Mary Tillman, the mother of former professional football player Patrick Tillman, denounced the continued cover-up and whitewash of her son’s “friendly fire” killing in Afghanistan. She spoke in Birmingham, Michigan last week as part of the promotion for her new book, Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman. Tillman read a section of her book and discussed the death of her son and its aftermath. Pat Tillman was killed on April 22, 2004. Though officials within the military and Bush administration were soon aware that the death came at the hands of US soldiers, this fact was covered up for weeks. Pat Tillman’s death was exploited in an attempt to bolster support for US military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. “This deception was not just a deception of our family; it was a public deception used to rally the public behind the war,” Tillman said. “Pat would have been horrified that his life and death had been used in this way.” Mrs. Tillman said she had been disappointed by the reaction from both the Democratic and Republican Parties.