Duff McCartney
12-10-2004, 12:56 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ep/20041206/en_bpiep/didpentagonlieinreportsondeathofpattillman
Did Pentagon Lie In Reports on Death of Pat Tillman?
Mon Dec 6, 6:27 PM ET
NEW YORK While it has been known for months that the death of former football star Pat Tillman in Afghanistan was due to friendly fire, in contrast to how it was first reported, a two-part Washington Post probe that appeared on Sunday and Monday went much further, laying blame on the Pentagon for what looks like a deliberate misinformation campaign. :wow
David Zucchino in Monday's Los Angeles Times added more to the story, noting the changing Pentagon story, and adding that even the "amended Pentagon conclusion is contradicted by Afghans who were there the night of April 22."
Zucchino wrote that Tillman's parents "say the military has deceived them and stonewalled their attempts to find out how their son died." His mother said, "I'm disgusted by things that have happened with the Pentagon since my son's death."
His father added: "The investigation is a lie. It's insulting to Pat."
The Pentagon is now reviewing its investigation, but has not yet responded to a July 6 FOIA request by the L.A. Times asking for it and other documents.
The Washington Post probe, led by Managing Editor Steve Coll, observed that the Pentagon's spin on Tillman's death was "a distorted and incomplete narrative, according to dozens of internal Army documents obtained by The Washington Post that describe Tillman's death by fratricide after a chain of botched communications, a misguided order to divide his platoon over the objection of its leader and undisciplined firing by fellow Rangers."
According to the Post, "The Army's public release made no mention of friendly fire, even though at the time it was issued, investigators in Afghanistan had already taken at least 14 sworn statements from Tillman's platoon members that made clear the true causes of his death. The statements included a searing account from the Ranger nearest Tillman during the firefight, who quoted him as shouting 'Cease fire! Friendlies!' with his last breaths. ...
"But the Army's published account not only withheld all evidence of fratricide, but also exaggerated Tillman's role and stripped his actions of their context. Tillman was not one of the senior commanders on the scene -- he directed only himself, one other Ranger and an Afghan militiaman, under supervision from others. ...
"The Army's April 30 news release," the Post concluded, "was just one episode in a broader Army effort to manage the uncomfortable facts of Pat Tillman's death, according to internal records and interviews."
Asked in an online chat at the newspaper's Web site on Monday how long it would take for people to accuse the Post of "desecrating" Tillman's memory, media critic Howard Kurtz replied: "Fifteen minutes or less."
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Pretty fucked up stuff.
Did Pentagon Lie In Reports on Death of Pat Tillman?
Mon Dec 6, 6:27 PM ET
NEW YORK While it has been known for months that the death of former football star Pat Tillman in Afghanistan was due to friendly fire, in contrast to how it was first reported, a two-part Washington Post probe that appeared on Sunday and Monday went much further, laying blame on the Pentagon for what looks like a deliberate misinformation campaign. :wow
David Zucchino in Monday's Los Angeles Times added more to the story, noting the changing Pentagon story, and adding that even the "amended Pentagon conclusion is contradicted by Afghans who were there the night of April 22."
Zucchino wrote that Tillman's parents "say the military has deceived them and stonewalled their attempts to find out how their son died." His mother said, "I'm disgusted by things that have happened with the Pentagon since my son's death."
His father added: "The investigation is a lie. It's insulting to Pat."
The Pentagon is now reviewing its investigation, but has not yet responded to a July 6 FOIA request by the L.A. Times asking for it and other documents.
The Washington Post probe, led by Managing Editor Steve Coll, observed that the Pentagon's spin on Tillman's death was "a distorted and incomplete narrative, according to dozens of internal Army documents obtained by The Washington Post that describe Tillman's death by fratricide after a chain of botched communications, a misguided order to divide his platoon over the objection of its leader and undisciplined firing by fellow Rangers."
According to the Post, "The Army's public release made no mention of friendly fire, even though at the time it was issued, investigators in Afghanistan had already taken at least 14 sworn statements from Tillman's platoon members that made clear the true causes of his death. The statements included a searing account from the Ranger nearest Tillman during the firefight, who quoted him as shouting 'Cease fire! Friendlies!' with his last breaths. ...
"But the Army's published account not only withheld all evidence of fratricide, but also exaggerated Tillman's role and stripped his actions of their context. Tillman was not one of the senior commanders on the scene -- he directed only himself, one other Ranger and an Afghan militiaman, under supervision from others. ...
"The Army's April 30 news release," the Post concluded, "was just one episode in a broader Army effort to manage the uncomfortable facts of Pat Tillman's death, according to internal records and interviews."
Asked in an online chat at the newspaper's Web site on Monday how long it would take for people to accuse the Post of "desecrating" Tillman's memory, media critic Howard Kurtz replied: "Fifteen minutes or less."
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Pretty fucked up stuff.