| The Pat Tillman Story Continues...
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(REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque )
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Last week,
The House Reform and Oversight Committee held a hearing titled "Misleading information from the battlefield".
During the hearing, Kevin Tillman, Pat's brother, accused the military of ' intentional falsehoods' and 'deliberate and careful misrepresentations'.
Mary Tillman, Pat's mother, said she felt 'betrayed and foolish' after finding out she had been misled about the cause of Pat's death. The House Reform and Oversight committee
has requested documents from the White House.
(Pat Tillman died of fraticide or friendly fire. This last March, the Army Inspector General determined that nine army officers should be disciplined, but not criminally charged. The family called these findings 'shamefully unacceptable' Tillman Timeline[see bottom of page] )
My Take On Another Tillman Investigation
There is simply no military unit that has the pride and spirit of Army Rangers. I cannot tell you the numbers of Rangers that I've met who are simply cut from a different cloth. Pat Tillman and his buddies of the 75th Rangers were all special.
Now, with yet another investigation, Army Rangers speak about what happened. They acknowledged the true story would have been devastating for the 75th Regiment. What they really meant is that the real story would bring shame on the Rangers and nothing could be worse.
Ranger training includes weeks of deprivation and surviving in the most extreme conditions. Most fail. I don't know the exact percentages; but, I would say, close to 80% don't make it. When it's over, the soldier is forever changed. His only reward is a Ranger Tab worn on his left shoulder or a pin signifying he's a Ranger on his dress uniform. So a Ranger doesn't dare bring shame upon other Rangers.
One of Pat Tillman's fellow Rangers said, "I mean, it's horrible that Pat has died. Absolutely horrible. But it hurts even more to know that one of our own guys did it. We just, we didn't want to get anything, you know, bad said about the Regiment or anything like that. That was my guess to what the whole thing was about. We didn't want the world finding out what actually happened."
So, there you have a cover up, but not really to this soldier. To me, this was just a bunch of Rangers who didn't want to bring disgrace on fellow Rangers.
Unfortunately, modern wartime, often fought in the media, has obfuscated honorable motives. My suspicion is that Pat Tillman would be the last wanting this investigation to continue. No way would he want to take a chance on smearing the reputation of his beloved Rangers.
One soldier's opinion. KT
Webzine Related Articles:
War and Grief
Army Announces Criminal Probe into Pat Tillman's Death
Investigations into Pat Tillman's Death
Pat Tillman: A Great American Hero Killed by Friendly Fire
The Traitor and the Patriot
The Power of Grief
Grief in a Small Town
Net Related Articles:
Feds: No negligence in Tillman death
Pat Tillman family statement
After Pat's Birthday( written by Kevin Tillman on truthdig.com)
San Francisco Chronicle Article: Family Demands Truth
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