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.
Sickening.
Soldiers killing each other has made it to movies before. This is even juicier for Hollywood, having a former NFL player getting gunned down.
“`Would you shut your (expletive) mouth? God’s not going to help you; you need to do something for yourself, you sniveling ...””
I like this guy. God helps those who help themselves.
Can someone tell me how bullet points 1 and 4 jibe?
Uh, yeah... Three bullet holes anywhere in the forehead are by definition in close proximity to one another and are very suspicious. Jeez, it sure looks like the poor guy was fragged. Thank God they weren't able to sweep it under the rug.
What’s the problem?
Sounds like the two of them were under fire from their own men.
“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.”
I am sorry but it sounds like she is starting to play a Cindy here. I a sure no one intentionally killed her son, but apparently she is now convinced otherwise which makes this very sad, just as if she now wants money <<<shakes head in disgust
Good point
Very interesting.....Its amazing how the truth slowly leaks out.
I’m assuming the M-16’s the guys were carrying then were capable of 3 round burst fire. I’m not sure what the likely spread would be at range.
With that said I think this article is sh@t stirring at best. Pat wasn’t killed on purpose by his men. No way that many guys would keep something like that quiet.
Tell me your theory of why would that happen? Sure it is unlikely, but at this point anything is possible.
If Tillman was bawling out one of his men for being in a state of panic, it stands to reason they were under fire.
Looks to me like this whole thing has been blown wide open.
I’d like to know what the SecArmy and the CofS knew throughout the investigation.
“In his last words moments before he was killed, Tillman snapped at a panicky comrade under fire to shut up and stop “sniveling.”
(snip)
“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.”
Seems like a contradiction—there is NO enemy fire, yet soldiers are afraid of the enemy fire?
“The chaplain said that O’Neal told him he was hugging the ground at Tillman’s side, “crying out to God, help us.”
I also find that a bit ‘unusual’, if there was NO enemy fire.
And someone trained and sent to a combat zone is ‘hugging the ground’? (Yes, it does happen, but though most soldiers are frightened, they follow their training—which is to keep up fire at the enemy in order to keep the enemy at bay.)
The military utterly dropped the ball on this one. Clearly they didn’t want to look to hard to find the truth.
Let this be a lesson for those inclined to give knee-jerk support to soldiers. They deserve the benefit of the doubt, but that’s not an irrebuttable presumption.
What should never be forgotten in all this is that Ranger Tillman was most certainly looking to take the fight to the enemy when this tragic friendly fire incident took place. He was leading from the front. God bless him.
And it is complete BS - The notion that no enemy were in the vicinity (the split unit did take enemy fire prior to Ranger Tillman coming back).
It is also disgusting the notion / spin that Ranger Tillman was purposely killed by his fellow warriors. Simply disgusting.
Lieutenant General Stanley McChrystal (JSOC's commander) is one of the best leaders we have fighting this WOT. This nation is safer because of his intensity, balls and willingness to take risks.... The notion that this witch hunt tried to take him down is fked up beyond belief.
Yes, I see a juicy anti-war movie in the making.
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