Pat Tillman

[HowboutthemCowboys]

SAN FRANCISCO - Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

 

"The medical evidence did not match up with the, with the scenario as described," a doctor who examined Tillman's body after he was killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan in 2004 told investigators.

 

The doctors _ whose names were blacked out _ said that the bullet holes were so close together that it appeared the Army Ranger was cut down by an M-16 fired from a mere 10 yards or so away.

Ultimately, the Pentagon did conduct a criminal investigation, and asked Tillman's comrades whether he was disliked by his men and whether they had any reason to believe he was deliberately killed. The Pentagon eventually ruled that Tillman's death at the hands of his comrades was a friendly-fire accident.

 

The medical examiners' suspicions were outlined in 2,300 pages of testimony released to the AP this week by the Defense Department in response to a Freedom of Information Act request.

 

Among other information contained in the documents:

 

_ In his last words moments before he was killed, Tillman snapped at a panicky comrade under fire to shut up and stop "sniveling."

 

_ Army attorneys sent each other congratulatory e-mails for keeping criminal investigators at bay as the Army conducted an internal friendly-fire investigation that resulted in administrative, or non-criminal, punishments.

_ The three-star general who kept the truth about Tillman's death from his family and the public told investigators some 70 times that he had a bad memory and couldn't recall details of his actions.

_ No evidence at all of enemy fire was found at the scene _ no one was hit by enemy fire, nor was any government equipment struck.

 

The Pentagon and the Bush administration have been criticized in recent months for lying about the circumstances of Tillman's death. The military initially told the public and the Tillman family that he had been killed by enemy fire. Only weeks later did the Pentagon acknowledge he was gunned down by fellow Rangers.

With questions lingering about how high in the Bush administration the deception reached, Congress is preparing for yet another hearing next week.

 

The Pentagon is separately preparing a new round of punishments, including a stinging demotion of retired Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger Jr., 60, according to military officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the punishments under consideration have not been made public.

 

In more than four hours of questioning by the Pentagon inspector general's office in December 2006, Kensinger repeatedly contradicted other officers' testimony, and sometimes his own. He said on some 70 occasions that he did not recall something.

 

At one point, he said: "You've got me really scared about my brain right now. I'm really having a problem."

Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, who has long suggested that her son was deliberately killed by his comrades, said she is still looking for answers and looks forward to the congressional hearings next week.

 

"Nothing is going to bring Pat back. It's about justice for Pat and justice for other soldiers. The nation has been deceived," she said.

 

The documents show that a doctor who autopsied Tillman's body was suspicious of the three gunshot wounds to the forehead. The doctor said he took the unusual step of calling the Army's Human Resources Command and was rebuffed. He then asked an official at the Army's Criminal Investigation Division if the CID would consider opening a criminal case.

 

"He said he talked to his higher headquarters and they had said no," the doctor testified.

 

Also according to the documents, investigators pressed officers and soldiers on a question Mrs. Tillman has been asking all along.

 

"Have you, at any time since this incident occurred back on April 22, 2004, have you ever received any information even rumor that Cpl. Tillman was killed by anybody within his own unit intentionally?" an investigator asked then-Capt. Richard Scott.

 

Scott, and others who were asked, said they were certain the shooting was accidental.

 

Investigators also asked soldiers and commanders whether Tillman was disliked, whether anyone was jealous of his celebrity, or if he was considered arrogant. They said Tillman was respected, admired and well-liked.

 

The documents also shed new light on Tillman's last moments.

 

It has been widely reported by the AP and others that Spc. Bryan O'Neal, who was at Tillman's side as he was killed, told investigators that Tillman was waving his arms shouting "Cease fire, friendlies, I am Pat (expletive) Tillman, damn it!" again and again.

 

But the latest documents give a different account from a chaplain who debriefed the entire unit days after Tillman was killed.

 

The chaplain said that O'Neal told him he was hugging the ground at Tillman's side, "crying out to God, help us. And Tillman says to him, `Would you shut your (expletive) mouth? God's not going to help you; you need to do something for yourself, you sniveling ..."

 

___

 

Associated Press reporters Scott Lindlaw in Las Vegas and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this story.

 

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

[budlitebrad]

They lost a son and now all they want is the truth. The government can't even give them that.

[Ursa Majoris]

It's always the same when chit like this happens. The first instinct of government and military command is cover-up and damage limitation. Every time. And every time, it somehow comes back to bite them in the ass.

[H8tank]

I hear the moon landings were faked, also, OJ is innocent, but looking for the killers.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

I think if Tillman was killed when Clinton was in office you'd be posting pages full of stories....

[H8tank]

Your hit peice and subsequent replies are simply more bashing of the military, I've heard all the rumors. Enjoy it, go ahead and believe he was executed by the military, they're all monsters, except for the ones who run to kanaduh or shoot their commanders.

[I Like Soup]

A former Delta Force guys brief outlook on Tillman. Interesting to hear it from someone's perspective from that side. He does think they botched the autopsy in an effort to get it done quickly, etc.

 

Let me say for the record, again, that I do not believe that Pat Tillman was targeted for assassination.

 

A second lieutenant and an infantry sergeant are not tasked with anything as politically sensitive as assassination. I am speaking as an alumnus of Delta Force, one of the few organizations that actually might be entrusted with this kind of operation (and then only very rarely). It doesn’t matter what you see in the movies.

 

The decisions that placed Pat Tillman at exactly the place and exactly the time of his death were made ad hoc, on the spot, at a series of junctures that could not have been controlled, including a vehicle that unexpectedly broke down, one key decision made by an Afghan jinga truck driver and Pat’s own decision (following two on-the-spot decisions by members of his platoon in direct response to a completely unexpected situation) to move forward into the position where he was shot.

 

The mystique of Special Operations (including the Rangers, who are the Special Operations’ shock infantry component) is useful as a deterrent, but it is not reflective of a reality. The Pentagon and others want you and the rest of the world to believe this mystique, because your fear and the fear of the rest of the world is what maintains the efficacy of a huge bluff. This government wants us to spin out as many scary fantasies as possible, because it serves the dual purpose of either portraying opponents of the military as “conspiracy nuts” or promoting precisely the myth of spooky invincibility that keeps us in line.

 

I came straight from the bowels of this system, and I have written three books exposing the worst aspects of the military. If they haven’t cut my brake lines or shot me when I’m out fishing yet, then they didn’t kill Pat Tillman because he criticized the war in Iraq and read a book by Noam Chomsky.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

Your hit peice and subsequent replies are simply more bashing of the military, I've heard all the rumors. Enjoy it, go ahead and believe he was executed by the military, they're all monsters, except for the ones who run to kanaduh or shoot their commanders.

How can you not criticize a 3 star General who's "really scared about his brain right now"?

[H8tank]

They just love this...

 

Video: Olby wonders if Bush had Pat Tillman whacked for supporting Kerry

 

This was on MSNBC...

[Pope Flick]

Your hit peice and subsequent replies are simply more bashing of the military, I've heard all the rumors. Enjoy it, go ahead and believe he was executed by the military, they're all monsters, except for the ones who run to kanaduh or shoot their commanders.

 

 

This story is being broken by the same pair of reporters who broke through the first cover-up, which they won the pulitzer for.

[Duchess Jack]

Your hit peice and subsequent replies are simply more bashing of the military

 

If this is true - the actions of a few soldiers does not = the military.

[alexgaddis]

WASHINGTON - • The Army on Tuesday censured a retired three-star general for the chain of errors that followed the friendly-fire death in 2004 of Army Ranger Pat Tillman.

 

It referred to a special panel whether retired Army Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger should also have his rank reduced.

 

Army Secretary Pete Geren told a Pentagon news conference that Kensinger was "guilty of deception" and had deceived investigators.

 

"It's a perfect storm of mistakes, misjudgments and a failure of leadership," said Geren in announcing his decision after an investigation into the death of the former pro football player.

 

Kensinger headed Army special operations.

 

The general bore the brunt of the punishment. Nine other officers were criticized but not punished.

 

The panel will decide whether Kensinger should be stripped of his third star.

 

Geren said he considered recommending a court-martial but ruled it out. "I looked at many factors," he said.

 

Kensinger, he said, "compromised his duty."

 

"He failed to provide proper leadership to the soldiers under his administrative control. ... He let his soldiers down," Geren said. "General Kensinger was the captain of that ship, and his ship ran aground."

 

I think thise describes the situation very well...he wasn't assasinated and it's not a conspiracy...

[Pope Flick]

I think thise describes the situation very well...he wasn't assasinated and it's not a conspiracy...

 

 

This isn't the final word, as I'm interested in this part:

 

 

 

The documents show that a doctor who autopsied Tillman's body was suspicious of the three gunshot wounds to the forehead. The doctor said he took the unusual step of calling the Army's Human Resources Command and was rebuffed. He then asked an official at the Army's Criminal Investigation Division if the CID would consider opening a criminal case.

 

"He said he talked to his higher headquarters and they had said no," the doctor testified.

 

and am wondering if we'll hear more of this, as the stonewalling now appears to be cleared up. I'm most curious as to what this doctor thought, and he should be allowed to articulate his positions.

[H8tank]

Yes, Bush had him murdered cause he supported skerry, at least this is what the dems are suggesting.

[cre8tiff]

Yes, Bush had him murdered cause he supported skerry, at least this is what the dems are suggesting.

 

I must have missed the momo on this. How about a showing "the dems" suggesting this?

[H8tank]

Hey stupid, I don't stutter. Try reading.

[Pope Flick]

Yes, Bush had him murdered cause he supported skerry, at least this is what the dems are suggesting.

 

 

So the doctor in question is a democrat? Where's the link to that?

[cre8tiff]

Hey stupid, I don't stutter. Try reading.

Did you even watch that video? Of course not. You read the right wing commentary drawing fictional lines between what was said and what was your agenda and ran with it. You're a joke.

 

Find one spot in that entire video where Obermann said "Bush had Tillman whacked because he supported Kerry." You can't. Man, Is your IQ even in the double digits?

[HowboutthemCowboys]

If this is true - the actions of a few soldiers does not = the military.

Not bashing the military DJ. H8 says this every time someone posts anything that has to do with a republican, unless it has to do with blowing a repubican.

 

Just found pieces of the article very interesting.

[H8tank]

At minute 3:00 of the video, what is it they are suggesting?

[Pope Flick]

At minute 3:00 of the video, what is it they are suggesting?

 

If it isn't a video of the doctor who wrote the report that opened the questions, then it's irrelevant to what I have asked.

[AtomicCEO]

Yes, Bush had him murdered cause he supported skerry, at least this is what the dems are suggesting.

 

That's certainly what I'm suggesting. H8 knows me better than my mom.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

WASHINGTON - The Army censured a retired three-star general Tuesday for a "perfect storm of mistakes, misjudgments and a failure of leadership" after the 2004 friendly-fire death in Afghanistan of Army Ranger Pat Tillman.

 

Army Secretary Pete Geren asked a military review panel to decide whether Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger, who led Army special forces operations in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11 attacks, should also have his rank reduced.

 

In a stinging rebuke, Geren said Kensinger "failed to provide proper leadership to the soldiers under his administrative control" when the Army Ranger and former pro football star was killed in 2004.

 

Geren said that while Kensinger was "guilty of deception" in misleading investigators, there was no intentional Pentagon cover-up of circumstances surrounding Tillman's death _ at first categorized by the military as being from enemy fire.

 

"He let his soldiers down," Geren said at Pentagon news conference. "General Kensinger was the captain of that ship, and his ship ran aground."

 

Geren said he has directed a review panel of four-star generals to decide whether Kensinger, a three-star, should also have his rank reduced. If Kensinger is demoted to major general, his monthly retirement pay of $9,400 would be cut by about $900, according to Army officials.

 

"Had he performed his job properly, had he performed his duty, we wouldn't be standing here today," Geren said.

 

Kensinger, who retired in February 2006, received a letter of censure from Geren that said he "subverted the trust" that had been placed in him and "caused lasting damage to the reputation and credibility of the U.S. Army."

 

Geren said he considered recommending a court-martial for Kensinger but ruled it out.

 

Kensinger, whose line of authority included the Army Rangers, also failed to properly notify the Tillman family a fratricide investigation had begun shortly after he was killed, did not initiate a required safety investigation.

 

Kensinger's lawyer, Charles W. Gittins, did not return numerous phone and e-mail messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. But in correspondence with Army officials weeks before Geren's announcement, Kensinger denied misleading investigators.

 

Kensinger, a 1970 West Point graduate, was the top officer at Army Special Operations Command in Fort Bragg, N.C., from August 2002 through December 2005.

 

Geren's actions fail to end a three-year controversy that has damaged the ground service's image. Even as the Army's top civilian was telling reporters he did not know exactly when he'd receive a recommendation from the review board on Kensinger's rank, members of Congress were already judging whether the Army had gone far enough.

 

Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Mike Honda, both Democrats from Tillman's home state of California, said there still too many unanswered questions.

 

"We still don't know the full story about the way the Pentagon and this administration managed this tragedy," Boxer said in a statement. "In my view, the Army should reconsider today's announcement and instead move forward with harsher penalties."

 

In a separate statement, Honda called Geren's actions "necessary and long overdue" but added "they do nothing to lift the appearance of cover-up that continues to envelop the Pat Tillman story."

 

The punishment of Kensinger stands in contrast to the light touch given other senior officers who were involved in a litany of mistakes that came after members of Tillman's units accidentally killed him in the early evening hours of April 22, 2004.

 

Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who oversees the military's most sensitive counterterrorism operations, received no punishment. McChrystal has been cited for passing on misleading information that led to a Silver Star award to Tillman.

 

Brig. Gen. James Nixon, Tillman's former regimental commander, was issued a "memorandum of concern" for his "well-intentioned but fundamentally incorrect decision" to keep information about Tillman's death limited to just his staff.

 

Nixon is now a top official at U.S. Special Operations Command in Tampa, Fla.

 

Geren said that investigations have conclusively shown that accidental fire from U.S. troops was responsible for the death in Afghanistan of Tillman, who had walked away from a $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to become an Army Ranger.

 

The Army initially suggested that Tillman, 27, had been killed in a firefight with enemy militia forces. The Army then arranged a ceremony to award Tillman a Silver Star for bravery.

 

Five weeks after his death, the Army notified the Tillman family that Tillman died from rounds fired in error by U.S. troops.

 

Geren cited "multiple actions on the part of multiple soldiers" in compounding the confusion that surrounded the death.

 

But there "was never any effort to mislead or hide" or keep embarrassing information from the public, Geren said.

 

He said Tillman deserved the Silver Star, the military's third- highest award for valor in combat, despite the circumstances surrounding his death.

 

He could understand how the Tillman family and other Americans might reach the conclusion that there was a cover-up, Geren said.

 

"The facts just don't support this conclusion," he said. "There was no cover-up."

 

But he said, "We have made mistakes over and over and over, an incredible number of mistakes in handling this. We have destroyed our credibility in their eyes as well as in the eyes of others."

 

Tillman's family has insisted there was a cover-up that went as high as former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. Geren was asked whether there was any indication Rumsfeld was aware that Tillman's death was by friendly fire before that information was made public.

 

"I have no knowledge of any evidence to that end," Geren replied.

 

Aside from his decision to censure Kensinger, Geren said that he was accepting recommendations by Gen. William Wallace, who the Army secretary tasked to review a March report by the Pentagon inspector general into Tillman's death.

 

Based on Wallace's findings, Nixon and three other officers received a memorandum of concern. The others are:

 

_Retired Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, who led one of the early Army investigations. Jones was criticized for incorrectly characterizing Tillman's actions in describing why he should be awarded a Silver Star.

 

_Brig. Gen. Gina Farrisee, director of military personnel management at the Pentagon, for failing to ensure that the concerns of a medical examiner were properly resolved.

 

_Lt. Col. Jeff Bailey, Tillman's battalion commander, for his handling of the punishment against the rangers involved in the shooting of Tillman.

 

Three other officers also received punishments but because they were below the rank of general officer, the Army did not release their names.

 

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee issued a subpoena Monday night for testimony from Kensinger, said committee spokeswoman Karen Lightfoot. The subpoena is currently in the hands of U.S. marshals who are trying to deliver it in advance of Wednesday's committee hearing on the Tillman affair, Lightfoot said.

 

___

 

Associated Press

[Capt Skinman]

It's always the same when chit like this happens. The first instinct of government and military command is cover-up and damage limitation. Every time. And every time, it somehow comes back to bite them in the ass.

 

"Always"?

 

"First instinct"?

 

"Every time"?

 

Those are pretty strong words. I will keep it short to simply say that, as one of "them", a statement like this is subjective minus some research.

[Ursa Majoris]

"Always"?

 

"First instinct"?

 

"Every time"?

 

Those are pretty strong words. I will keep it short to simply say that, as one of "them", a statement like this is subjective minus some research.

We can each do a list if you like. You list all the times when there hasn't been a coverup or misrepresentation for a major incident, military or civilian, in which there is potential for the government or top military command to look bad and all the facts have been placed out there for public consumption immediately.

 

I'll list all the times there has.

 

By coverup I mean suppression of some or all of the pertinent facts. By misrepresentation I mean attempts to mislead or omit or stating as fact that which isn't. By bite in the ass I mean the facts slithering out long after the incident.