I mean no disrespect. I just hope to offer another perspective on this conspiracy theory. Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire. I do not dispute this. It was covered up by many field grade Army officers (including at least one of my former commanders), as well as the upper echelons of the Department of Defense, if not higher. I do not dispute this. I would, however, dispute that Tillman was purposely killed by his own comrades for political reasons.
There was an earlier diary that posted points that would lead one to believe that Tillman was assassinated. Again, I mean no disrespect to the author. Americans have not only a right, but a duty to question what our government tells us, and to speak out if the answers we get are not to our liking. I will use that author’s points as the basis for this diary, and add a few of my own.
I cannot stress enough that I do not mean to belittle anyone who does not believe that Pat Tillman’s death was anything other than a terrible accident. To the diarist I will be issuing counterpoints to; I applaud you for taking a stand and exercising that right which is purposely the first.
There was a concerted cover-up about Tillman's death involving the highest level of military command, including 3-star Lt. General Philip R. Kensinger, 3 additional generals and at least a total of 9 officers.
I do not dispute this. This is, by any standard, reprehensible and disgusting conduct. As a Soldier, I do not know that there is an appropriate punishment for anyone involved in the cover-up.
Evidence was destroyed within hours of his death, including his bloody uniform, body armor, a journal (he kept one since he was 16 which was "lost"), and possibly other personal effects.
This, while wrong, is not surprising. It happens. I’ve been assigned to inventory the personal effects of a Soldier killed in action. I did everything according to regulation. I am nothing if not honest. However, when the personal effects returned to the United States, the bulk of the items were missing. I have been informed there is an investigation in progress, but no one has asked me any questions and I do not know the status of this. I hope this is because it is obvious by the paper trail that I was not involved in any wrong doing. My point is this: this sort of things happens. The process of the return of personal effects involves a lot of bureaucracy to act as checks and balances. But what it also means is the items go through a lot of hands. There is an unimaginable amount of paperwork involved, to included multiple copies of the inventory and chain-of-custody documents. However, we all know that there is little that can be done to stop someone who knows a system and wants to get around it.
With regards to uniform items, I am not 100% sure of the procedure, but I would assume that items that have blood on them would normally be destroyed as a biological hazard or for OPSEC concerns.
Tillman’s noble sacrifice was being used for pro war propaganda purposes at the highest levels. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld wrote a personal letter to Tillman after he enlisted, (Chronicle 9/25/05) Bush eulogized him on May 1, 2004 (9 days after Tillman’s death) and in a video message at Cardinals Stadium in the fall of 2004, and of course Faux News played endless hours of Tillman as the All American war hero, including Coultergeist, "Tillman was an American original: virtuous, pure and masculine like only an American male can be."
If these senior military leaders knew of the factual circumstances with regards to Tillman’s death (not much of a stretch of the imagination) this conduct is despicable. It does not however prove that anyone murdered Pat Tillman for political reasons.
Pat Tillman was a well-read, Bay Area native, who told his buddy, Spc. Russell Baer, "You know, this war is so f— illegal", he was "totally was against Bush", supported Kerry for President, and had planned to meet with anti-war activist Noam Chomsky upon his return home.
While I have no appointments with Noam Chomsky, this pretty much describes me. I make no secret of my political views or my views on the wars in which we find ourselves today. It is widely known in my unit that I am a self-described liberal. When a picture of George W. Bush was hung in my workplace, I hung a picture up of Al Gore with the words "Albert Gore Jr., Winner of the 2000 Presidential Election". It is still hanging today.
I have been ridiculed for my beliefs; usually, in jest, but sometimes in serious discussions. Sometimes the discussions have become heated. But never have I feared for my safety in a place where everyone walks around with a rifle and ammunition 24/7. Never has the hostility of said discussions lasted longer than the discussion itself. None of my brothers in arms who are staunch Republicans has disowned me as a battle buddy or fellow Soldier. No one has ever threatened my life. I would die for these men, and I believe they would die for me too.
Pat Tillman's voice against the war would have been DEVASTATING to Bush in the SUMMER of 2004.
This may be true, but do you think it would have changed the course of these wars? Do you think anyone else thought it would?
The love a Soldier feels for his fellow Soldier is unmatched by any other camaraderie I have ever known. It is a different kind of love and trust that you can only understand if you have worn a uniform. It is not greater than a love of family, but it is different and quite possibly equal. Maybe this is why I married another Soldier.
I love the men I serve with. I love the men who serve whom I have never met. I get a lump in my throat every time I read the casualty reports.
Leaders are charged with a higher calling. We are charged with the lives of our Soldiers. We are trusted with their lives and expected to possess courage, competence and candor and use these attributes to lead Soldiers in battle. Our Soldiers, our commanders and the American people depend on us every day to keep safe the greatest heroes of our Country.
While the acts of the Commanders to cover up the circumstances around Tillman’s death are despicable and in conflict with all the values of an Army leader, I cannot believe that a Commander at any level would order the death of one of his men. There is a bond between a leader and his men in which they, everyday, mutually trust one another to insure that they live to see one more sun rise. To tell me, as a Soldier and a Leader, that another Leader would order the death of one his men, is like telling me the earth is flat.
Army medical examiners performing the autopsy were "suspicious" and believed that murder was a possibility. (AP)
The examiner went so far as to request that the Criminal Investigation Unit open a criminal investigation.
That request was denied.
This is suspicious, but that is all it is: suspicion. The medical examiners believed that murder was a possibility. There is nothing conclusive as it was not investigated. In addition, the Criminal Investigation Division works independently and outside of the chain of command. Therefore, it would be impossible for an order to have come from the chain to CID.
One of the Army Rangers (an elite, highly-trained, light infantry special operations unit) at the scene mistook a 5’ 11" 200 pound clean-shaven NFL player for a bearded, headressed Taliban hill soldier at a distance of less than 10 yards. (if you believe it was friendly fire...)
The claim that the Tillman was shot from 10 yards is not fact. While examining the body, there was suspicion that he may have been shot at close range. However, there was no investigation into this. Yes, it is something to think about, but we shouldn’t make accusations that are not supported by fact. I am not an expert in ballistics, and I’d also assume that whoever made a passing observation that the bullet may have come from as close as ten yards is not either.
Also of note, Tillman was assigned to a battalion under the 75th Ranger Regiment. This unit is classified as "non-conventional". In civilian-speak, it means they are badass professionals who no one messes with because they know what they are doing. When these guys patrol, they don’t shave. They usually patrol in baseball caps as opposed to Kevlar helmets. They disregard the usual strict uniformity of the military in favor of a "whatever keeps you alive" approach. Tillman more than likely had a beard, was not wearing a Kevlar helmet, was wearing a sterilized (meaning nothing that would distinguish him as a U.S. Soldier) uniform if he was wearing a military uniform at all, and wearing gear that was not standard Army issue.
Fact: The citation of the circumstances for the Silver Star was a complete fabrication, as newly released materials demonstrate: AP
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.
It has been established that there was a cover-up of the fact that Tillman died as a result of friendly fire. This is not news. This quote does not serve to prove that Tillman was murdered for political reasons.
The Bush Administration has so far refused to provide documents requested by Congress on this issue, providing only 2 communications between the White House and the Dept of Defense between 4/22 (day after death) and 5/29 (day WH announced fratricide cause of death).
The Administration not releasing documents should not lead anyone to believe any thing other than that they are conducting business as usual. More, than likely, this is to shield additional military personnel from being named in the cover-up.
Here are a couple facts that weren’t noted in that diary:
Specialist Bryan O’Neal, who witnessed Pat’s death has come clean about the investigation and what happened in that incident. Why would he have only told the partial truth, in acknowledging that Pat died of friendly fire, as opposed to revealing that he was shot intentional from 10 yards away, if that were in fact the case.
Pat Tillman’s brother Kevin was also an Army Ranger serving in the same unit as Pat. Kevin was part of the same operation in which Pat was killed. If someone was ordered to kill Pat Tillman for political reasons, why would he have done so in such close proximity of Tillman’s own brother?
[Correction: I previously wrote that Kevin was part of the element that fired on Pat's. This was erroneous. See comments for clarification]
I hope I have provided some perspective here that you may not have seen. Please take all this into consideration before making any judgments.
