Posted on 08/16/2010 4:51:08 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Family's anger burns six years after ex-football star's death
A documentary about Pat Tillman is due out Friday and his mom is not mincing words about the scandal that followed the NFL star turned Army Ranger's death in Afghanistan. In an interview on CBS' "Early Show," Mary Tillman accuses Gen. Stanley McChrystal of peddling the story of Tillman's heroic death when he knew the soldier had been killed by friendly fire.
"I wrote the book, came out in 2008, and I indicate that McChrystal was involved in orchestrating the cover-up," Mary Tillman said. "He falsified the Silver Star. He was very aware that Pat was killed by friendlies." She went on to say that when she learned McChrystal was set to be promoted to head of the U.S. command in Afghanistan, she wrote President Obama and others to dissuade them from making the appointment. Tillman, whose newly released paperback version of her book, "Boots On the Ground By Dusk: Searching For Answers In the Death of Pat Tillman," has new allegations, said she hopes it and the documentary set the record straight.
"The documentary in part is to try to present Pat as a human being and not this caricature that was created," told CBS. "But the biggest reason for this documentary is to point out the horrible way that he was used. His death was lied about by the military, by the government. But he's not an isolated incident. This happens on a regular basis. It's a systemic problem. It's not isolated to the Bush Administration. It's happened for years. And it's tolerated.
"Troops (are) being killed and the military lies to the family about what really happened."
Pat Tillman was an all-pro safety for the Phoenix Cardinals when he left his career to become an Army Ranger following the 9/11 attacks. He was killed in April 2004 at age 28.
In the documentary, Russell Baer, an Army Ranger Specialist who served alongside Tillman and his brother Kevin in Afghanistan says his army commanders told him to lie to Tillman's family about his death, propping up the myth that Tillman was killed during a Taliban ambush.
McChrystal was fired last month by President Obama after saying unflattering things about the administration in an interview with Rolling Stone.
The treatment of Tilman’s death was wrong on so many levels. On the most basic, the government should have been open about the reality of battle—friendly fire has always been and always will be responsible for some deaths, that’s just a fact of war. But it’s treated as if it’s some evil perpetrated by the government or something.
Dear Ms. Tillman: So what? Let’s take away his Silver Star and say he wasn’t a “hero”? Okay, if you insist.
Someone was trying to be kind to Tillman’s family. It is hard enough loosing someone, let alone learning that it was an accident, a “friendly fire” accident.It is better to remember the lost loved one as a “hero” rather than feeling that their life was “wasted”.
I carried a friend’s body to the medevac helo. He had about 7 rounds in him , fired by a “Spooky” gunship working to stop NVA “human wave” assaults on our position. These assaults had been going on all night and Spooky lost track of where our lines were.
I’ve never been able to locate his parents or his widow. If I had been able to find them, I’m not sure if I would have mentioned the “friendly fire”.
I don’t lie, but giving less than all the facts and gory details in this case is probably the kindest course of action.
The Tillman case is probably partly this way and partly admin CYA.
I understand the point, but as is the case with Tillman’s mother, obviously, some people want to know the truth, and it’s not the government’s place to decide to be kind or not. I can’t imagine any situation where I wouldn’t want to know the truth about my loved-one’s death.
P.S. Thank you for your service.
You are welcome, and thanks for the kind words.
That must have been really difficult. So, you of all people completely understand. When the truth broke about Tillman, I assumed that is what happened. A mother is never ready to lose their child, and I’m sure this is one of many ways she is expressing her grief.
So what?
Sorry but you are wrong.
The government lied about the causes of his death and she found out. If I was his parent I would be pissed off.
You are demanding someone to accept a lie, I highly doubt you would accept a lie when you in fact knew the truth.
Kind words aren’t enough but they’re all I’ve got. I recently lost a good friend who was a Vietnam combat vet, and while I’ve always been conscious of and grateful to our veterans, well, I guess I’m just a little more conscious now! Have a good one.
One of my best friends was one of the first killed in Viet Nam.
I hope Mrs. Tillman can come to terms. It’s not easy.
It’s not enough, but thank you. It’s hard enough to know someone killed by “friendly fire”; I can’t even imagine what it must be like for those who know they are responsible for such incidents.
He still is a hero.
I agree. I am sorry that people lose their loved ones in war, but after a while, you should just shut up about it. It is the Ronald Goldman syndrome. These people start to do it for attention.
She has problems with an alleged government coverup. There hasn’t been a thorough investigation into her son’s death. If you have a problem with that, you take that up with Tillman’s mother.
She’s not doing it for fame or money. She wants to know how and why her son’s death wasn’t investigated.
Not only did the government admit the truth, it also apologized, nobody is trying to make her accept lies as the truth.
I also think the lying propaganda crap that was initially dished out to the public, and also fed to Pat Tillman's family was morally wrong.
What the feds did to the Tillman family, and the public, was as distasteful as what Cindy Sheehan did to the memory of her dead son, Casey.
Both men died while honorably fighting in a war.
They sacrificed all, and neither of them wanted to die.
I would like to think neither of them would want their deaths fraudulently exploited by anyone, for any reason.
Yes, I understand Pat Tillman was famous prior to enlisting.
That did not give the feds the right to exploit his death, and essentially end up casting taint on his honorable service.
There have been other incidents where the feds have chosen to intentionally lie to the public regarding military casualties, to produce fictional PC hero's.
It always backfires, and there is never a need to do it.
Prayers for Pat Tillman and Casey Sheehan, and every man and woman who was killed or injured in service of the USA.
Prayers also for those about to deploy.
She has known since 2007 what happened, because it was investigated. A 3 star general was held accountable (Kesinger) after congressional hearings happened. She is just trying to stay in the news.
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