Was Tillman's death used for PR?

[SuperJerk 0]

Parents: Army disrespected Tillman's memory

 

 

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The family of former professional football player Pat Tillman says the Army disrespected his memory by lying in its investigation of his death in Afghanistan last year.

 

In interviews with The Washington Post, the Army Ranger's mother and father said they believe the military and the government created a heroic tale about how their son died to foster a patriotic response across the country.

 

"Pat had high ideals about the country; that's why he did what he did," Mary Tillman told the Post. "The military let him down. The administration let him down. It was a sign of disrespect. The fact that he was the ultimate team player and he watched his own men kill him is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. The fact that they lied about it afterward is disgusting."

 

Tillman, a player for the Arizona Cardinals, left the National Football League after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks to join the Rangers with his brother. After a tour in Iraq, they were sent to Afghanistan in 2004 to help hunt for the Taliban and Osama bin Laden.

 

Shortly after arriving in the mountains to fight, Tillman was killed in a barrage of gunfire from his own men, mistaken for the enemy as he got into position to defend them.

 

After a public memorial service, at which Tillman received the Silver Star, the Army told Tillman's family what had really happened.

 

The separate interviews with Tillman's parents, who are divorced, appeared on the Post's Internet site for Monday's editions.

 

Patrick Tillman Sr., a lawyer, told the Post he is furious about a "botched homicide investigation" and blames high-ranking Army officers for presenting "outright lies" to the family and to the public.

 

"After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this," the father said. "They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and 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."

 

"In the case of the death of Corporal Patrick Tillman, the Army made mistakes in reporting the circumstances of his death to the family," Brig. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks told the Post. "For these, we apologize. We cannot undo those early mistakes."

 

credit: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/23/tilman.probe.ap/index.html

[Special K 0]

This story is really, really weird. His own men shot him, then burned his uniform? That's completely bizzare.

So of course the army says he died storming a bunker. There's obviously more to this than we know.

[Skywarp! 0]

It's just a disgusting cover-up that sickens me.

 

And you see why they did it--just how bad would army recruitment have been hurt had they just come out and admitted that in an act of stupidity they murdered their own poster boy?

[CheesalaIsGood 0]

Ugh, typical. The anti-war crowd will eat this with a spoon. But we outta just get used to it. Its a propaganda nation now. Pravda Uber Alles.

[Guest Cerebus]

It's a propaganda country now? Ever heard of this? The troops that survived in that picture got a free ride home after Iwo Jima as propaganda. This is no different than any other point in history.

 

Certainly doesn't make it right, hell it makes it worse. My brother in law got a Bronze Star with "V" for charging and killing an entrenched enemy who had wounded his PL. Jessica Lynch got one for getting knocked unconcious and missing an entire firefight. You want to talk about unfair, you dont' get a better example than that.

[Special K 0]

Yeah, I accept that there's probably always been some spin in the military, but keeping his family in the dark is just cold.

 

You want some propoganda, look at WWII.

[Guest Eric the Eagle]

In the army's defence, coming out with the truth here would be so atrociously stupid as to border on suicidal. It's a thing that, if blown up enough, could quite conceivably turn public opinion - not by itself, probably, but it's not like someone who actively looks for stories that will make any war look bad will have trouble finding it.

 

And just for the record, I am slightly exaggerating to get at a point.

 

 

That being said, what the army should have done was to admit to his death, and kept a lid on the actual facts until after the war, citing security reasons. They'd still look bad, but at least wouldn't be liars as well.

 

Of course, this way they got tremendous sympathies and a poster boy for American sacrifice, and benefits who, when looking at the big picture, probably far outweighted the backlash they'll get now, so who am I to criticize?