Army Reprimands in Tillman Case Mild

[CGowen]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070810/tillman-friendly-fire/


SAN FRANCISCO — Official reprimands issued to three high-ranking Army officers are only mildly critical of their mistakes after the friendly fire death of Pat Tillman and at times praise the officers.

The Army also said it would not include the reprimands in the officers' military records, according to documents reviewed by The Associated Press.

Tillman's direct superiors knew within hours of his April 2004 death in Afghanistan that the former football star had been killed by fellow Army Rangers, but the truth was kept from the public and Tillman's family for five weeks _ in direct violation of Army regulations.

"You should not consider this as an adverse action," letters to the officers say. "This document will not be filed in any system of records maintained by the Army."

...

[soothsayer]

1. Shocker. (what did we expect, really? accountability?)

[CGowen]

2. What happened to the Black Ops General?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x46852

[gratuitous]

3. Justice, military style

Every bit as legitimate as music, military style. Enough of that land of the free, home of the brave nonsense. This is a country of ass-covering hypocrites, every bit as bad as the Soviet Union under Stalin.

[jmp]

4. "but the truth was kept from the public ..."

Tillman's direct superiors knew within hours of his April 2004 death in Afghanistan that the former football star had been killed by fellow Army Rangers, but the truth was kept from the public and Tillman's family for five weeks _ in direct violation of Army regulations.

So what? If this didn't present yet another chance to trash Bush ... would anyone even give a rats butt about a fallen Ranger, much less Pat Tillman? He died from friendly fire in the line of duty. If I remember correctly, in the operation Desert Storm (the original Gulf War) more Americans died of friendly fire than from enemy action. Stuff happens in a war zone.

Now the family knows that Pat Tillman died as a result of a screwup instead of in a gun battle with the enemy he signed up to fight. Do we all feel better now? Did the facts comfort the family any?

The man died doing his job. For some reason that just wasn't good enough. I don't get it.

[CGowen]

5. I like "and at times praise the officers."

the whole incident stinks to high heaven, if you don't get it I can't help you.