The Face of War

Tillman Killed by 'Friendly Fire' (washingtonpost.com)

Pat Tillman, the former pro football player, was killed by other American troops in a "friendly fire" episode in Afghanistan last month and not by enemy bullets, according to a U.S. investigation of the incident.

The revelation that that former football player Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire is a grotesque reminder of the of the ugliness and chaos of war. (I'm reminded of Hedda Gabler's reaction when she finds out that Eilert Lovborg has shot himself not in the heart but in the gut.) This news does not diminish the courage displayed by Tillman, but it should be an awakening to those who celebrated his death as affirmation of a romantic vision of war.