Pentagon Cowers Behind Wordplay (Tillman)......by Robert Scheer

[marmar]

From Truthdig:

Pentagon Cowers Behind Wordplay

Posted on Mar 27, 2007

By Robert Scheer

C’mon! The Pentagon’s inspector general concludes that nine top officers were involved in the cover-up of NFL football star Cpl. Pat Tillman’s “friendly fire” death, yet insists that this apparent conspiracy to conceal the truth does not rise to the level of criminality? Rather, it was “missteps” that led four generals and five officers of lower rank to conceal from his family and the American public the truth known instantly in the field: Tillman died not, as the Pentagon first claimed, in a firefight with the enemy in Afghanistan but rather at the hands of his fellow Rangers.

That family includes Tillman’s brother Kevin, who fought alongside Pat in Iraq and Afghanistan after ending his own sports career as a professional baseball player and enlisting with Pat in response to the 9/11 attacks. Yet this family, which sent two of its sons to fight in President Bush’s wars, was rewarded for its sacrifice with officially inspired fabrications enshrined in a Silver Star commendation.

For five weeks of mourning, from Tillman’s death on April 22, 2004, through his nationally televised memorial on May 3, the U.S. government—from the president on down—used the tale of Tillman’s heroism to deflect the nation’s attention from the Abu Ghraib prison scandal and the escalating American casualties in Iraq. Four generals were cited by the inspector general as sacrificing the truth in Tillman’s death. But another Central Command chief, Gen. John Abizaid, who knew about the friendly fire death a week after it occurred, was noticeably absent in the report released Monday.

The one officer who did pursue the truth was then-Capt. Richard Scott, now a major, who had been assigned within 24 hours of Tillman’s death to investigate the fratricide. His report, submitted May 10, 2004, concluded that possible criminal actions occurred. It was never officially accepted. He later testified that witnesses had been allowed, in subsequent Pentagon investigations, to change their testimony as to key details in the shooting. .....(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20070327_pentagon_cowers_behind_wordplay/

[ShortnFiery]

1. Shameful publicity stunt that these arrogant Generals believed that they

could pull off without a hitch. The IG?!? We need a separate investigation and Congressional Hearings. IMO, those FOUR Generals should be Court Martialed, stripped of their rank and retirement.

Shame on them for tarnishing the Army that my father, brother and myself LOVE and *all* have all served in, with honor.

IMO, the General Officers who formulated and conducted this "Big PR LIE" are pond scum. :grr:

[babylonsister]

2. Kick! nt

[underpants]

3. Liars all of them are nothing but liars

the carte blanche that the military got all those years when we couldn't dare question them oh no! They told us that they had learned their lessons from Vietnam and they were pros now and they could be trusted and now look where we are....they are still covering this almost by the Mai Lai book. The Jessica Lynch thing was bad enough but this is just criminal.

Recommended.

As I have posted elsewhere-I think they planned on putting Tillman in as many dangerous spots as possible to make sure he didn't come home and get interviews on ESPN and people found out what this hero thought of the War on Iraq and about BUSH. They couldn't swing an election fix if that happened. Oh by the way I wonder if this report tells us who the Afghan who was with Tillman on that ridge was---no one (US or Afganis) have yet to be able to give an identity for this person....and you thought my conspiracy theory was nuts.

[Mind_your_head]

4. Putting Tillman in as many dangerous situations as possible

makes me think of the story of David, Bathsheba, and Uriah (Bathsheba's husband) who David purposely put in a dangerous battle so that Uriah would likely be (and indeed WAS) killed and then David could then take Bathsheba for his wife. A very sinful act which greatly displeased the Lord.