Fratricide: Army Withheld Details on former NFL player Pat Tillman's Death

[G_j]

The Pentagon has an exemplary record on investigating itself..not
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http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/050405Y.shtml

Army Withheld Details about Tillman's Death

By Josh White
The Washington Post

Wednesday 04 May 2005

Investigator quickly learned 'friendly fire' killed athlete.

The first Army investigator who looked into the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan last year found within days that he was killed by his fellow Rangers in an act of "gross negligence," but Army officials decided not to inform Tillman's family or the public until weeks after a nationally televised memorial service.

A new Army report on the death shows that top Army officials, including the theater commander, Gen. John P. Abizaid, were told that Tillman's death was fratricide days before the service.

Soldiers on the scene said they were immediately sure Tillman was killed by a barrage of American bullets as he took shelter behind a large boulder during a twilight firefight along a narrow canyon road near the Pakistani border, according to nearly 2,000 pages of interview transcripts and investigative reports obtained by The Washington Post.

The documents also show that officers made erroneous initial reports that Tillman was killed by enemy fire, destroyed critical evidence and initially concealed the truth from Tillman's brother, also an Army Ranger, who was near the attack on April 22, 2004, but did not witness it.

..more..

[chomskysright]

1. Olbermann will appreciate this given his love of sports: I've sent it

[SodoffBush]

2. Pat could have been a highly paid safety, somethng Bush can relate to

safety and high pay.

In the end, Tillman was Bush's prop and photo op.

[cdb]

3. You've got to be kidding!!

The Army withholding or destroying evidence? No, say it isn't so!!

I can't believe our Army would conceal the truth!

[VOX]

4. Not good for propaganda. Better to say that Tillman was charging...

directly into an enemy stronghold with no regard for his personal safety, pulling grenade-pins with his teeth, discharging his weapon furiously, and mowing down dozens of insurgents before he gallantly expired into a peaceful sleep.