A question about the TIllman story:

[hedgehog]

Tillman's group was supposedly held up because a Humvee broke down and they had to rent a truck from a near-by village to tow it. Can't one Humvee tow another?

[MadMaddie]

1. Well I have another question.....why would the US rent a truck

from a village that more than likely has Taliban all through it? How can they be trusted?

The whole thing stinks...

[Christa]

2. Lying is hard work

one needs a very clear and excellent memory to keep up with all the lies.

[hedgehog]

4. The more layers that are peeled back, the worse it stinks.

We've gone from suspecting a cover-up of a friendly fire incident to suspecting a cover-up of something far worse.

Question 2: Why burn his uniform? What happened to his body armor? Who disposed of his journal and why?

[mentalsolstice]

7. Here's what they're going to say:

1. Uniform and body armor: Would show that he suffered no fatal injuries in the torso or limbs
2. Diary would show troop movement and compromise national security.

I say...bullshit!

[Kagemusha]

5. That would heavily depend on what part of Afghanistan they were in.

The Taliban were supported chiefly by one ethnic group and not others...

[OzarkDem]

9. Also strange

Do remote Afghan villages really have truck rental companies? The entire story is bizarre, always has been.

[seemslikeadream]

3. I put your question in my thread

:hi:

[TomInTib]

6. When you are in a hot spot you don't want to bunch up.

A Humvee can tow another. But only very slowly over uneven terrain.

And you definitely don't want to concentrate your manpower like that.

That crap can get you killed.

[scarletwoman]

8. Has anyone bothered to read the resources that are available about this story?

I totally understand the lure of making speculations -- I just wish more people were interested in making INFORMED speculations.

I beg you all, PLEASE read The Tillman Files by Stan Goff. Yes, it will take a few hours to read through the entire 7-part series -- but what's more important? Your UNinformed opinion? Or taking the time to actually study the issue.

You might also read the excellent Tillman investigative reportage on ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2951521 In the column to the right of the article at the link are links to a 4-part series about Tillman's death (and there are links to many other articles below that section).

Stan Goff (former Army Special Forces member) explains precisely how it happened that an Afghani truck was hired to tow the disabled humvee in the "Tillman Files" -- based on his access to 2,000 pages of army documents made available to him by Pat Tillman's mother.

sw

[OzarkDem]

11. Thanks for the links

I plan to read them, but reserve some amount of skepticism. From recent evidence, it appears much of the story, including "official" reports filed by the military, is a complete fabrication. Lets see what a full and impartial investigation turns up.

[scarletwoman]

12. You're welcome. I have no problem with skepticism -- hell, I'm a 9/11 MIHOPer.

I just really value doing lots of research before forming an opinion or indulging in speculation. I think it's the most intellectually honest method of formulating hypotheses.

sw

[libertypirate]

18. Skeptics shouldn't we all be?

Check this out...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1471925&mesg_id=1471925

[scarletwoman]

19. Sorry, I don't consider OpEd News a reliable source. I've already posted links in this thread to

known sources -- including interviews with the guy who was right next to Tillman when he got shot.

I've also posted on another thread Did Bush Admin Order Tillman Murdered to Silence Him? -- please see my posts #210 & #220, specifically.

sw

[hedgehog]

14. Thank you I knew this info was out htere somewhere,

I've lost track of which story is still "operational".

[scarletwoman]

15. You're very welcome. As to which story is "operational", both Goff & ESPN make it clear that

the very FIRST investigation of the incident essentially got deep-sixed. The ESPN articles refer to it as an "unofficial" investigation; but Goff says it was, in fact, the "official" investigation per army regulations and standard procedures.

Goff's opinion is that it was "disappeared" because it cast such an unflattering light on the chain of command, and the various screw-ups up the line that led to such absurdities as ordering the platoon to haul a disabled humvee along with them.

I do hope you'll read at the links provided. It IS many hours worth of reading, and I spent pretty much my entire Saturday obsessively reading every single article at both links. Having done so, my own opinion is that Tillman's death was indeed accidental and a result of a catastrophic series of fucked up command decisions -- which is why the higher ups were so anxious to cover their asses.

Do the reading and see what you think...

sw

[Bolo Boffin]

10. The group was split up.

I don't know how many Humvees they had, but the problem as related was that the unit had been divided.

[cynatnite]

13. Here is my question...

The only question I raised was about these doctors doing the autopsy. Are they experienced in the field of criminology and all that? That's what I wondered when this all came out.

I was in the army so the bullet holes being as they claimed isn't a surprise. A soldier could do that easily and a lot farther than 10 yards. My understanding is that the damage a bullet does is a strong indicator of how far away the shooter and/or shooters might have been. Do these doctors know how much damage three bullets from that caliber does when shot from 10 yards?

Only someone experienced in this field can answer these questions which is why I'm not sure how qualified these doctors are.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. You can rent trucks in Afghanistan?

[scarletwoman]

17. It works like this: you find some guy who owns a truck and pay him to haul your stuff.

Tillman's platoon was stuck in a village with a busted humvee. They found some guy in the village who owned a truck capable of towing the humvee and paid him some money to do so.

It's not any more complicated than that.

sw