Tillman's parents rip Army

[jalbre6]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2066326


WASHINGTON -- The family of former NFL player Pat Tillman says the Army disrespected his memory by lying in its investigation of his death in Afghanistan last year.

In interviews with The Washington Post, the Army Ranger's mother and father said they believe the military and the government created a heroic tale about how their son died to foster a patriotic response across the country.

"Pat had high ideals about the country; that's why he did what he did," Mary Tillman told the Post. "The military let him down. The administration let him down. It was a sign of disrespect. The fact that he was the ultimate team player and he watched his own men kill him is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. The fact that they lied about it afterward is disgusting."

Tillman, a player for the Arizona Cardinals, left the NFL after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to join the Rangers with his brother. After a tour in Iraq, they were sent to Afghanistan in 2004 to help hunt for the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.

Shortly after arriving in the mountains to fight, Tillman was killed in a barrage of gunfire from his own men, mistaken for the enemy as he got into position to defend them.

After a public memorial service, at which Tillman received the Silver Star, the Army told Tillman's family what had really happened.

The separate interviews with Tillman's parents, who are divorced, appeared on the Post's Internet site for Monday's editions.

Patrick Tillman Sr., a lawyer, told the Post he is furious about a "botched homicide investigation" and blames high-ranking Army officers for presenting "outright lies" to the family and to the public.

"After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this," the father said. "They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy."

"In the case of the death of Corporal Patrick Tillman, the Army made mistakes in reporting the cir stances of his death to the family," Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks told the Post. "For these, we apologize. We cannot undo those early mistakes."

[bigzak25]

"botched homicide investigation"

is the father suggesting that it was intentional?

the parents have a right to feel any way they please and to voice any and all concerns they have.

there is nothing more tragic than to have their son killed by friendly fire.

but i don't know that i would call it "disrespectful and disgusting" for the army to try to make a hero out of their son. If he was the ultimate "team player" the parents say he was, then wouldn't he want to be used in a way to help the "team".

I don't think the public should be privy to any and all details, but the parents of a dead soldier definitely have the right to full disclosure.

this is war. alot of the battles being fought are being fought on the airwaves.

propaganda and bull are leading the way on both sides.

you don't have to like the reality that it is, but wake up to it if you haven't already.

[Clandestino]

i remember the army saying they would not say anything until a full investigation was conducted.

[Nbadan]

is the father suggesting that it was intentional?

the parents have a right to feel any way they please and to voice any and all concerns they have.

there is nothing more tragic than to have their son killed by friendly fire.

but i don't know that i would call it "disrespectful and disgusting" for the army to try to make a hero out of their son. If he was the ultimate "team player" the parents say he was, then wouldn't he want to be used in a way to help the "team".

I don't think the public should be privy to any and all details, but the parents of a dead soldier definitely have the right to full disclosure.

this is war. alot of the battles being fought are being fought on the airwaves.

propaganda and bull are leading the way on both sides.

you don't have to like the reality that it is, but wake up to it if you haven't already.

I don't think that Tillmans parents are upset about their son being (wrongly?) portrayed as a hero as much the great lengths they went through to keep the real details about how their son died from them...

The latest investigation, written about by The Washington Post earlier this month, showed that soldiers in Afghanistan knew almost immediately that they had killed Tillman by mistake in what they believed was a firefight with enemies on a tight canyon road. The investigation also revealed that soldiers later burned Tillman's uniform and body armor.....

Over the next 10 days, however, top-ranking Army officials -- including the theater commander, Army Gen. John P. Abizaid -- were told of the reports that Tillman had been killed by his own men, the investigation said. But the Army waited until a formal investigation was finished before telling the family -- which was weeks after a nationally televised memorial service that honored Tillman on May 3, 2004.

Patrick Tillman Sr., a San Jose lawyer, said he is furious about what he found in the volumes of witness statements and investigative do ents the Army has given to the family. He decried what he calls a "botched homicide investigation" and blames high-ranking Army officers for presenting "outright lies" to the family and to the public.

"After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this," Patrick Tillman said. "They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy."

Well, they withheld this info, they KNEW about this info yet they had a big tearjerker ceremony on the football field, with Silver Star and marching and flags, KNOWING IT WAS A LIE. KNOWING THAT, not suspecting it. KNOWING.

[JoeChalupa]

The report was false but Tillman's patriotism was not.