Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Hardcover

Jon Krakauer

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1848873018 ISBN 13: 9781848873018

Publisher: Atlantic Books, 2010

Synopsis

The bestselling author of "Into the Wild", "Into Thin Air" and "Under the Banner of Heaven" delivers a stunning, eloquent account of a hero - a millionaire sports star who gave it all up to fight with the US Army in Afghanistan, only to be killed by one of his own platoon. In May 2002, Pat Tillman walked away from his $3.6 million NFL contract to enlist in the United States Special Operations Forces. He was deeply troubled by 9/11, and felt a strong moral obligation to join the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Two years later, he would die on a desolate hillside in south-eastern Afghanistan. News of Tillman's death dealt a devastating blow not only to his family and friends, but also to his fans - he was a much loved public figure, and his memorial service was watched by millions on national television. But while the public perception was that Tillman had died in the line of duty, most of the two dozen soldiers on the scene knew what the US Army had aggressively maneuvered to conceal: that it was a ranger in Tillman's own platoon who had fired the fatal shots. In "Where Men Win Glory", Jon Krakauer renders an intricate portrait of this driven, complex and uncommonly compelling figure and tells the gripping story of the search to uncover the truth about his death. Infused with the power and authenticity readers have come to expect from Krakauer's storytelling, Where Men Win Glory exposes shattering truths about men and war.

About this title

Review:

Book Description
The bestselling author of Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, and Under the Banner of Heaven delivers a stunning, eloquent account of a remarkable young man’s haunting journey.

Like the men whose epic stories Jon Krakauer has told in his previous bestsellers, Pat Tillman was an irrepressible individualist and iconoclast. In May 2002, Tillman walked away from his $3.6 million NFL contract to enlist in the United States Army. He was deeply troubled by 9/11, and he felt a strong moral obligation to join the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Two years later, he died on a desolate hillside in southeastern Afghanistan.

Though obvious to most of the two dozen soldiers on the scene that a ranger in Tillman’s own platoon had fired the fatal shots, the Army aggressively maneuvered to keep this information from Tillman’s wife, other family members, and the American public for five weeks following his death. During this time, President Bush repeatedly invoked Tillman’s name to promote his administration’s foreign policy. Long after Tillman’s nationally televised memorial service, the Army grudgingly notified his closest relatives that he had “probably” been killed by friendly fire while it continued to dissemble about the details of his death and who was responsible.

In Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer draws on Tillman’s journals and letters, interviews with his wife and friends, conversations with the soldiers who served alongside him, and extensive research on the ground in Afghanistan to render an intricate mosaic of this driven, complex, and uncommonly compelling figure as well as the definitive account of the events and actions that led to his death. Before he enlisted in the army, Tillman was familiar to sports aficionados as an undersized, overachieving Arizona Cardinals safety whose virtuosity in the defensive backfield was spellbinding. With his shoulder-length hair, outspoken views, and boundless intellectual curiosity, Tillman was considered a maverick. America was fascinated when he traded the bright lights and riches of the NFL for boot camp and a buzz cut. Sent first to Iraq—a war he would openly declare was “illegal as hell” —and eventually to Afghanistan, Tillman was driven by complicated, emotionally charged, sometimes contradictory notions of duty, honor, justice, patriotism, and masculine pride, and he was determined to serve his entire three-year commitment. But on April 22, 2004, his life would end in a barrage of bullets fired by his fellow soldiers.

Krakauer chronicles Tillman’s riveting, tragic odyssey in engrossing detail highlighting his remarkable character and personality while closely examining the murky, heartbreaking circumstances of his death. Infused with the power and authenticity readers have come to expect from Krakauer’s storytelling, Where Men Win Glory exposes shattering truths about men and war.  Amazon Exclusive: Jon Krakauer in Afghanistan

Click on thumbnails for larger images

Krakauer and First Lieutenant Eric Hayes on a foot patrol along the Afghanistan Pakistan border. (Photo © Dennis Knowles)	Krakauer doing Humvee maintenance, 2007. (Photo © Eric Hayesy)	Observation Post, Forward Operating Base Tillman

About the Author:

Jon Krakauer is the author of Into The Wild, Into Thin Air, Eiger Dreams and Under the Banner of Heaven and is the editor of the Modern Library Exploration series.

About this edition

• Publisher: Atlantic Books
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 1848873018
• ISBN 13: 9781848873018
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400