Why Pat Tillman's Parents Are No Longer Silent

[Tinoire]

The political implications of this are huge. This is latest revelation is being discussed in GD but from a slightly different angle. This story is politically explosive. I hope those we elected to represent us handle it correctly because, properly handled, this is a nightmare for the Bush adminstration & the pro-war faction.


Why Pat Tillman's Parents Are No Longer Silent

May 27, 2005

"It Was a Lie to Cover Their Image"
Why Pat Tillman's Parents Are No Longer Silent
By DAVE ZIRIN

To kill with no pain
Like a dog on a chain
He ain't got no name
But it ain't him to blame
He's only a pawn in their game.

Bob Dylan

(snip)

I want to know how the hate mongers and internet thugs feel now, knowing that they were duped about Tillman's death. Duped like the country was duped about WMDs. Duped into cheerleading a war that's made the world a more dangerous place and accomplished little more than a new generation of mass graves, containing 100,000 Iraqis and 1,600 US soldiers as Bush and his chickenhawks smirked knowingly in the background.

(snip)

Patrick and Mary now know that Pat did not die at the hands of the Taliban while charging up a hill, but was shot by his own troops in an instance of what they call "fratricide." Patrick and Mary now know that Tillman's men realized they had gunned him down "within moments." They know that the soldiers in an effort to cover up the killing of the All American "poster boy" - burned Tillman's uniform and body armor.

(snip)

They know that over the next 10 days, top-ranking Army officials, including the all too appropriately titled "theater commander," Army Gen. John P. Abizaid, hid the truth of Tillman's death, while Pentagon script writers conjured a Hollywood ending. They know that the army waited until weeks after the nationally televised memorial service to even clue them in about "irregularities" surrounding their son's death. They know that the concurrent eruption of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal may have played a role in the cover-up, as the army attempted to avoid a double public relations disaster.

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

Mary Tillman, like her ex-husband and son, a fiercely private person, spoke with a frankness that should put dissembling military planners to shame. "It makes you feel like you're losing your mind in a way," she said. "You imagine things. When you don't know the truth, certain details can be blown out of proportion. The truth may be painful, but it's the truth. You start to contrive all these scenarios that could have taken place because they just kept lying. If you feel you're being lied to, you can never put it to rest."

(snip)


http://www.counterpunch.com/zirin05272005.html

And the author's advice at the end is sadly brilliant

for "everyone else" dying throughout the Middle East (...) that we must follow the Tillmans example and regard silence as a luxury we can no longer afford.

Those of us who know. Those of us who fought this tooth and nail without any reservations or misplaced loyalties can only weep as we watch. America is slowly erupting into the mad realization of what our country has become.

[Karenina]

1. And what America has become

is exceedingly ugly. :cry:

[Tinoire]

6. Exceedingly ugly.

(snip)

So I heard the moving van pull up this morning. When I got home this evening I happened to spy my neighbor (he's like 85 years old - I don't know exactly, but he's old, talks and moves very slowly) standing on the sidewalk next to the van. I walked over and shook his hand, and we started talking. I asked him where he was moving, and he said, "Back to Germany."

I had been stationed in Germany for two years while in the military, so I lit up, and commented about how beautiful the country was, and inquired if he was going back because he missed it.

"No," he answered me. "I'm going back because I've seen this before." He then commenced to explain that when he was a kid, he watched with his family in fear as Hitler's government committed atrocity after atrocity, and no one was willing to say anything. He said the news refused to question the government, and the ones who did were not in the newspaper business much longer. He said good neighbors, people he had known all his life, turned against his family and other Jews, grabbing on to the hate and superiority "as if they were starved for it" (his words).

He said he was too old to see it happen right in front of his eyes again, and too old to do anything about it, so he was taking his family back to Europe on Thursday where they would be safe from George W. Bush and his neocons. He seemed resolute, but troubled, nonetheless, as if being too young on one end and too old on the other to fight what he saw happening was wearing on him.


Joey Picador -- http://www.justicefornone.com

Interestingly enough, Picador's latest handbill is about Tillman:

http://www.justicefornone.com/handbills/tillman1.htm

I hope more Americans learn what happened here and start asking questions. This nightmare is past monstrous.

[Karenina]

15. The REAL HORROR

is no place is "safe" from the fuckin' Amis. They've controlled this country for DECADES. Never forget... :freak:

[FloridaPat]

2. Wow. First time I heard the truth on this one. At least he died for

something - to remain the poster boy. And to think this is just one story of 1,600.

[Tinoire]

4. That was my reaction as well...

Wow... a stunned realization of the depraved depths they'll go to to create/maintain national myths.

I wonder. Truly wonder how far this story will go.

[snowbear]

5. 1,654 as of today..

67 U.S. Troops have died already this month alone.. :( The worst month since January.

http://icasualties.org/oif/

[Tinoire]

8. Senseless.

Totally senseless.

And worse, 1,654 is the Pentagon's number which doesn't include those who were evacuated from Iraq and died in hospitals. How large is that list really?

How many untold stories that reveal the breadth of this administration's lies?

[snowbear]

3. And in the Oregonian today.. wow..

This letter is in today's Oregonian:

Tillman family speaks out
Friday, May 27, 2005

Pat Tillman was a true American hero, sacrificing millions playing in the NFL to fight -- and eventually die by friendly fire -- in Afghanistan following the attacks on 9/11.

Unfortunately, the Bush administration paid its respects by systematically distorting the details of Tillman's death to further its own political agenda ("Army officials long hid fact friendly fire killed Tillman," May 8).

Showing that heroism runs in the family, Pat Tillman's parents are speaking out. In a May 23 article in The Washington Post, Mary Tillman said, "The military let him down. The administration let him down. It was a sign of disrespect. . . . The fact that they lied about afterward is disgusting."

God bless the Tillman family for refusing to let their son's memory be exploited in the propaganda of the liars and hypocrites leading our nation.

JIM REYNOLDSON Vancouver

http://www.oregonlive.com/letters/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1117188159211660.xml&coll=7

[Tinoire]

7. Good! I hope more papers pick it up

because this kind of stuff will get people out of their reich-stupor.

The good news is that FOX's viewership has dropped by half these last 6 months. This can only help.

[11cents]

9. The whole Tillman family seems to be very independent-minded

They fucked with the wrong people.

[Tinoire]

18. They remind me of Michael Berg's parents but even more dangerous

because they won't be preaching to the choir, the antiwar crowd. Their audience is normal America that bought the myth and is about to experience the same horrible awakening tillman's parents experienced.

[blondeatlast]

10. The Tillman story is a fitting allegory for the entire war.

And of course, the end is not in sight.

May that poor soul rest in peace... someday.

Courage, Tillamn family--and thank you for being true patriots.

[donkeyotay]

11. This is so sad.

"...all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this," Patrick Tillman said..."they covered it up."

What hubris brought this war. How will it end, and what price will the world pay before it is over? How sad that this boy was so honorable and died for people with no honor at all.

[mtnsnake]

12. Sad & shameful. Imagine how many 100s of other stories they concoct

to cover up what really happened to other people's sons and daughters, too. :(

[alphafemale]

13. They tried with Jessica Lynnch too. She wouldn't play their dirty game...

...and was dropped as a "darling" very fast.

[hector459]

24. How did the truth about Pat's death get out at all? Since this regime

controls everything so tightly, I am shocked that the truth ever came out. If it was in their power to hide it, why did they reveal this. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying I agree that they should have hid this info, but it puzzles me as to who blew the whistle on Pat's death. Maybe it was a fellow soldier who couldn't be bought off?

[Tinoire]

25. Soldiers. Soldiers wouldn't shut up I think

Plus I read somewhere that Abizaid (I think it was) confirmed it in a televised interview and refused to say an additional word about the matter but by then the "rumor" was already out.

===
(snip)

The Pentagon statement awarding Tillman a posthumous Silver Star for combat valor declared: “He ordered his team to dismount and then maneuvered the Rangers up a hill near the enemy’s location... As they crested the hill, Tillman directed his team into firing positions and personally provided suppressive fire... Tillman’s voice was heard issuing commands to take the fight to the enemy forces.”

When this statement was released, on April 30, 2004, the soldiers in the 2nd Platoon had already filed reports confirming that Tillman was a victim of friendly fire brought on by battlefield confusion and lack of communication. At least 14 sworn statements had been taken from the platoon, including one which quoted Tillman’s last words: “Cease fire! Friendlies!” He was shouting on the battlefield, not to rally his men against an enemy attack, but to convey to the “enemy” that they were shooting fellow Americans.

(snip)

Mary Tillman, Pat’s mother, pressed the Pentagon repeatedly for the details after she learned that friendly fire was involved. The military has not even confirmed that a formal investigation is under way, but some lower-level soldiers in the 2nd Platoon have reportedly faced disciplinary action. No officers have been charged. (:wtf:)

(snip)

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/dec2004/till-d14.shtml


(snip)

In the early weeks after their son's death, Tillman's parents, Mary and Patrick Sr., accepted the Army's explanations with a stiff upper lip. By the winter, as the story kept changing bit by bit, from friendly fire blamed on an enemy ambush to just botched, unprovoked friendly fire, the parents began to boil over. Patrick Tillman told the Post in December, "The investigation is a lie."

(snip)

The bravery of the Army was another matter at a time when it needed no more bad news, with the prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib staining the United States. It turned out that once US soldiers realized they accidentally had killed Tillman, some of them burned his uniform and body armor. Army investigator Brigadier General Gary Jones said that was destruction of evidence. The Post quoted soldiers in the documents as saying they weren't going to lie about the incident. "We knew at the time, based on taking the pictures and walking around, it was a fratricide," a soldier said. "We knew in our hearts what had happened."

(snip)

http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0525-25.htm

[0007]

14. I demand a public explantion and an apology from junior to the

people of United States. The people are also a victim as are the Pat Tillman's Parents.

I won't hold my breath!

[Disturbed]

17. Their other son is still in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan.

Hope he isn't killed or wounded. Strange that there was no PR about him from the RW propaganda machine.

[Tinoire]

19. I didn't know that!

What's his name and do you have any links? I'd like to keep an eye on this. Thanks

[blondeatlast]

20. Hard to tell, but I think Kevin has returned from Afghanistan.

He accompanied Pat's body, but I don't know if he returned.

Oddly enough, I can;t find anything in the AZ Republic about whether Kevin is still there.

Can anyone help?

Kevin Tillman, they enlisted at the same time.

[Tinoire]

22. Both sons were in the same unit?

Thanks for the name. It's helping me google. I did not know they were both in the same unit! Check this out:

(snip)

Beginning on December 5 of this year, the Washington Post published a two-part series on Tillman’s death, with information obtained through interviews with many of his comrades and from the internal Army investigation. The newspaper reported: “Tillman died unnecessarily after botched communications, a mistaken decision to split his platoon over the objections of its leader, and negligent shooting by pumped-up young Rangers—some in their first firefight — who failed to identify their targets as they blasted their way out of a frightening ambush.”

(snip)

The lieutenant left his platoon’s heaviest weapon, a .50-caliber machine gun, with the group staying with the Humvee, commanded by Sgt. Greg Baker, who were more vulnerable to ambush. Uthlaut pushed on towards Manah. The Tillman brothers also split up: Pat went with Uthlaut, while Kevin remained behind with Baker.

(snip)

Meanwhile, Uthlaut’s group, hearing the gunfire, moved toward the sound, with Tillman leading one of three fire teams sent ahead to find out what was happening. They climbed a ridge, Tillman accompanied by another young Ranger and an Afghan militia fighter. Tillman was pressing forward. As far as he knew, his younger brother might be in an ambush.

(snip)

Kevin Tillman arrived on the scene after his brother’s death. Mercifully, he had played no role in the shooting, serving as the rearguard of the second unit. He was told to take guard duty over the battlefield, and only later was told that his brother had been killed. It would be another five weeks before he learned that Pat had been killed by his own comrades.

(snip)

According to another report, published in the Los Angeles Times, the initial account of the “friendly fire” killing is also being challenged. The newspaper reported that the incident was not triggered by an ambush by Afghan guerrillas. Local Afghan police and militia commanders told the Times there was no ambush, only an explosion, either of a land mine or a roadside bomb. After the blast, the US soldiers panicked, assumed they were being ambushed, and opened fire wildly.

(snip)

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2004/dec2004/till-d14.shtml

[Tinoire]

23. I did find this though.. He's on the board of the Pat Tillman Foundation

Board

Marie Tillman, Chairman
Kevin Tillman, Director
Alex Garwood, Executive Director
Benjamin Hill, Director
Jared Schrieber, Director

http://www.pattillmanfoundation.net

Not finding much else for the moment. Thanks for your help!

[0007]

32. The other son is nothing unless he played in the NFL or

some heavy duty sport.

Pat Tillman was no hero he was a victim of an evil administration that had bad breath.

General John Abizaid went to Tillman's funeral knowing and hoping that the lies he told about Tillman and his heroics would never be exposed.

And the insipid freepers don't understand why the Tillman family is pissed.

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

16. This is outrageous.

That dumbya & his minions can perpetrate this on that poor family & the public is beyond the pale. When are people going to wake up? I've just about given up hope.

As an aside, someone posted some comments from the freepers who are accusing the Tillman's of consorting with the enemy, helping the enemy, blah, blah, blah. It disgusts me how some are so willfully blind.

[Tinoire]

21. A few more details:

Officers directed the soldiers involved not to talk about the events “to prevent rumors.”

A report sent out through Army channels on the day of the shooting said that Tillman had died in the medical treatment facility after his vehicle came under “direct and indirect fire.” His gunshot injuries were attributed to “enemy forces.” According to the Post, “An investigation was immediately launched, and several documents show that the chain of command was largely convinced that it was fratricide from the beginning.”

The following day, April 23, the army took the unusual step of burning both Tillman’s body armor and uniform, asserting they were a “biohazard.” (...)

Five days later, April 28, an initial Army investigation determined that friendly fire was the cause of Tillman’s death. Top commanders within the US Central Command, including Gen. Abizaid, were notified the following day.

(...) four days later, at a nationally televised public memorial service in San Jose on May 3, military authorities were still concealing the truth. In a despicable effort to play on the emotions of both Pat Tillman’s family and the public, his death was depicted as a sacrifice made in the heat of battle. A Navy SEAL previously stationed with Tillman in Iraq said that Tillman had ordered members of his platoon “to seize the tactical high ground from the enemy... Pat sacrificed his life so that others could live.”

(snip)

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/may2005/till-m26.shtml

[Cha]

26. It is very "sadly brilliant"!

If the military had told them what happened to their son in the beginning then they could have tried to deal with that..at least it would have been the truth. But, this Army Gen. John P. Abizaid(sounds like a bush flunky) chose to cover it up..and it backfired!

With revelations like these ..it's no wonder the military's recruiting numbers are down and undoubtedly will continue to go way down..

It's a miracle that they even found out what the truth is with all the coverups going on in the bushreich.

[bunny planet]

27. oh my G_d , those poor people, this is so awful.

The stories that come out about this criminal administration just get worse and worse with each passing day. How much more of this can we take. Those poor people, it is very brave of them to speak out about this.

[Hailtothechimp]

28. I hope they continue to speak out. America needs to hear this.

In this culture that we live in, the thousands of fallen troops (and I'm counting the suicides, the lost limbs, the psychological damage, and basically everyone who has gone over there) have been ignored or forgotten. I read the names in the NY Times and try to imagine how many people's lives have been torn asunder. For the lie that has been foisted upon us all.

But Pat Tillman, since he played in the NFL, has a platform that most soldiers did not have. He truly was the "poster boy" in a lot of ways. And if the military can play games with his death, why on earth should we believe anything they tell us?

I doubt his parents read this, but I hope they continue to fight for the truth. As an American, I hope they succeed in shining the light in places where the sheep media is afraid to go. It won't bring him back, but it could give some meaning to something that presently seems very fucked up.

[calimary]

29. As we go into the Memorial Day weekend, this REALLY needs to be

KICKED.

SERIOUSLY.

To tell the truth about Pat Tillman, and spread it as far as possible, is the ONLY way to ensure that he didn't die in vain. Or that the THOUSANDS of other Americans (the MORE-than-16-hundred whose deaths we actually know about, and the thousands more who died of their wounds, later, in other hospitals and medical centers outside the actual battle zone) won't have died in vain.

EXPOSE THE REAL ENEMY.

[NVMojo]

30. ...and the neocons and their followers continue to praise the Bush

"culture of life."

[oasis]

31. "Fratricide". The realization must have hit like a freight train. (eom)

[spanone]

33. This is the bush* administration in a nutshell.Lie & lie to cover lie.

It is a shameful time and a shameless administration.