, Calif., young people work with mentors and focus on solving real-life problems, they said. The college has an undergraduate program on leadership similar to the Clinton School graduate program, Garwood said.
During a congressional hearing Aug. 1, Rumsfeld and three former generals expressed regret with the Pentagon's delay in telling the truth. They took no blame for the violation.
The inquiry came a day after the Army, in the seventh investigation of the Tillman affair, laid most of the blame for the response to Tillman's death on Philip Kensinger, a retired three-star general who led Army special operations forces after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Army censured Kensinger for "a failure of leadership" and accused him of lying to investigators and failing to notify the Tillman family properly. A review panel of four-star generals will decide whether Kensinger should have his rank reduced.
On the Net:
The Pat Tillman Foundation: www.pattillmanfoundation.net
Ellie