FREEDOM

Pat Tillman’s Widow: Don’t Politicize Him to Divide Others

“We are too great of a country for that.”

Following a retweet from President Trump referencing former NFL player and Army Ranger Pat Tillman, his widow, Marie Tillman, released a statement saying her late husband’s sacrifice “should never be politicized in a way that divides us.” Trump has over the last week criticized NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem, and the Pat Tillman tweet invoked the hashtag #StandForOurAnthem. The former football player joined the army after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and three years later he was killing in Afghanistan by friendly fire. “The very action of self-expression and the freedom to speak from one’s heart—no matter those views—is what Pat and so many other Americans have given their lives for,” Marie Tillman said. “Pat’s service, along with that of every man and woman’s service, should never be politicized in a way that divides us. We are too great of a country for that.”