The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of RedState.com.

Butch O’Hare had the makings of a Hollywood movie star. A tall handsome man, a graduate of Annapolis, and a Navy aviator. Butch was the son of a wealthy Chicago attorney who happened to be a lawyer for mobster Al Capone. He met and fell in love with a nurse named Rita and they married a month and a half later. Storybook stuff.

On February 20, 1942, Lieutenant O’Hare and his wingman Marion “Duff” Dufilho were flying cap for their carrier, the Lexington, when the carrier group got notice of an incoming flight of Japanese bombers. It was headed toward Lexington. But O’Hare and Dufilho were the only fighters in attack position and with eight bombers remaining, it was up to O’Hare and his wingman. O’Hare cleared his four .50 caliber machine guns. Dufilho’s guns jammed. No matter, they attacked from above, and with expert precision, O’Hare shot down two immediately and scored another three victories in the span of four minutes. O’Hare was America’s first “Ace.” His commanding officer recommended that O‘Hare be decorated. O’Hare was less enthused. “The other officers in the squadron would have done the same thing.”

Maybe, but America needed a hero, and its hero, was Butch O’Hare. FDR, never shy about exploiting the press and people, invited the press, Butch, and Rita O’Hare to the White House where he promoted O’Hare on the spot, and put the Medal of Honor around his neck.

But in November 1943, Butch O’Hare was killed. The public was told that O’Hare was lost in combat – disappearing into the blackness of a moonlit ocean. In reality, O’Hare’s fighter was almost certainly shot down by a skittish rear gunner on an Avenger. An American had killed America’s first Ace, but the public wasn’t told the truth.

In 1949, Chicago’s O’Hare Airport was named after Butch O’Hare. The airport called Butch a “fighter pilot from Chicago.” Butch had never lived in Chicago. Ever.

Useful myth.

After 9/11, Pat Tillman left a multi-million-dollar contract with the Phoenix Cardinals and enlisted in the Army. He earned his Ranger tab and served with the 75^th Regiment. He deployed to Iraq but became disillusioned with the Iraqi invasion. Tillman had joined to kill the people who had killed Americans. He called the invasion of Iraq “F**ing Illegal.” He and his brother were then deployed to Afghanistan, where Tillman died. The public was shocked. The Army and President Bush told the country that Tillman had died a hero. His patrol had been ambushed by the enemy, they said. Tillman had died bravely in combat. Tillman was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and a Purple Heart. But Tillman didn’t die in combat. He was killed by a trigger-happy American who shot him in the head from less than 10 yards distance. The Army lied about his death and then tried to cover up the lie. The NFL also gladly exploited his death. Both the Army and the NFL created a myth, to suit a heroic narrative.

Useful myth.

On January 6, 2021, Brain Scknick was employed as a Capitol police officer. He had, apparently, bravely engaged with rioters, and depending on the media talking head, Sicknick was either beaten to death with a fire extinguisher or had choked to death from chemicals sprayed at him, or died in the arms of fellow officers defending the Capitol. Whatever story told, Sicknick had been murdered by Capitol rioters.

The Independent was typical in its coverage. A month later, and long after the Medical Examiner had determined that Sicknick died from an unrelated stroke, it claimed Sicknick had:

 [S]uffered a stroke after he was pepper sprayed and collapsed during the deadly mob attacks on 6 January, ProPublica reported, as Congress convened to certify former President Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 elections. As the news outlet reported, Mr Sicknick’s family must now grapple with the fact that his death was the result of an act of political violence.

Chuck Schumer slimed his way through the Capitol and offered the following:

“The heroism of Officer Sicknick and the Capitol Police force during the violent insurrection against our Capitol helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy and ensure that the Congress was not diverted from our duty to the Constitution,” the statement read. “His sacrifice reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and to the people we serve.”

While Sicknick’s ashes were Lying in State, one of the dumbest men on TV, Joe Scarborough, said Brian Sicknick’s death could be laid squarely at the feet of J6 rioters, politicians, and the media. Scarborough contended the politicians and [media] hucksters were responsible for Sicknick’s death saying, his voice dripping with contempt:

 If [Politicians and Media] can’t come to the conclusion that they are responsible? Well, then you’re part of the problem. And who knows, maybe you’re responsible too”.

Joe and his giggling sidekick wife, Mika, were not alone in claiming Sicknick had been killed even after it was clear that Sicknick wasn’t injured on J6 and didn’t die from any injuries. The New York Times had to correct its coverage and admit that Sicknick died of natural causes. Two strokes killed Sicknick, not J6.

But another dolt, Joe Biden, has continued to lie about Sicknick and has disgustingly done so for cheap political points.

On Monday, Tucker Carlson showed video from January 6^th. One clip depicts Sicknick in the Capitol building well after the initial breach, uninjured. He is seen, seemingly uninjured and directing people away from an area. People in the halls are lazily milling about. At one point, Sicknick leans down and picks up a sign, and puts it behind a fixture or statue seemly unconcerned with people in the Capitol.

Tucker Carlson's Report On The Never Before Seen Footage Of Officer Brian Sicknick On January 6th

"To this day, media accounts describe Sicknick as someone who was 'slain' on January 6th. The video we reviewed proves that is a lie. Here is surveillance footage of Sicknick… https://t.co/wlrMvyDznW pic.twitter.com/yVMSdBMM2t

— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) March 7, 2023

The J6 Committee had seen that video at least a year ago. Yet the Committee members continued to push the myth that Sicknick had been killed defending the Capitol. Hacks like Kinzinger and Cheney knew that Sicknick wasn’t injured, that he wasn’t in the arms of Capitol police after being hit over the head with a fire extinguisher or pepper-sprayed. Officer Sicknick died the next day – according to the medical examiner, of two strokes.

Sicknick’s death was tragic. At 42, he should have lived several decades more, but lying about his death to push an agenda that you know is false, is sick.

O’Hare, Tillman, and Sicknick were all exploited and lied about in death. They weren’t the first and they won’t be the last. The lesson to be learned? Don’t trust the initial story. Wait for the facts and then confirm the facts. The new release of J6 video confirms that regardless of what politicians tell America, chances are, if their lips are moving, they are lying.