by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright March 27, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

lowing more smoke about the friendly-fire death of Cpl. Pat Tillman, the Army issued its latest report, concluding that the 27-year-old former NFL safety was accidentally killed on patrol by his own squad of Army Rangers. Brig. Gen Rodney Johnson, head of Army criminal investigations, found no evidence of a cover-up or criminal wrongdoing. When Tillman was felled by three shots to the head April 22, 2004 in a canyon 25 miles southwest of Khost, Afghanistan, his fellow Rangers burned his uniform and protective gear to cover up the friendly fire. At a May 3, 2004 memorial service, Tillman was awarded the Purple Heart and Silver Star for bravely engaging the Taliban in a courageous firefight. On May 28, the Army announced that Pat was killed by friendly fire. Needless to say, his family was disgusted by what looked like carefully orchestrated cover-up.

      Tillman received national attention in 2002 for bypassing a $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join his brother Kevin in the 75th Army Rangers Regimen in Fort Lewis, Washington, only months after Sept. 11. Pat and his brother were part of an elite Special Forces unit commissioned with hunting down Osama bin Laden and rooting out remnants of the Taliban. In the wake of Sept. 11, Tillman glowingly symbolized the fervid patriotism sought by the White House to galvanize a unified national response to the war on terror. When Pat went down to friendly fire, it created a public relations nightmare, revealing unfathomable ineptitude by Army Special Forces. Brig. Gen. Gary M. Jones admitted May 4, 2005 that the Army knew immediately after Pat's death that he died from friendly fire. Jones reported directly to former U.S. Centcom Commander Gen. John P. Abizaid.

      Army publicists were quick to capitalize on Tillman's death, making special efforts to put the best face on an embarrassing and tragic situation. “After coming under fire, Tillman's patrol got out of their vehicles and gave chase, moving toward the spot of the ambush,” said Lt. Col. Matthew Beevers, adding, the fighting was “sustained” and lasted for 15-20 minutes. Beevers insisted Tillman was killed engaging the enemy protecting his unit. Revealing the extent of the treachery, the Army coordinated stories with local Afhan commander, Gen. Khial Bas, telling the Associated Press that nine enemy fighters were killed in the firefight and six others escaped. According to Jones, news of Tillman's death happened so fast and the political repercussions were so disastrous, that his unit burned his body armor and uniform to create a sanitized version of events

      By the time Tillman's memorial rolled around May 3, 2004, he had been promoted posthumously to corporal and awarded the Silver Star and Purple Heart. Accolades flowed during the gut-wrenching memorial service, including poignant words of U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). “Many American families have suffered the same terrible sacrifice that the Tillman family now suffers,” said McCain. “The courage and patriotism their loved ones exemplified is as fine and compelling as Pat's, and their loss should grief us just as much,” acknowledging painful sacrifices made by less known soldiers. When Tillman's family learned May 28, 2004 that Pat was killed by friendly fire, they were shocked but not surprised. Tillman's family believes Pat was used by the Pentagon as martyr to promote the war. Tillman's death hurt the indomitable image of the Army's Special Forces.

      Tillman's story illustrates the extent to which the Army will go to preserve its credibility and mission. When it was found in Nov. 2005 that the Army paid Iraqi newspapers to publish positive stories, it exposed how “psyops” creates illusions to further the mission. While the latest Inspector General's report whitewashed Tillman's death, the family believes it involves a criminal conspiracy going up the Pentagon's chain-of-command. If Abizaid knew immediately about the friendly fire, it's reasonable to assume former Defense Secretary Donald M. Rumsfeld also knew, together key White House officials. “The characterization of criminal negligence, professional misconduct, battlefield incompetence, concealment and destruction of evidence, deliberate deception and conspiracy to deceive, are not “missteps,” read the Tillman-family statement, rejecting the IG's report.

      Army Inspector General's report indicates that Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of join special operations, notified top brass within one week about Tillman's friendly fire death. McChrystal testified he thought Tillman's family was notified. Also noteworthy was that Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger, now a retired three-star general in command of Army special operations, attended Tillman's memorial service May 3, 2004 knowing Pat was killed by friendly fire. While the latest investigation goes to Gen. William Wallace, a four-star battlefield commander in Iraq, for quick review, the Tillman family wants a Congressional investigation to get out the truth. Looking at the bigger picture, Tillman was the White House and Pentagon's poster-boy for selling the war on terror. His friendly-fire death shot up the chain-of-command exposing gross incompetence and acute embarrassment.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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