“The Tillman Story” is a new movie opening on Friday that tells the story of the cover-up that surrounded the death of Pat Tillman, NFL star turned combat soldier in Afghanistan. Spurred on by the love of his country, the violation of its freedom on 9/11/01, and his sense of duty, Tillman forsook his lucrative NFL career and joined the army. He was subsequently killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire, except that the army covered up the friendly fire part, and used the opportunity to turn him into a hero by falsifying a story of how he was killed storming an enemy-fortified hill to save his buddies. Fellow soldiers who knew the truth could not in good conscience carry out the lie that was being propagated by the army intelligence, and as the news media started to smell a rat, Tillman’s family began an all out campaign to find out what really happened. The movie apparently dramatizes how all this unfolded.
In a review of the movie in the Los Angeles Times this week, one critic pointed out the irony of how a movie dedicated to uncovering the truth had to struggle with its own temptation to sell out the truth to avoid an R-rating, and thus limit the market to which the story could be told.
“It’s part and parcel of this unwillingness we have as a society to face what our soldiers do for us,” commented filmmaker Amir Bar-Lev. “The idea that we’re embarrassed in some way or it’s inappropriate for kids to know how soldiers talk when they’re being fired at, or how people talk when they’re grieving. It’s a slap in the face.”
“The basic thing we owe the people who put their lives on the line for the country is the truth, and we owe their families the truth too. They can handle the truth.”
Jesus said the truth would set us free. I have always had a tendency to think of this in positive terms. The truth sets you free; how fun is that? Well, in reality, sometimes it isn’t fun at all, and the story around this movie is certainly one of those times. Truth sometimes hurts, but it is still the only thing you really want to know.
The truth will always set us free, it just might not always be what we want to hear.
John Fischer The Catch 
Hello, John Fischer! Thank you for sharing this today! I agree and have found out “growing through” this life that the truth does hurt sometimes more than not! However, it does set you free! Free to laugh, to cry, to love, to go on from a mistake (your own or someone else’s), the list is endless! The greatest truth to set us free is the saving power of what Jesus did for us…us, who didn’t deserve it! And then forgive us as we go (grow) too!
Have a truly terrific day!
Jennifer
PS-I do not have a problem with the foul language being removed from movies…more often than not it is punctuated in movies to shock and “entertain”, if the truth is that it’s a true story, word for word (which most aren’t anyway), it can be implied to what is being said…we hear enough foul talk in our everyday lives…fallen world and all…
When Jesus said that the truth would set us free, I think that in that case “The Truth” was a person. Himself. He is “Truth” and He will set us free!
Yes, Jesus is the truth, the way and the life, but that doesn’t negate the principle that there is no freedom outside of the truth.
I like the new look of The Catch.
Thanks!
hope i figure out how this wordpress works -dunno i have the steam to take on another blog… good to hear from you, John 🙂
Forget the blog. Just treat it like your email Catch of the Day that used to be trusty. Hopefully now…
Hi John! Great to see you’re writing, speaking, singing, and ministering. Enjoyed reading your blog. Keep up the great work!
Blessings,
Junko
“The truth shall set you free, but first it will make you miserable” James A Garfield