Posted on 04/24/2007 10:52:18 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
WASHINGTON - Pat Tillman's brother accused the military Tuesday of "intentional falsehoods" and "deliberate and careful misrepresentations" in portraying the football star's death in Afghanistan as the result of heroic engagement with the enemy instead of friendly fire.
"We believe this narrative was intended to deceive the family but more importantly the American public," Kevin Tillman told a House Government Reform and Oversight Committee hearing. "Pat's death was clearly the result of fratricide," he said, contending that the military's misstatements amounted to "fraud."
"Revealing that Pat's death was a fratricide would have been yet another political disaster in a month of political disasters ... so the truth needed to be suppressed," said Tillman, who was in a convoy behind his brother when the incident happened three years ago but didn't see it.
The committee's chairman, Rep. Henry Waxman (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., accused the government of inventing "sensational details and stories" about Pat Tillman's death and the 2003 rescue of Jessica Lynch, perhaps the most famous victims of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
"The government violated its most basic responsibility," said Waxman.
Lynch, then an Army private, was badly injured when her convoy was ambushed in Iraq. She was subsequently rescued by American troops from an Iraqi hospital but the tale of her ambush was changed into a story of heroism on her part.
Still hampered by her injuries, Lynch walked slowly to the witness table and took a seat alongside Tillman's family members.
"The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don't need to be told elaborate tales," Lynch said.
Kevin Tillman said his family has sought for years to get at the truth about Pat Tillman's death, and have now concluded that they were "being actively thwarted by powers that are more interested in protecting a narrative than getting at the truth and seeing justice is served."
Lawmakers questioned how high up the chain of command the information about Tillman's friendly fire death went, and whether anyone in the White House knew before Tillman's family.
"How high up did this go?" asked Waxman.
Pat Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, said she believed former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld must have known. "The fact that he would have died by friendly fire and no one told Rumsfeld is ludicrous," she said.
Tillman was killed on April 22, 2004, after his Army Ranger comrades were ambushed in eastern Afghanistan. Rangers in a convoy trailing Tillman's group had just emerged from a canyon where they had been fired upon. They saw Tillman and mistakenly fired on him.
Though dozens of soldiers knew quickly that Tillman had been killed by his fellow troops, the Army said initially that he was killed by enemy gunfire when he led his team to help another group of ambushed soldiers. The family was not told until May 29, 2004, what really happened, a delay the Army has blamed on procedural mistakes.
In questioning what the White House knew, Rep. Elijah Cummings (news, bio, voting record), D-Md., cited a memo written by a top general seven days after Tillman's death warning it was "highly possible" the Army Ranger was killed by friendly fire and making clear his warning should be conveyed to the president. President Bush made no reference to the way Tillman died in a speech delivered two days after the memo was written.
A White House spokesman has said there's no indication Bush received the warning in the memo written April 29, 2004 by then-Maj. Gen. Stanley McChrystal to Gen. John Abizaid, head of Central Command.
"It's a little disingenuous to think the administration didn't know," Kevin Tillman told the committee. "That's kind of what we hoped you guys would get involved with and take a look," he said.
Mary Tillman told the committee that family members were "absolutely appalled" upon realizing the extent to which they were misled.
"We've all been betrayed ... We never thought they would use him the way they did," she said.
The Tillman family has made similar accusations against the administration and the military before, but has generally shied away from news media attention. The family had never previously appeared together and summarized their criticism and questions in such a public, comprehensive way.
"We shouldn't be allowed to have smoke screens thrown in our face," Mary Tillman said. "You're diminishing their true heroism to write these glorious tales. It's really a disservice to the nation."
"Our family will never be satisfied. We'll never have Pat back," she said. "Something really awful happened. It's your job to find out what happened to him. That's really important."
Last month the military concluded in a pair of reports that nine high-ranking Army officers, including four generals, made critical errors in reporting Tillman's death but that there was no criminal wrongdoing in his shooting.
Tillman's death received worldwide attention because he had walked away from a huge contract with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Lawmakers also planned to press the Pentagon with questions still hovering over Tillman's shooting, including whether a Predator drone was flying overhead when Tillman was killed and whether it videotaped the incident. The military says no such videotape exists.
___
Associated Press writer Scott Lindlaw contributed to this report from San Francisco.
I only became aware of that after I posted my comment.So now I must assume that he's a worthless punk because *anyone*,including combat vets,can be a worthless punk.
Have no knowledge of the rewarding of the Silver Star, but other than possibly wanting to have a “Real Hero” for the people (does the name Audie Murphy ring a bell) what would be the purpose of this cover up and “things not adding up”? I put those theories right up their with Bush bringing down the Twin Towers.......have you spoken to Charlie Sheen to get his opinion?
And they were told it was friendly fire in fairly short order. And your point is? It must be difficult living in a world that is obsessed with finding conspiracies behind every door.
But on April 22, 2004, Tillman was killed while on patrol with his unit near the Pakistan border. Immediately, the Army put out the word that he had died heroically, protecting his fellow soldiers in a firefight. A week later, Lt. Gen. John Abizaid, the head of U.S. Central Command, told the press that a day earlier he had discussed "that firefight where Pat Tillman lost his life" with Tillman's platoon leader. On April 30, the Army posthumously awarded Tillman the Silver Star for bravery, stating that Tillman died in a heroic charge up an enemy-held hill. "Corporal Tillman put himself in the line of devastating enemy fire. ... While mortally wounded, his audacious leadership and courageous example under fire inspired his men to fight with great risk to their own personal safety, resulting in the enemy's withdrawal and his platoon's safe passage from the ambush kill zone."
This sounds like a cover up from someone....doesn't it?
I didn’t say there was a conspiracy, I just wanted to know the answers to the questions....if no one has anything to hide then they should be simple....I have encounted this kind of crap in my life and that is what sets me off.... If there are good answers to the questions then I have no problem....
Again, to what purpose. Can’t it also be viewed as “hero building”. And I suppose that never, in any other war, have stories of heroism been embellished. I tell you I am shocked, stunned and amazed.
I also would like to know the attribution of your quote. Obviously those with an agenda to make GWB and the military look bad would never stretch the truth or misquote anyone.
You’ve stated your beliefs, and I’ve stated mine. Doesn’t seem to be much purpose to continuing the discussion.
Oh well, at least it seems the US govt treats Americans killed by American friendly fire as badly as they treat Britons killed by American friendly fire. Consistant if nothing else.
So what are you going to teach him about combat (after you bitch slap him)?
Sort of like how British football fans treat everybody?
From my research, it appears that both the Tillman brothers apparently harbored and expressed secular progressivist ideas and seditious thoughts opposing our war effort in Iraq even before the firefight in which Pat Tillman died. Not that I believe in any crackbrained conspiracy theories about his own men shooting at him because of it. However, while it was unquestionably admirable for Pat Tillman to give up his lucrative NFL career to fight terrorism, right thinking Americans might be better served that Pat Tillman is not, as I am sure he would be, now travelling around the country along with his brother, bad mouthing our national leadership and squandering the credibility he earned by his undeniably good initial motivations. In retrospect it’s sad to see that his values were never really where they should have been.
See what you mean, but the “embellishing and hero building” in Kerry’s case were done by Kerry as he was rushing to get out of harm’s way. Doesn’t seem to compare to a commanding officer taking part in “embellishing and hero building” for a real hero like Pat Tillman who enlisted in the service without being drafted, and was leading men in battle. In the latter it could be seen as trying to comfort a family and let them know that their son was truly a hero (the fact that friendly fire killed him does not diminish his heroics). The former was done to create credentials for a planned political career.
Guess I still have trouble seeing the sinister reason behind the cover up. So, guess we’ll agree to disagree. But, I have nothing but respect for a fellow Californian trying to maintain sanity while being a Republican in our great state! ;>)
....lol...yes, I do agree. Kerry is a misfit recalcitrant and our politics in Calif do suck quite a bit...but on the whole, I love California and all that it has afforded me....it is so much more than politics...but of course you know that... and yes, I hate the politics of S.F. but you are right, it IS NOT Frisco....haha.....
Tillman is a true hero.
So the Army is not allowed to engage in propaganda? Propaganda is a part of war. We are in a war of civilizations against evil. All is fair. This war trumps everything else. At the same time we are fighting an internal enemy, the Stalinist liberals.
Gonzalez didn’t cover up anything because there was no crime to cover up. This is the same technique the Democrat machine ( the mainstream media and Democrats in congress) used to convict Scooter Libbey , an innocent man. What they are doing to Gonzalez, Libby, and what they hope to do to the President is the same thing Nifong did to the Duke lacrosse players. These are Stalinist tactics from the liberals. Attacking or critizing our own like Gonzalez and president Bush only helps the liberals,Democrats or whatever these communists call themselves attain more power. Liberals are part of a political marxist cult imo.
These federal prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the President. The President can fire anyone in the executive branch that he pleases and doesn’t have to explain it to anyone. This point has to be made by our side instead of our side bashing president Bush in a time of war.
I'm gonna teach him that "friendly fire" incidents are an unfortunate (and irreversible) part of modern combat.
LOL! Am a native San Franciscan and love my city and my State. Still hope sanity will return to our politics, and am working on it, but probably won’t live to see the day! Maybe my granddaughter will.....she’s 6 and also a Native. But, in the meantime, I try to always be the optimist! ;>)
Well I do agree with Tillman being a true hero.... Gonzalez’s problem was saying anything....you are right, he should have just said we fired them and that was that...but no, he had to open his mouth to show that he and his Cheif of Staff were not even on the same page....I never bash the Pres but if mistakes are made by anyone, they are fair game...and propaganda is meant for the enemy, not the family of a fallen soldier....
Me too....I grew up in the Oakland Hills in the 60s and 70s. Live in Walnut Creek now....despite what some feel on FR, I love to visit S.F. and the Bay Area is great.... but I don’t expound it too much here....*wink*.....have a great day
I think that one of the reasons the the Army did it. The Army didn’t do it to lie to a family.
I think bashing Gonzalez is bashing President Bush. The President has the final say in the executive branch. The Democrats know this and that is why they attack his subordinates, to get to the President. I would rather bash the liberal media, the Democrats and their evil tactics in manufacturing this Gonzalez fiasco. Conservatives on our side bashing other conservatives just helps the liberals imo.
Of course. I have no truck with your advocacy of moral relativism.
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