Who Killed Pat Tillman? (Metroactive, via AlterNet)

[marmar]

Who Killed Pat Tillman?

By Michael Shapiro, Metroactive. Posted June 13, 2007.



The Bush administration's poster boy for the war on terror was felled by U.S. bullets in Afghanistan. Three years later the Tillmans still don't know the truth about Pat's death and they aren't the only family who has been deceived about a loved one's death.

"Cease fire. Friendlies! I am Pat fucking Tillman, dammit," shouted former pro football player turned Army Ranger Pat Tillman as a hail of bullets pierced the darkening Afghani sky. "CEASE FIRE! FRIENDLIES! I AM PAT FUCKING TILLMAN! I AM PAT FUCKING TILLMAN!"

On patrol in eastern Afghanistan at dusk on April 22, 2004, Tillman and his men hit the dirt, trying to escape swarms of artillery fire coming from the valley below. Tillman reached into his pocket and detonated a smoke bomb, a signal to his comrades that they were shooting at U.S. troops, known in military parlance as "friendlies." The firing stopped.

After a moment, Tillman, relieved and assuming he'd been recognized, stood up. Another barrage of bullets rocketed across the dusty canyon. Three of those bullets shattered Tillman's skull, ending his life. An Afghani soldier allied with U.S. forces was also killed and two other soldiers were injured.

Tillman, lauded by military and government leaders for giving up a multi - million - dollar pro football contract, was America's best known soldier. A San Jose native, Tillman grew up in the Almaden neighborhood and was a stand - out football player at Leland High School. He became the Pac - 10 defensive player of the year at Arizona State University and then went pro with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals.

Even before his death, Tillman was considered a model of self - sacrifice, integrity and decency, not just for his commitment to his country, but for his intellect, forthrightness, and enthusiasm. Which makes what the U.S. military told Tillman's family about Pat's death that much more appalling.

...(snip)...

A construction of lies

Kevin Tillman doesn't believe the errors were "missteps" as stated in the Army Investigator General's report, which was released in late March and is the most recent of several official inquiries into the shooting and its aftermath. The probes, all done by military investigators, have looked into the circumstances of Tillman's death as well as the false statements about it.

"A terrible tragedy that might have further undermined support for the war in Iraq," Kevin Tillman said, "was transformed into an inspirational message that served instead to support the ... wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Norman Solomon, author of the book War Made Easy, agrees. "This was a perfect storm of idolatry from the Pentagon standpoint: a football hero sacrificing himself for patriotic reasons -- it was central casting as far as the Rumsfeld gang was concerned," he said. "The mythology was so wonderful that the facts were inconvenient and unnecessary."

What's astonishing is not just the lengths the Army went to create a fictional account, which included changing the testimony of soldiers who witnessed the friendly fire shooting and the destruction of evidence such as the burning of Tillman's blood - stained uniform. It's that this was not an isolated incident but rather part of a pattern of deception.

...(snip)...

More than three years after Pat Tillman died, his family still has unanswered questions. They want to know why rules of engagement weren't followed (rules that could have prevented Pat's killing), why military and government leaders lied to them, who gave the orders to create the fictional account of Pat's heroism, and why no one has been held accountable.

"Pat's death is just a microcosm of what's happening in this country: the lies, the spinning." Mary Tillman said. "This exemplifies the way the Administration handles everything. They're incompetent yet no one is held accountable. The documents were falsified -- but who are these people? What are you going to do about it?"

Citing connections to the failed effort in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and the debacle at the military's Walter Reed hospital, Tillman said "there's a lack of empathy on the part of the administration. It's all lip service. There is no genuine appreciation for the suffering that's taken place." ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/53827/?page=1

[underpants]

1. Kicking for later reading

I have no doubt that they either had him killed or were planningon putting him in as many situations as possible to get killed. They couldn't risk him getting any coverage before the election.

[marmar]

2. "they either had him killed or were planningon putting him in as many situations..."

Yup.