this makes me ill.Friendly-fire horror described in Tillman death
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) - The last minutes of Pat Tillman's life were a horror of misdirected machine-gun fire and signals to firing colleagues that were misunderstood as hostile acts, according to an account published Sunday of the death of the NFL player-turned-soldier.
It took the Army a month to change the record to show that Tillman, the Arizona Cardinals defensive back who gave up a $3.6 million contract to become an Army Ranger, was killed last April not by Afghan guerrillas but by his Ranger colleagues.
Even then, the statement by Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger Jr., head of the Army's Special Operations Command, gave few specifics of the corporal's death and implied that he was trying to suppress enemy fire when he "probably died as a result of friendly fire."
The Washington Post on Sunday, in the first article of a two-part series, published what it described as the first full telling of how and why Tillman died. The newspaper said it had access to "dozens of witness statements, e-mails, investigation findings, logbooks, maps and photographs."
A series of mishaps and missteps began the chain of events that resulted in Tillman's death in eastern Afghanistan, the newspaper said. A Humvee broke down, which led to the splitting up of his platoon.
The segment of the platoon with Tillman, Serial One, passed through a canyon and was near its north rim. The other segment, Serial Two, changed its plans because of poor roads and followed the same route into the canyon. It came under fire from Afghan Taliban fighters.
Men in Serial One heard an explosion that preceded the attack, and Tillman and two other fire team leaders were ordered to head toward the attackers, the Post said. The canyon's walls prevented them from radioing their positions to their colleagues, just as Serial Two had not radioed its change in plans.
Tillman's group moved toward the north-south ridge to face the canyon, and Tillman took another Ranger and an Afghan ally down the slope.
"As they pulled alongside the ridge, the gunners poured an undisciplined barrage of hundreds of rounds into the area Tillman and other members of Serial One had taken up positions," the Post said Army investigators concluded. It said the gunner handling the platoon's only .50-caliber machine gun fired every round he had.
The first to die was the Afghan, whom the Americans in the canyon mistook for a Taliban fighter.
Under fire, Tillman and almost a dozen others on the ridge "shouted, they waved their arms, and they screamed some more," the Post said.
"Then Tillman 'came up with the idea to let a smoke grenade go.' As its thick smoke unfurled, 'This stopped the friendly contact for a few moments,"' a Ranger was quoted as saying.
Assuming the friendly fire had stopped, the Ranger said, he and his comrades emerged and talked with each other, the Post reported.
"Suddenly, he saw the attacking Humvee move into 'a better position to fire on us.' He heard a new machine gun burst and hit the ground, praying, as Pat Tillman fell," the Post reported.
The Ranger said Tillman had repeatedly screamed out his name and shouted for the shooting to stop, the Post said. He and others waved their arms, only attracting more fire. Tillman was shot repeatedly by rifles, finally succumbing to the machine gun.
The second part of the Post series, published on the newspaper's Web site Sunday night, tells of "a broader Army effort to manage the uncomfortable facts of Pat Tillman's death."
"Commemorations of Tillman's courage and sacrifice offered contrasting images of honorable service, undisturbed by questions about possible command or battlefield mistakes," the Post reported.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., told the Post, "You may have at least a subconscious desire here to portray the situation in the best light, which may not have been totally justified."
Mary Tillman told the Post that when she learned friendly fire had killed her son: "I was upset about it, but I thought, 'Well, accidents happen.' Then when I found out that it was because of huge negligence at places along the way - you have time to process that and you really get annoyed."
Eventually, one member of Tillman's platoon received formal administrative charges; four others, including an officer, were discharged from the Rangers but not from the Army; and two additional officers were reprimanded, Lt. Col. Hans Bush, chief of public affairs for the Army Special Operations Command at Fort Bragg, told the Post.
Pat Tillman's death at hands of US troops not Afghanis
Pat Tillman's death at hands of US troops not Afghanis
- Midnyte_Ragebringer
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Yeah, and leave important stuff like war and echonomics and terrorism fighting and Osama hunting to responsible people like Bush.Midnyte_Ragebringer wrote:Old news.
Also, while it is awful, it does happen. It's a war. If it sickens you so much don't read about such grown up things. Stick to Highlights and Nick Jr. Magazine.
"Terrorism is the war of the poor, and war is the terrorism of the rich"
- Midnyte_Ragebringer
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You're starting to get it.Hesten wrote:Yeah, and leave important stuff like war and echonomics and terrorism fighting and Osama hunting to responsible people like Bush.Midnyte_Ragebringer wrote:Old news.
Also, while it is awful, it does happen. It's a war. If it sickens you so much don't read about such grown up things. Stick to Highlights and Nick Jr. Magazine.

I bet it had something to do with the 9000th time he said, '"Unlike you losers I am a hero who could be playing in the NFL!"
On a serious note, WHO THE FUCK CARES IF HE COULD HAVE PLAYED IN THE NFL, THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT. He died, THAT is important.
On a serious note, WHO THE FUCK CARES IF HE COULD HAVE PLAYED IN THE NFL, THAT IS NOT IMPORTANT. He died, THAT is important.
She Dreams in Digital
\"Led Zeppelin taught an entire generation of young men how to make love, if they just listen\"- Michael Reed(2005)
\"Led Zeppelin taught an entire generation of young men how to make love, if they just listen\"- Michael Reed(2005)
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In some ways I wish there was a draft to clear some liberals out of the country.
Here's a factoid for you:
During the Vietnam war, more Canadians with US citizenship volunteered to serve in Vietnam with the United States than Americans that dodged the draft and fled to Canada.
I heard it on the radio but I bet it's true.
Here's a factoid for you:
During the Vietnam war, more Canadians with US citizenship volunteered to serve in Vietnam with the United States than Americans that dodged the draft and fled to Canada.
I heard it on the radio but I bet it's true.
You are still in draft age.Winnow wrote:In some ways I wish there was a draft to clear some liberals out of the country.
Here's a factoid for you:
During the Vietnam war, more Canadians with US citizenship volunteered to serve in Vietnam with the United States than Americans that dodged the draft and fled to Canada.
I heard it on the radio but I bet it's true.
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Is that suppossed to be brave or something? I wouldn't consider volunteering for Vietnam as a very smart thing to do.During the Vietnam war, more Canadians with US citizenship volunteered to serve in Vietnam with the United States than Americans that dodged the draft and fled to Canada.
I think all the hawks should be on the front lines. It sure would be a real shame if all the pro war officials from each oppossing side killed each other off! I would bet the average age of the American soldier would skyrocket too. It seems to me that the people who want war the most are the ones that have no chance of actually being involved with it other than watching it on TV or posting on msg boards about how noble it is.In some ways I wish there was a draft to clear some liberals out of the country.
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature, and has no chance of being free unless made or kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
--John Stuart Mill
The Pentagon recently found it had too many generals and offered an early retirement bonus. They promised any general who retired straight away his full annual benefits plus $10,000 for every inch measured in a straight line between any two parts of the general's body, with the general getting to select any pair of points he wished.
The first man, an Air Force general, accepted. He asked the pension man to measure from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. Six feet. He walked out with a check of $720,000.
The second man, an Army general, asked them to measure from the tip of his outstretched hands to his toes. Eight feet. He walked out with a check for $960,000.
When the third general, a grizzled old Marine, was asked where to measure, he told the pension man ... "From the tip of my penis to the bottom of my testicles."
The pension man suggested that perhaps the Marine general might like to reconsider, pointing out the nice checks the previous two generals had received. The Marine insisted. and the pension expert said that would be fine, but that he'd better get the medical officer to do the measuring.
The medical officer attended and asked the general to drop the pants. He did.
The medical officer placed the tape on the tip of the general's penis and began to work back. "My God!" he said. "Where are your testicles?"
The general replied, "In Vietnam."
The first man, an Air Force general, accepted. He asked the pension man to measure from the top of his head to the tip of his toes. Six feet. He walked out with a check of $720,000.
The second man, an Army general, asked them to measure from the tip of his outstretched hands to his toes. Eight feet. He walked out with a check for $960,000.
When the third general, a grizzled old Marine, was asked where to measure, he told the pension man ... "From the tip of my penis to the bottom of my testicles."
The pension man suggested that perhaps the Marine general might like to reconsider, pointing out the nice checks the previous two generals had received. The Marine insisted. and the pension expert said that would be fine, but that he'd better get the medical officer to do the measuring.
The medical officer attended and asked the general to drop the pants. He did.
The medical officer placed the tape on the tip of the general's penis and began to work back. "My God!" he said. "Where are your testicles?"
The general replied, "In Vietnam."