General Censured for Tillman Investigation Mistakes

American Forces Press Service ^ | Gerry J. Gilmore

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, July 31, 2007 – The Army’s senior civilian announced today that a retired three-star general will receive a letter of censure as the result of a review of previous military investigations into the death of Army Spc. Patrick D. Tillman.

Secretary of the Army Pete Geren said a “perfect storm” of events initially obfuscated the facts regarding the April 22, 2004, death of Tillman, an Army Ranger who was killed by friendly fire near the Afghan-Pakistani border. Tillman, a former National Football League star, was initially reported to have died as a result of enemy fire.

After reading a review of previous Tillman investigations performed by Army Gen. William S. Wallace, commander of U.S. Training and Doctrine Command, Geren said he decided to issue a letter of censure to retired Army Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger, who’d commanded U.S. Army Special Operations Command at the time of Tillman’s death.

“I believe the buck stops with General Kensinger,” Geren said. “He was the senior leader in the chain of command for administrative control for the 75th Ranger Regiment.”

If Kensinger “had performed his duty, we wouldn’t be standing here today,” Geren said to reporters at a Pentagon news conference today.

Geren cited Kensinger for multiple failures, including failing to initiate a timely Army safety investigation into Tillman’s death, giving false statements during follow on investigations, failing to notify the Tillman family about the fratricide investigation as well as failing to notify then-Acting Secretary of the Army Les Brownlee about the friendly-fire investigation.

Kensinger should have convened a safety board upon being notified that Tillman died from friendly fire, Geren said.

“That safety board would have been an outside group of eyes. It would have gone into theater and it would have immediately commenced an investigation,” Geren pointed out. The safety board “would have added an outside chain-of-command review of this situation as well as recommendations on how we make sure it didn’t happen again,” Geren said.

Kensinger, responsible for notifying Tillman’s relatives that the cause of the soldier’s death was under investigation, didn’t, Geren said.

Information surrounding Tillman’s death was initially closely held by officers and enlisted members of his unit, the 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. That’s partially because the unit’s mission was classified and also because officials were waiting for the initial investigations to be concluded, approved and released, Gen. Richard A. Cody, the vice chief of staff of the Army, said at the news conference.

Tillman’s family was first told their son had died by enemy fire. They weren’t told he’d been mistakenly shot by U.S. troops until weeks after his death. Tillman’s parents should have been notified much, much sooner that the soldier had actually died by accidental friendly fire, Cody said.

“The mission that they were on in Afghanistan was a classified mission,” Cody confirmed. However, Tillman’s family should have been notified about his death and if there were any questions as to how he died, Cody added.

“And, that’s where this thing broke down,” Cody said.

Yet, “all the investigations found that everybody was trying to seek the truth and be 100 percent sure” that Tillman was killed by friendly fire, Cody said.

Geren also has directed an Army grade determination board to evaluate Kensinger’s performance as a lieutenant general. If Kensinger’s performance was found wanting by the board his retired rank could be reduced by one star to major general, affecting his retired pay and benefits.

Wallace reviewed 10 soldiers for possible fault as part of the Tillman investigations. Seven soldiers, including Kensinger, received non-judicial punishment.

On March 26, the Army announced that a DoD inspectors general report and a U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command inspection agreed that Tillman had been accidentally shot and killed by members of his own unit. The CID report concluded that there was no criminal intent involved with Tillman’s death, noting that soldiers in Tillman’s unit bore him no ill will.

Geren and Cody apologized to Tillman’s family, noting there was no intentional cover up over the circumstances of his death. Tillman, who was posthumously promoted to corporal, justly received the Silver Star medal for his service in Afghanistan, Geren said.

The Army “mishandled this matter from very early on,” Geren said, noting he understood how Tillman’s family and many other Americans could conclude there was a cover up.

However, “the facts just don’t support that conclusion,” the secretary asserted.

“The facts show clearly that there was no cover up. There was misinformed action on the part of multiple soldiers and you had a ‘perfect storm’ of mistakes by many soldiers,” Geren said.

It is long-standing defense department policy to not discuss any type of sanctions for officers below general officer grade, Geren said.

“So, everybody else that was reviewed by General Wallace or was sanctioned as a member of the Ranger team were below general officer grade and we don’t discuss those sanctions publicly,” Geren said.

Biographies:
Secretary of the Army Pete Geren
Gen. Richard A. Cody, USA
Gen. William S. Wallace, USA

Related Sites:
Redacted DoD Inspector General Report

Related Articles:
DoD, Army Conclude Tillman’s Death Was Accidental

[SandRat]

FR WAR NEWS!

WAR News at Home and Abroad You'll Hear Nowhere Else!

All the News the MSM refuses to use!

Or if they do report it, without the anti-War Agenda Spin!

[SevenofNine]

I hear one of his brother has come out against US Army recently Sandrat I hear that on Jim Rome show

[neodad]

You know, I’m all for the truth, but are our generals now required to investigate every death during a war to determine if it was anyones fault? Seems to me, that in a war sh*t happens, even to a great guy like Tillman.

[brivette]

some perfect storm..

[doc1019]

So, to a retired three-star general, exactly what does a letter of censure mater?

[squidly]

Basically just means no fourth start, and no posting of any consequence in his future.

[Inquisitive1]

retired three-star general

[doc1019]

He is retired, no forth star or additional assignment in his future anyway. Original question still active.

[USMCVet]

"...should have been notified much, much sooner that the soldier had actually died by accidental friendly fire..."

It wasn't accidental, it was negligent. This allegedly "elite" force fired at their own people, even though they didn't know where their other troops were and they had been ordered to cease firing. The men who kept firing despite warnings and Tillman yelling and gesturing should be rigorously punished and their leaders - the ones responsible for training and discipline - should also be punished.

Then they should go after the liars that tried to hide the truth. There is no room in a fighting force for people without the moral courage to tell the truth.

[rineaux]

Great question. I do not know the answer. Tillman, as we all know, was a high profile soldier. He, according to his mother, was asked to be a voice for army recruiting and he turned it down. Poster child and all. He did not want the limelight.

[SandRat]

Such is the state of our litigious society.

[SandRat]

Can’t recalled to be the USMA Commandant of Cadets I would think but beyond that guess I don’t know.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“There is no room in a fighting force for people without the moral courage to tell the truth.”

You are correct, USMCVet. (I’m retired Army.) But doesn’t this strike you as kind of stupid? Why censure someone they “retired” already, anyway? It’s like the liberal media had to have it’s “pound of flesh” and the military gave it to them.

Dead is dead. Pat Tillman is dead. It’s a d@mn shame, but WONDERFUL people die in all sorts of horrible circumstances every d@mn day...usually because liberal judges “feeeeeeeeeeeel” that sex offenders and gang bangers and illegals and lifer criminals should be released back into the General Population at will.

If you hold our Military up against the way civilians run the show in every city across the land, you’ll find a much lower level of screw-ups and corruption resulting in the death of innocents.

Perspective, People! Perspective! :)

[doc1019]

Not trying to pick on you, just curious, that’s why I’m keeping it as an open question.

Letters of censure for retired military folks always seem a waste of time to me. Why bother other than to put blame on someone not “touchable” (?).

[squidly]

Well if he’s retired, then it really don’t mean diddly squat.

[olrtex]

The story I read said the matter was also referred to another group or panel to determine whether the general should be stripped of a star. I would like to know exactly what this general (who was head of all Army special forces, as I understand it) did wrong. Or stated another way, what should the general have done differently? That seems to be missing from the story, and it makes me think the general is being made a scapegoat. If so, that’s one hell of a reward for many long years of service on behalf of us Americans.

[SevenMinusOne]

Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger is a d*mn fine man. Anyone who questions his honor, integrity, loyalty or service doesn't have a d*mn clue what they are talking about - He is a fine SF officer -

This is a situation, where the top has accepted responsibility rather than pass the buck down (to where the original AAR weren't as accurate as they could/should have been).

Bottom line is one half of soldiers from this Ranger unit was engaged by enemy fire - Ranger Tillman, a fellow Ranger (and an ANA member) doubled back to see if they could be of support - They came upon the ridge after the initial engagement was over - At that time the Afghani and Ranger Tillman were KIA via blue on blue fire....

It awful, but it happens.

God bless Ranger Tillman, he was a hell of a man. But this situation is disgustingly being blown into something it is not. There is no cover-up, there is no conspiracy.

[Mr Rogers]

I doubt they are threatening to take away a star based on his covering for underlings.

[doc1019]

Don’t know if it is relevant, but if someone on a ship screws up, the Captain is responsible. Regardless the excuses, he is ultimately responsible.