Posted on 07/26/2007 5:35:18 PM PDT by leadpenny
33 minutes ago
SAN FRANCISCO - Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.
"The medical evidence did not match up with the, with the scenario as described," a doctor who examined Tillman's body after he was killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan in 2004 told investigators.
The doctors — whose names were blacked out — said that the bullet holes were so close together that it appeared the Army Ranger was cut down by an M-16 fired from a mere 10 yards or so away.
Ultimately, the Pentagon did conduct a criminal investigation, and asked Tillman's comrades whether he was disliked by his men and whether they had any reason to believe he was deliberately killed. The Pentagon eventually ruled that Tillman's death at the hands of his comrades was a friendly-fire accident.
The medical examiners' suspicions were outlined in 2,300 pages of testimony released to the AP this week by the Defense Department in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.
Among other information contained in the documents:
• In his last words moments before he was killed, Tillman snapped at a panicky comrade under fire to shut up and stop "sniveling."
• Army attorneys sent each other congratulatory e-mails for keeping criminal investigators at bay as the Army conducted an internal friendly-fire investigation that resulted in administrative, or non-criminal, punishments.
• The three-star general who kept the truth about Tillman's death from his family and the public told investigators some 70 times that he had a bad memory and couldn't recall details of his actions.
• No evidence at all of enemy fire was found at the scene — no one was hit by enemy fire, nor was any government equipment struck.
The Pentagon and the Bush administration have been criticized in recent months for lying about the circumstances of Tillman's death. The military initially told the public and the Tillman family that he had been killed by enemy fire. Only weeks later did the Pentagon acknowledge he was gunned down by fellow Rangers.
With questions lingering about how high in the Bush administration the deception reached, Congress is preparing for yet another hearing next week.
The Pentagon is separately preparing a new round of punishments, including a stinging demotion of retired Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger Jr., 60, according to military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the punishments under consideration have not been made public.
In more than four hours of questioning by the Pentagon inspector general's office in December 2006, Kensinger repeatedly contradicted other officers' testimony, and sometimes his own. He said on some 70 occasions that he did not recall something.
At one point, he said: "You've got me really scared about my brain right now. I'm really having a problem."
Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, who has long suggested that her son was deliberately killed by his comrades, said she is still looking for answers and looks forward to the congressional hearings next week.
"Nothing is going to bring Pat back. It's about justice for Pat and justice for other soldiers. The nation has been deceived," she said.
The documents show that a doctor who autopsied Tillman's body was suspicious of the three gunshot wounds to the forehead. The doctor said he took the unusual step of calling the Army's Human Resources Command and was rebuffed. He then asked an official at the Army's Criminal Investigation Division if the CID would consider opening a criminal case.
"He said he talked to his higher headquarters and they had said no," the doctor testified.
Also according to the documents, investigators pressed officers and soldiers on a question Mrs. Tillman has been asking all along.
"Have you, at any time since this incident occurred back on April 22, 2004, have you ever received any information even rumor that Cpl. Tillman was killed by anybody within his own unit intentionally?" an investigator asked then-Capt. Richard Scott.
Scott, and others who were asked, said they were certain the shooting was accidental.
Investigators also asked soldiers and commanders whether Tillman was disliked, whether anyone was jealous of his celebrity, or if he was considered arrogant. They said Tillman was respected, admired and well-liked.
The documents also shed new light on Tillman's last moments.
It has been widely reported by the AP and others that Spc. Bryan O'Neal, who was at Tillman's side as he was killed, told investigators that Tillman was waving his arms shouting "Cease fire, friendlies, I am Pat (expletive) Tillman, damn it!" again and again.
But the latest documents give a different account from a chaplain who debriefed the entire unit days after Tillman was killed.
The chaplain said that O'Neal told him he was hugging the ground at Tillman's side, "crying out to God, help us. And Tillman says to him, `Would you shut your (expletive) mouth? God's not going to help you; you need to do something for yourself, you sniveling ..."
___
Associated Press reporters Scott Lindlaw in Las Vegas and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this story.
It would seem to me no one can be sure of anything in this case at this point...
Really? Seven Army generals are going to be disciplined and you’re attacking Tillman’s mother?
If Tillman was in fact killed in anger by one of his own......it would not be the first time that has happened...
It is certainly Tillman’s celebrity that has made this a media and political event.
Cases registered as “friendly fire” accidents — in some cases were neither friendly or accidents...
Once one has killed a number of men he views as the enemy, its not a great leap to slip into the mode of killing an antagonist or percieved “enemy” regardless of the uniform he may be wearing..
I recall an occasion where a particular strongly disliked operative of the Civilians In Action — was clearly warned to stay away from our AO.... After a very loud and heated discussion - there is NO doubt that the individual left our position KNOWING he would be fired upon if he attempted to return....
NO doubt......
He didn’t return....
These multiple investigations over nothing are pathetic and disgusting...and only serve one purpose. To try and run our war efforts down. Plain and simple. The truth is known. Ranger Tillman was KIA (via blue on blue).
Why it would happen? IF it happened (and I’m not saying it necessarily did happen... it’s just all very suspicious) someone obviously hated his guts. I’m curious how he got shot in the forehead three times. Usually one shot will drop you on the spot, changing the whole orientation of your head and body with respect to the shooter. He was shot again after he fell down? Or maybe he didn’t fall down??? It’s just very strange...
Weren’t these soldiers in a fire fight for their survival? This whole investigation stinks of hate, sorrow and how could a man so good die. The whole bunch need to cherish the ground our servicemen walk on and be grateful to God that Tilman did such a terrific job throughout his life. A man to be honored not trashed and bring his troops down with him.
I think the point is that it was “friendly” fire, not enemy fire. At least I think so.
Read my previous post. I find it strange some of our fellow vets didn’t mention it as well. The M-16A2 fires 3 round bursts.
If by the PR was handled poorly you are saying that the higher ups were in full CYA mode, and didn’t even let the truth compromise their personal CYA mandate, you’d be right.
..war is hell. Horrible things happen in war. The training and discipline hold horrible things to a minimum, but they still happen.
I disagree. This doesn’t seem to be about Tillman anymore. It’s about a possible cover-up and it’s about officers - General Officers - possibly making false statements.
This story seems more like a liberal media wet dream than anything else.
This is cherry-picked crap from the AP. I’ll wait for a credible source of info, thanks.
If anyone is found to have done this deliberately, I hope he gets what he has coming to him... BTW, I'm not buying that the whole platoon or squad opened up on him deliberately. If it was murder, it was just one man. Nobody in his right mind would go along with such a thing. Tillman was a hero and model soldier.
I meant to include you in my 31.
Yeah the generals were not on the scene why should they pay for what appears to have been an accident? I see this as another witch hunter just like shehann (sp) and it makes me sick trying to lay the blame on people who were no where near the scene is uncalled for in my book, but then I have been in a war and know what happens. Have you? If the answer is no you should not talk until you have lived in those shoes, talk is cheap. it is not a happy scene for either side.
Come on, you know just as well as I do that this isn’t about anything else but bringing discredit on our military and the war. Did some GO mess up? Yep, no doubt. They should be retired. With that said this is getting this kind of play for no other reason than it meets the agenda of the antiwar forces in our country.
That’s the thing, no platoon would cover for one man.
How can you be “sure”?
Ok — the report says that claim — that he shouted he was Pat Tillman — is contradicted by the Chaplain’s debriefing. It seems to me there is at least one witness that was with Tillman who knows what happened and he’s alive. I agree — I can’t imagine anyone from his own side would murder him....much less leave a witness.
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