The Pat Till Foundation’s blog wrote:

Revered as one of the most challenging marathons in the world, the route included long stretches on The Great Wall and a total of 5,164 stairs of varying length and size. The race was held for the 11th year and included 486 runners from 53 different countries.

Jim raised $2000 to support the Pat Tillman Foundation. Congratulations Jim and thank you for your support!

Here’s a video that showcases the event:

Do you know anyone who has completed this marathon? If so, how long did they train to compete in it?

Much of the story has been revealed in newspapers and Congressional testimony. Yet Boots on the Ground by Dusk offers something other accounts do not: the heartache of          searching for answers about a son’s death…it overflows with love and moral outrage.

The book takes a deeper look into the wrongdoings of top government leaders, shedding light upon McChrystal, among others. The highly-publicized Rolling Stone article, which we talked about in our post Not What He Seems, features commentary from Mary’s book:

“The false narrative, which McChrystal clearly helped construct, diminished Pat’s true actions,” wrote Tillman’s mother, Mary, in her book Boots on the Ground by Dusk. McChrystal got away with it, she added, because he was the “golden boy” of Rumsfeld and Bush, who loved his willingness to get things done, even if it included bending the rules or skipping the chain of command. Nine days after Tillman’s death, McChrystal was promoted to major general.

Here’s what the Associated Press reported on the book:

Have you read Boots on the Ground by Dusk? Share your opinion on the book and outlook on the investigation.

Below are the markets and locations that will be playing THE TILLMAN STORY this Friday, September 10th:

NEW YORK, NY
Lincoln Square Holding
The Sunshine Holding
Clearview Chelsea
Clearview Clairidge
Jacobs Burns Film Center

LOS ANGELES, CA
The Landmark Holding
Laemmle Town Center Encino
Laemmle Pasadena Play House
Regal University Town Center, Irvine

PORTLAND, OR
Regal Fox Tower

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Cinemark San Francisco Centre 9
Landmark Shattuck Cinemas, Berkley
Camera 7, San Jose

WASHINGTON D.C.
Landmark E Street Cinema

PHOENIX, AZ
Harkins Camelview 5

PHILADELPHIA, PA
Landmark Ritz at the Bourse

CHICAGO, IL
Landmark Century Centre

BOSTON, MA
Landmark Kendall Square

DALLAS, TX
Angelika Film Centre Dallas
Angelika Film Center, Plano

SEATTLE, WA
Landmark Varsity

SAN DIEGO, CA
Landmark Hillcrest

PALM SPRINGS, FL
Cinemas Palme D’Or

SANTA BARBARA, CA
Arcangelo Fiesta

Below are the additional markets and locations that will be playing THE TILLMAN STORY on Friday, September 17th:

DENVER, CO
Landmark Mayan

ATLANTA, GA
Regal Tara

MINNEAPOLIS, MN
Landmark Lagoon

MIAMI, FL
Regal South Beach

AUSTIN, TX
Regal Arbor Cinemas at Great Hills

New Markets opening on Friday, September 24:

SANTA CRUZ, CA
Nickelodeon Theatre

The Army Criminal Investigation Command released this photo in 2007 to show a re-enactment of the friendly fire incident. MSNBC reported:

This frame shows investigators at the scene of Tillman’s death, with a Humvee in the background to show the approximate area near where his fellow Rangers fired at him.

There was a mere 70 yards separating Pat from those who shot him — about the same length as 2/3 of a football field (goal line to goal line). Do you think Pat’s fellow Rangers were able to see him clearly from the shooting point near the Humvee?

Below are the markets and locations that will be playing THE TILLMAN STORY this Friday, September 3rd:

NEW YORK, NY
Lincoln Square Holding
The Sunshine Holding
Clearview Chelsea
Clearview Clairidge
Lesser Malverne Cinemas

LOS ANGELES, CA
The Landmark Holding
Laemmle Town Center Encino
Laemmle Pasadena Play House
Regal University Town Center, Irvine

SAN FRANCISCO, CA
Cinemark San Francisco Centre 9
Landmark Shattuck Cinemas, Berkley
Camera 7, San Jose

WASHINGTON D.C.
Landmark E Street Cinema

PHOENIX, AZ
Harkins Camelview 5

PHILADELPHIA, PA
Landmark Ritz at the Bourse

CHICAGO, IL
Landmark Century Centre

BOSTON, MA
Landmark Kendall Square

DALLAS, TX
Angelika Film Centre Dallas
Angelika Film Center, Plano

SEATTLE, WA
Landmark Varsity

SAN DIEGO, CA
Landmark Hillcrest

PALM SPRINGS, FL
Cinemas Palme D’Or

SANTA BARBARA, CA
Arcangelo Fiesta

But Rumsfeld displayed an alarming decline in his mental faculties and couldn’t remember a thing about the incident.

“How and when did you learn that Corporal Tillman had been killed?” asked Tom Davis (Va.), the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

“I don’t recall precisely,” Rumsfeld replied.

No fewer than 82 times during the three-hour hearing, Rumsfeld and his former military colleagues were heard to utter “I can’t recall,” “I don’t remember,” “I don’t know” or a variation of these. So forgetful was Rumsfeld that he repeatedly neglected to turn on his microphone before speaking, requiring frequent reminders from the panel.

An excerpt from the hearing:

The Washington Post nicknamed the former secretary of defense “Donald (It Must Have Slipped My Mind) Rumsfeld” in a photo caption, which appears in the above article. Do you think that Rumsfeld legitimately could not remember what happened or that he was just too afraid to speak the truth?

BBC News reported:

The soldier, from 36 Engineer Regiment, died on Monday while serving with the Counter-IED Task Force in the Sangin area of Helmand.

His family and friends paid tribute to the 26-year-old, from Swanley in Kent, and in a statement published by the MoD, called him “an inspiration”.

The MoD is investigating his death.

The MoD said on Tuesday that a smoke shell, designed to provide cover for soldiers working on the ground, “may have fallen short of its intended target”.

What other friendly-fire deaths have you read about in the news? Do you think these types of friendly-fire deaths are unavoidable in times of war?

As part of a fundraising program for the Pat Tillman Foundation, replica jerseys that feature Pat’s number 40 are being sold on the Arizona Cardinal’s website. According to The New York Times, the jerseys are selling extraordinarily well:

“The story of Pat Tillman, a guy who walked away from a truly brilliant career and who took a very principled stand, resonates with a lot of people,” Susan Rothman, the N.F.L.’s vice president of consumer products, said last week. “The purchase of these Tillman jerseys honors that stand and his sacrifice.”

Neither the N.F.L. nor the Cardinals make a dime off those sales. According to the wishes of Mr. Tillman’s family, proceeds from the sales benefit the Pat Tillman Foundation. (The jerseys sell for $64.99 at www.azcardinals.com, where they are the team’s top-selling replica jersey, and $74.99 at the N.F.L. site.)

The article goes on to describe the significance of the jerseys:

The Defense Department has said that Mr. Tillman was killed by friendly fire, but the sales of the replica jerseys are not necessarily related to the controversy over his death, nor do they seem to be related to the war in Iraq, Mr. Garwood and Ms. Rothman said.

“People believe in Pat,” Mr. Garwood said. “People are inspired by him.”

Ms. Rothman said: “It’s totally disassociated from any kind of political statement. It’s a statement of admiration for a brave individual.”

Do you know anyone who owns Pat’s number 40 jersey?