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Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman Audiobook
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(3.15) - 287 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Pat Tillman was seen by many as an American hero. A star college football player turned pro, he walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract after the 9/11 attacks, choosing to enlist in the U.S. Army. He graduated from their elite Ranger school and was deployed to Iraq in 2003. On April 22, 2004, Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan. The administration and the Pentagon immediately portrayed his death as the result of a dramatic gun battle with the enemy, and Pat was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and a promotion in recognition of his bravery. But as would later emerge, Army officials were all along hiding the truth: Pat was killed by his fellow Rangers. The Tillmans discovered this fact five weeks after Pat's death, and six separate investigations have since been launched, largely due to the family's passionate insistence. But even now, the true circumstances remain murky and fraught with contradictions.
Here is Mary Tillman's story, as she describes her attempts to uncover the truth about what happened to Pat and why the government went to such great lengths to keep the circumstances secret. In the process, she paints an indelible portrait of her son, a man of remarkable character who followed a set of guiding principles that ultimately led him to Afghanistan and, in death, into the hearts and minds of people all over the world.
Written to coincide with the release of the feature film The Tillman Story, Mary Tillman's explosive new foreword describes her family's ongoing appeals to President Obama, the Pentagon, and members of Congress to get to the bottom of what happened and hold accountable the senior military officials responsible for the cover-up of Pat's death.
"McChrystal's actions should have been grounds for firing. That is why it was so disturbing to us when President Obama instead promoted McChrystal to the position of top commander in Afghanistan.... On June 22, 2010, General Stanley McChrystal was forced to retire after remarks he and his staff made to a Rolling Stone reporter, Michael Hastings. I found myself feeling strangely validated." —Mary Tillman
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"Jon Krakauer used this book as a resource for Where men win glory so I wanted to read it. There is no greater loss for a mother than of her child, and the circumstances of Pat Tillman's death are so tragic. It is just heart-breaking as she shares the stories from a childhood that mold a man. This book does goes into a conspiracy theory that Pat was killed intentionally, which Krakauer doesn't entertain, and the facts don't support. The government's mishandling of the case is well documented though and criminally negligent. It is an epic story and a tremendous loss of a loyal son, brother and friend, an elite athlete, a deep thinker and patriotic American who just wanted to do the right thing."
— Marcia (4 out of 5 stars)
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Moving, powerful and overwhelmingly distressing.
— Kirkus -
“This story has made headlines for the last several years, and while there are no final answers here, those who have followed the controversy will be eager to hear from Tillman’s mother.”
— Booklist -
“Alongside fond memories and recollections of Pat’s charismatic bluntness and self-sacrificing nature, Mary details her family’s exhaustive search for the truth with the help of allies ranging from Senator John McCain to retired General Wesley Clark to numerous investigative reporters…The chilling results yielded by the Tillman family’s unflagging efforts indicate that Pat’s death was, at best, a result of gross negligence and incompetence on the part of the US Army and, at worst, a sinister coverup by high-ranking officials willing to lie to a soldier’s family and hoodwink the public in exchange for higher approval ratings.”
— Kirkus Reviews
Boots on the Ground by Dusk Listener Reviews
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" Mary Tillman is one of my heroes. What a beautiful biography of her son Pat. She describes him and his life sweetly, in her own words without the contrived purposeful deceit that the administration painted so thickly over his departing. Bless her. "
— Mary, 2/18/2014 -
" Anything you can learn about Pat Tillman, I will always recommend. "
— Jocco, 2/6/2014 -
" I really enjoyed this book. I cannot believe that the government was involved in a cover up about how this man died. I hope his family finds the answers they are looking for and the ones responsible are brought to justice. "
— Allyson, 2/6/2014 -
" Heart wrenching story written by Pat Tillman's mother. "
— Irene, 2/3/2014 -
" Yet another reason the U.S. should not be fighting a prolonged war in the Middle East. A heartbreaking story. "
— Tammy, 2/1/2014 -
" If the Us military did half of the things that Ms. Tillman alleges, then shame on them. "
— Kelly, 1/21/2014 -
" This is an amazing account. It is from his Mother's point of view and the research she did so you must take it with a grain of salt but it makes you think - "how does it work? do we really know what goes on" "
— Erin, 1/17/2014 -
" Excellent tribute by a mother to her son and the mountainous task of how she had to fight the government and military for the truth. "
— Janice, 1/12/2014 -
" Amazing tribute to a son who truly was a hero! "
— Jenifer, 1/7/2014 -
" Enlightening and upsetting. "
— Jim, 1/6/2014 -
" One of the hardest books to get through. Highly recommended! Inspired and awed for a great man we lost too early. "
— Kristi, 12/21/2013 -
" An alarming account of the inside machinations of the United States government, and a fascinating story of a true American hero. "
— Janice, 12/10/2013 -
" My follow up read to "Where Men Win Glory". A touching tribute to an American hero as written by his mother. Be prepared to be frustrated with the federal government and/or the military. "
— Kerry, 12/9/2013 -
" Kleenex.... "
— Denise, 11/27/2013 -
" I liked this book, but I tried reading it too soon after Where Men When Glory so it feels repetitive for me. I am going to stop reading it for now. "
— Tori, 10/28/2013 -
" This is not an easy book to read, especially when you have friends who have lost children in the military, but it is worth reading. "
— Keith, 9/12/2013 -
" This is a sad commentary on the way the government has and continues to bungle the war we have going on. I am glad I read this book. I certainly feel for the Tillman family and the others who get caught up in these kinds of actions. "
— Bob, 6/1/2013 -
" Scary that any of the accusations in this book would even be remotely true. The actions of the military take away from any honor and prestige that comes with joining the military. "
— Spenser, 5/4/2013 -
" We should honor families with the truth when they've lost a member in war. This is a good read that honors one of our fallen, and the family's process to grieve and celebrate his duty and courage. "
— MJ, 12/22/2012 -
" This was good. Definitely a mother's account of things. Jon Krakauer's book is definitely the bes book about what happened to Pat Tillman. "
— Misspennylane, 2/4/2012 -
" I was a Pat Tillman fan when he was alive, and am an even greater fan now. "
— Maire, 12/17/2011 -
" i loved this book! will read it again later. a combination of laughing, crying, anger, smiling, and worrying. "
— Tammy, 10/14/2011 -
" AWESOME book!! The middle gets a little long, but is VERY interesting! Really make you wonder what REALLY goes on......... "
— Jen, 7/26/2011 -
" Scary that any of the accusations in this book would even be remotely true. The actions of the military take away from any honor and prestige that comes with joining the military. "
— Spenser, 5/20/2011 -
" One of the hardest books to get through. Highly recommended! Inspired and awed for a great man we lost too early. "
— Kristi, 2/14/2011 -
" My follow up read to "Where Men Win Glory". A touching tribute to an American hero as written by his mother. Be prepared to be frustrated with the federal government and/or the military. "
— Kerry, 12/22/2010 -
" Amazing tribute to a son who truly was a hero! "
— Jenifer, 7/9/2010 -
" This is not an easy book to read, especially when you have friends who have lost children in the military, but it is worth reading. "
— Keith, 6/30/2010 -
" This was good. Definitely a mother's account of things. Jon Krakauer's book is definitely the bes book about what happened to Pat Tillman. "
— Misspennylane, 4/23/2010 -
" The life of Pat Tilman & his family's search for the truth of his death "
— Nancy, 1/30/2010 -
" Mary Tillman cannot write like Krakauer, but she does completely detail her son's personality. <br/> <br/>This book made me furious with the military for denying her the truth and then saying the only reason she would not believe them is because she was not a "Christian." <br/> "
— Denise, 1/13/2010 -
" Yet another reason the U.S. should not be fighting a prolonged war in the Middle East. A heartbreaking story. "
— Tammy, 12/2/2009 -
" This is an amazing account. It is from his Mother's point of view and the research she did so you must take it with a grain of salt but it makes you think - "how does it work? do we really know what goes on" "
— Erin, 9/25/2009
About Mary Tillman
Mary Tillman is a special education teacher in San Jose, California, where she lives. She is also the author of Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman.