Pat Tillman's death and religion

senorpogo

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senorpogo
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I saw this on Andrew Sullivan's. The link to the full article is there.

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/12/military_christ.html

[Lt. Col. Ralph] Kauzlarich, [formerly the Army officer who directed the first official inquiry,] now a battalion commanding officer at Fort Riley in Kansas, further suggested the Tillman family's unhappiness with the findings of past investigations might be because of the absence of a Christian faith in their lives.

In an interview with ESPN.com, Kauzlarich said: "When you die, I mean, there is supposedly a better life, right? Well, if you are an atheist and you don't believe in anything, if you die, what is there to go to? Nothing. You are worm dirt. So for their son to die for nothing, and now he is no more — that is pretty hard to get your head around that. So I don't know how an atheist thinks. I can only imagine that that would be pretty tough."

Asked by ESPN.com whether the Tillmans' religious beliefs are a factor in the ongoing investigation, Kauzlarich said, "I think so. There is not a whole lot of trust in the system or faith in the system [by the Tillmans]. So that is my personal opinion, knowing what I know...

[T]here [have] been numerous unfortunate cases of fratricide, and the parents have basically said, 'OK, it was an unfortunate accident.' And they let it go. So this is — I don't know, these people have a hard time letting it go. It may be because of their religious beliefs."
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I really don't have much of a comment. It's just sad that this guy sees atheism as the reason behind a parental desire to know exactly what happened to their son.
 
senorpogo said:
I saw this on Andrew Sullivan's. The link to the full article is there.

http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/12/military_christ.html
I really don't have much of a comment. It's just sad that this guy sees atheism as the reason behind a parental desire to know exactly what happened to their son.
Click to expand...
I am somewhat amazed that the LTC made these remarks, given the number of lies and half truths the Tillman family had to confront, thanks to the political spin their son's enlistment had been associated with.

While what he says makes a certain sort of sense, it's bloody insensitive to make those comments on the record, and from a position of insider info on the investigations.

Not good media technique. Has that man never been to CACO training? If he's been a battalion commander, he surely has a sense of how one treats the family of a fallen soldier. He seems to have forgotten the cardinal rule of the Army: stay in your lane. Philosophy and religion aren't his MOS.

*shakes head*

DR
 
Darth Rotor said:
While what he says makes a certain sort of sense
Click to expand...

I foresee this thread being completely derailed. I'll take my million now.

I just can't imagine saying anything about his parents after what they've gone through. I don't care if they're Muslims, Christians, atheists, snake handlers, carnies, druggies, or fans of the CFL. Their son has given his life for this country and the powers that be have completely muddled things up by trying to spin it into a PR thing. So yes, he should stay in his lane.
 
From the reference:
"[T]here [have] been numerous unfortunate cases of fratricide, and the parents have basically said, 'OK, it was an unfortunate accident.' And they let it go. So this is — I don't know, these people have a hard time letting it go. It may be because of their religious beliefs."
Click to expand...

According to this guy, it is OK for there to be numerous cases of fratricide as long as the parents are delusional about it.

What a douche.
 
Yes, lacking a belief in an afterlife can cause people to value life that much more.

Yes, being lied to about your sons death over and over can make parents angry.

No, The Tillman’s are not specifically angry because of their religious beliefs. They are angry because their son died and they were lied to about it. No one ever gets over the death of their child.

Yes, Kauzlarich is insensitive to insinuate the Tillman’s are dwelling on the death of their son because of their lack of religious beliefs.
 
DanishDynamite said:
Uhhh...what? In what alternative universe does what he says make any sense? Or were you just saying it probably makes sense within his religiously warped universe?
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If you decouple emotion from your response to his comments, as I did, there is a certain logic based on perspective, and how one counsels someone who has lost a loved one. Your bias is screaming out "look at me!"

His comments are still effed up, in terms of professional discretion, given what Tillman's parents have gone through: being lied to by the governent as it makes political hay out of their son's death. The LTC, having investigated the fratricide, should bloody well know better.

Another case of violating Rule Number One: never overlook an opportunity to keep your mouth shut.

See the Sports Illustrated article for Sept 11, 2006, with the cover of Tillman, the overwritten title "Remember his name."

DR
 
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