http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/04/25/757/Deliberate Acts of Deceit
The Army’s Treatment of the Death of Pat Tillman Was An Egregious Attempt To Manipulate The Public Using Calculated Lies.
by Kevin Tillman
Kevin Tillman, the brother of Corporal Pat Tillman who was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan, gave the following testimony to a congressional hearing in Washington:
Two days ago marked the third anniversary of the death of my older brother, Pat Tillman, in Afghanistan.
To our family and friends, it was a devastating loss. To the nation, it was a moment of disorientation. To the military, it was a nightmare. But to others within the government, it appears to have been an opportunity.
April of 2004 was turning into the deadliest month to date in the war in Iraq. The dual rebellions in Najaf and Fallujah handed the US forces their first tactical defeat as American commanders essentially surrendered Fallujah to members of Iraq resistance, and the administration was forced to accede to Ayatollah Sistani’s demand for January elections in exchange for assistance in extricating US forces from its battle with the Mahdi militia.
A call-up of 20,000 additional troops was ordered, and another 20,000 troops had their tours of duty extended.
In the midst of this, the White House learned that Christian Parenti, Seymour Hersh and other journalists were about to reveal a shocking scandal involving massive and systemic detainee abuse in a facility known as Abu Ghraib.
Then, on April 22, 2004, my brother Pat was killed in a firefight in eastern Afghanistan. Immediately after Pat’s death, our family was told that he was shot in the head by the enemy in a fierce firefight outside a narrow canyon.
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