We all remember the story on this.......he was killed by friendly fire and not enemy....correct me if I am wrong, he was awarded the Silver Star for his actions against enemy fire....what happened(s) to that Silver Star? I am not here to question the man or his actions ...he died a hero and a man no matter what the cause or circumstances....what happened to the Silver Star???
2006-08-24 13:51:51 · 7 answers · asked by Mickey Mantle 5 in Politics & Government ➔ Military
Not clear enough....I am not asking where it is physically......if the citation was for actions against the enemy but it was really friendlies.....where is the heroic act...this is all coming out wrong......did the military just do this to paint him more then the hero just to polish the war going sour at the time.....did he receive it anyway in spite
2006-08-24 14:02:27 · update #1
Should not matter. As I understand it, he was killed during a firefight. These short but violent scirmishes have been described as "organized chaos" which, as a VietNam vet, I would concur with that description.The initial moments of the engagement are indeed chaotic with weapons being fired in many directions. The weapon that fired the round,saddening as it is, has no bearing on the heroic deeds of the men involved.
2006-08-25 01:06:25 · answer #1 · answered by dcamarca 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Army is not prone to just handing out medals, especially the Silver Star. It's the 3rd highest combat award that can be earned, behind the Cross (AF/Navy/Distinguished Service) and the Medal of Honor.
If they just gave it to him, it would cause the award to be less than it is and I'm sure Tillman's fellow soldiers would have something to say about it not really being earned.
That being said however, there seems to be a trend of awarding a person who died a higher award then they might have earned had they lived. Most MoH recipients died in the process of earning the Medal, those that lived doing probably the same type of feat, earned the Cross. I have no proof, but in reading through the AF MoH and AF Cross recipients (Enlisted) it would seem that the only thing different from a MoH and AF Cross award was the fact that the person who received the AF Cross lived.
2006-08-24 15:00:33 · answer #2 · answered by Michael 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe it was helping buddies against the weapons - doesn't matter if it is friendly fire or enemy fire does it?
He is still on the news here quite a bit since we're in arizona - but he's not more important than all the other people who have died over there.
2006-08-24 14:15:24 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
He was awarded the silver star for his valor in the face of enemy fire. there were enemy forces operating and his unit had been in contact with them. It was friendly fire that killed him but the friendly fire incident was not the only incident. He received his silver star for actions against enemy forces.
2006-08-24 13:54:39 · answer #4 · answered by Charles D 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They just gave it to him just to look good for the media. Most people will in the Army will tell you Pat Tillman is a hero in his own right, but his actions were NOT worthy of a silver star.
2006-08-24 15:04:47 · answer #5 · answered by Curt 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you're talking about the actual physical medal, I'm sure it's given to his next of kin (wife, parents or whatever).
2006-08-24 13:53:43 · answer #6 · answered by T-Bone 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well Mickey, I believe we can assume that it was presented to his parents!
2006-08-24 13:55:25 · answer #7 · answered by briang731/ bvincent 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋