“Fourteen years later, as he contemplated life from the perspective of an Army barracks, he regarded that catch as a pivotal moment—a confidence booster that contributed significantly to one of his defining traits: unwavering self-assurance.” 

As a child, Tillman’s coach put him in at the end of a game, giving him the opportunity to save the day and blow everyone away. In recognizing a seemingly small moment in his life as being transformational, Tillman set himself up to be present for future moments in his life, ready to learn and grow from them. Moreover, this moment solidified Tillman’s tendency to frame his self-worth around physical acts of heroism, which may have played a role in his decision to join the army.

“Despite Pat’s quickness to resort to his fists, he was in many ways the antithesis of a bully. As a matter of principle, he fought only with kids who were bigger than he was, and on several occasions, he intervened to rescue nerdy classmates who were being hassled by older, larger tormentors. But when Pat fought, he fought to win and never capitulated, which earned him the reputation at Leland and beyond as a guy not to be trifled with. In the pack he ran with, there was no question in anyone’s mind that he was the alpha male.” 

This passage explores Tillman’s masculinity. He was as susceptible as any to the violence nurtured in young boys in America, but even as an immature youth, he was thoughtful. In contrast to the trigger-happy gunners with whom he would later serve in Afghanistan, Tillman’s expressions of violence were calculated, rather than indiscriminate.

“Yousef had learned the art of making bombs from a manual written by the CIA for the mujahideen to use in their struggle against the Soviets. He was given the CIA instruction booklet while attending an al-Qaeda training camp in Khost.” 

Here, Krakauer details the education of the architect of the 1993 parking garage bomb that attempted to bring down the World Trade Center. The educator of this terrorist is the very mark that his aggression seeks: the United States. This shows a deep interconnectedness between al-Qaeda and the U.S., intimating that war is not as black and white as the media paints it to be.