Results of the Tillman Review By Army

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

From the AP:

The results of the determinations made by Army Secretary Pete Geren after the release of a review he requested from Gen. William Wallace on the friendly fire death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman.

Ret. Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger, a senior leader in the administrative chain of command for the 75th Ranger Regiment:

_Sanctioned by Wallace for lying in investigations conducted seven months after Tillman's death.

_Also censured by Geren, who referred the case to the Army Grade Determination review board, which could take away one of Kensinger's three stars.

Lt. Gen. Stanley (nyse: SXE - news - people ) McChrystal, commander of the Joint Special Operations Command:

_No action was necessary, because he appropriately presumed the Silver Star recommendation for Tillman was accurate and because he appropriately alerted his chain of command when he learned about the friendly fire incident.

Brig. Gen. James Nixon, Tillman's regimental commander:

_Written memorandum of concern for keeping information about the friendly fire investigation within his staff and not ensuring that the Tillman family was told.

Ret. Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, leader of one of the early Army investigations into the incident:

_Written memorandum of concern for incorrectly characterizing Tillman's actions in describing why he should have been awarded a Silver Star and for not interviewing an additional witness about Kensinger's statement when conducting his review.

Brig. Gen. Gina Farrisee, Army director of military personnel management at the Pentagon:

_Written memorandum of concern for failing to ensure that a medical examiner's concerns were properly resolved.

Col. Jeff Bailey, Tillman's battalion commander:

_Written memorandum of concern for his handling of the punishment against the Rangers involved in the shooting of Tillman.

Three other officers received punishments, but because they were below the rank of general officer the Army did not release their names.

Ever get "written up" for being late to work? This is ridiculous.

I certainly hope that other investigations are more fruitful.

Here's the text of the censure letter from Army Secretary Pete Geren censuring Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger, also from AP:

MEMORANDUM FOR Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger, USA Retired

SUBJECT: Censure

You are hereby censured for your conduct and failure of leadership in matters relating to the investigation and reporting of the death of Cpl. Pat Tillman. As the commanding general of the United States Army Special Operations Command, you were the senior military officer in the administrative chain of command for the 75th Ranger Regiment, the unit to which Cpl. Tillman was assigned at the time of his death.

You and soldiers under your command failed to follow Army and Department of Defense policy and regulations in the investigation and conduct of the administrative duties required in a case of fratricide. Your failings compounded the grief suffered by the Tillman family, resulted in the dissemination of erroneous information and caused lasting damage to the reputation and credibility of the U.S. Army. You are accountable and responsible for the failures of your command.

When tasked by the acting Secretary of the Army, Secretary Brownlee, to investigate this matter, you failed in your duty to the Office of the Secretary and to the U.S. Army. You subverted the trust vested in you by the Secretary of the Army. To quote Gen. Wallace, ``When you chose to lie about what you knew in order to avoid personal responsibility for your actions, you crossed a line that demands serious rebuke.'' Your Army leadership relied on the purported accuracy and completeness of the investigation to the detriment of the institutional credibility of the U.S. Army.

Few matters rise to the importance of your handling of next-of-kin notification for our fallen soldiers. You failed in your duty to the Tillman family in the conduct of their notification and failed the Army in your decision to deceive your Army's leadership regarding your role in the mishandled affair.

Pete Geren

gives us a taste of what a nice juicy censure letter from congress might look like!