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Harry's speech accepting the Pat Tillman Award was highly controversial and drew harsh criticism from many. He began by discussing the unbreakable bond between a mother and son, likely in an attempt to gain sympathy and portray himself in a positive light. However, this came across as insensitive given Mary Tillman's vocal opposition to Harry receiving the award named after her late son, Pat Tillman.
Mary Tillman spent nearly two decades fighting to uncover the truth about how her son really died after he passed away serving in Afghanistan. Harry knew full well of Mary's stance on the issue, yet he chose to directly mention her in his speech anyway. Bringing up such a personal topic, the mother-son relationship, while still accepting an award that the mother in question did not want him to have, came across as extremely inappropriate and disrespectful to Mary.
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Many saw it as Harry mockingly trying to push back against Mary's very public rejection of him for this award. He seemed to be implying that her objection was only due to normal maternal emotions, rather than a rational assessment of whether he truly deserved such an honor. But Harry's actions throughout his career have given little indication that he truly understands or appreciates the immense sacrifices made by veterans and their families.
Harry then made the extremely questionable decision to have injured veterans physically on stage with him during his speech. It appeared this was only done so that he could use them as props and shields in case he faced any backlash or booing from the audience. Keeping real heroes who lost limbs and suffered burns by his side seemed a craven attempt to avoid any criticism being directed towards himself.
The veterans on stage did not look at all comfortable being put in that position. Neither did Mary Tillman herself, who was shown stone-faced and clearly unhappy about the entire situation during camera shots. Harry once again only seemed focused on cowering behind and using others to avoid having to face any consequences for his own increasingly questionable actions.
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As the criticism grew over his receiving of the award, it became obvious Harry knew he did not truly deserve such an honor. His speech came across as desperate damage control, trying to shift the focus back towards veterans and away from himself individually. He brought up Invictus at length, a group he has often taken attention away from in past years by allowing Meghan to turn the events into spectacle and promotion for their brand.
For the first time, Harry seemed to realize the immense backlash building against him from being bestowed with an award in Pat Tillman's name. But his motives were clearly self-serving - an attempt to protect his crumbling public image and Internet popularity rather than out of genuine care for veterans. Even the wording on the award mentions 'service', something Harry has provided little concrete evidence of through meaningful actions.
Harry's continued using of his late mother Diana as a shield from criticism was also tactless. While William appears to have matured and moved past only relying on their mother's memory, Harry still clings to invoking Diana to deflect from his own shortcomings. He refuses to stand on his own merits rather than hiding behind the skirts of a memorialized woman who can't answer back.
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Worst of all was Harry's disrespect in directly mentioning Mary Tillman at all. While he may have believed bringing her up was necessary to attempt saving face, the dishonor to her wishes - and memory of her veteran son - in accepting this award regardless was truly beyond the pale. Harry remains willfully oblivious to how undeserving the honor truly is and tone deaf in addressing the immense controversy his actions have caused.
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Harry's speech showed the signs of being hastily rewritten by PR experts to do damage control. But beneath the rehearsed gratitude towards veterans, it was clear Harry was seething with anger - not at himself for the poor choices leading to this mess, but at the thousands who circulated petitions and spoke out against this farce. He views any criticism as a personal attack rather than considering how his constant grifting and privilege could understandably rub many the wrong way.
Unless Invictus drops their involvement, this award has likely been permanently tarnished by its association with Harry. Future possible recipients may decline such a disrespected honor named for a true hero like Pat Tillman. Harry still does not seem to grasp how despised he has become in the country Tillman gave his life for. But with any luck, this debacle will only continue pushing Harry and Meghan further into irrelevance for their exploitation of important causes and manipulation of others for profit and ego. The path forward must be returning the focus to those who truly deserve it - veterans and their families, not privileged poseurs who have done little real service.
In conclusion, while Harry's speech attempted damage control, his actions only heaped further disrespect upon Pat Tillman's memory and insult upon the wishes of his mother. Harry's motives remain nakedly self-interested rather than out of sincere care and understanding. Until he takes true responsibility for how his constant grifting has diluted important causes and honored others, the controversy around him accepting this award will likely continue to irreparably tarnish its significance and meaning.
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