Army to open criminal probe of Tillman's death

[G. Host]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2354510

The Army said Saturday it will launch a criminal investigation into the April 2004 death of Pat Tillman, the former professional football player who was shot to death by fellow soldiers in Afghanistan in what previous Army reviews had concluded was an accidental shooting.

IMO it was definitely covered up because they did not want the publicity of shooting, even accidently, a NFL player who gave up his career to serve his country especially after the positive press it gave them.

[tat2dmike77]

Ok let me tell you all something whom have never served in combat

Friendly fire happens. It sucks pat tillman died and i feel for his family but these things happen. You guys making a big incident about tillmans death are ****ed up FF happens all the time whether you want to beileve it or not

Yeah PT was a hero compared to other NFL players but what happened to him was a part of war. War sucks and i have been in conflict in Kosovo it sucked and i had to make due.

PT is a stand up guy and he deserves respect and he desreves all the honor that we give him but FF happens all the time. Hell i almost did some things to a LT in combat due to FF but no major incident was brought up. Leave no man behind is a call i live by. PT would be proud of the effort out boys are doing. PT would be proud of rangers and infantry he loved the USA and he loved the armed forces. He was a true american. Those of you whom haven't served can whine all you want until you have bulliets fly by your head then you can :stfu: i have seen death first hand and i know what it is like to be shot at. Thank people like me and LT and Phill for your freedom when you get shot at then you can talk.

FOLLOW ME LEAD THE WAY INFANTRY LEADS THE WAY ALL THE WAY!!!!

[G. Host]

The problem was classifying it as enemy fire when it was friendly fire not that he got shot by friendly fire.

And no I never served but I tried. When I graduated I attempted to approach AF and Coast Guard and was told by one recruiter "We would sign up pregrnant, 50 year old males before we would let you sign up" (exact quote). I had a seizure which categorized me as a grand mal epileptic three years earlier. The medical diagnosis was wrong but it was not proven until 8 years later. I have helped a lot of marines, AF and army soliders in my career and once told a Army Master Sargent "I do not work in the military, I was rejected as 4F by military hence you need to pay me twice as much to do the same job."

[tat2dmike77]

G i'm not disrespecting anything you did if you helped out i think thats cools i really do but i have a hard time excepting a person whom has yet to be shot at by an automatic weapon.

When a person wants to kill you your view on life changes you want to kill thay person as quick as you can. You don't care about his family life or whether he has a wife. You want him dead you don't care. What i did is unimportant but i will tell what i can i will kill if i have to i don't care it's either me or you and in the end it's going to be you. Not personally but you get what i am saying. I will not let some POS kill me i am strong i am powerfull i am the US INFANTRY and i will kill at all cost

[dolphinssuck]

Whether it was FF or not its still a sad deal and PT is certainly a hero in my eyes. I have never served but I respect what these men and women do for us and our freedom. So I wanna say thanks tat2 and everyone else who has served. Your all heros and deserve respect.

[Dozerdog]

tat2d-


Most of us do realize that when there is combat stuff happens. I don't think anyone is whining about our troops in combat and how they conduct themselves. Freindly Fire -unfortunately- is something that all soldiers have to endure- in all armies, in all wars- it's not an indictment of those fighting as incompetent.

However- it looks like instead of just reporting it as an unfortunate accident- that someone went out of their way to lie and cover up the incident-


A report by the Army later found that troops with Tillman knew at the time that friendly fire had killed the football star. Officers destroyed critical evidence and concealed the truth from Tillman's brother, also an Army Ranger, who was nearby, the report found.


Mike- if you were killed (by accident) by your own guys- or if you accidentally killed one of your own- would you want people to hide what happened ?

Your code displayed under your user name is "No man left behind"


If Pat Tillman's commanding officers are lying, destroying evidence, and covering up what happened- then they left him behind.

[G. Host]

That is exavtly my point Dozer. It is not the soldiers I think the criminal investigation should be about but the person or persons who declared to the press it was enemy fire.

[tat2dmike77]

Dozer and G i understand your post and i feel for tillmans family but you have to understand the army postion on this. They have nevr had a hig profile individuale in the ranks. Yes it sucks and yes if tillman was killed by FF i am sad but this happens. Many people forget that FF is apart of war. Sometimes rushing the hill of taking a bunker is not a good choice.

PT was and is a inspiration to all americans in this country. I do understand your point i really do. I wish i would of never had to write a i'm sorry to inform yo thet you son has been injured letter but i did. PT is a true hero he gave his life for his country. Sure he may of been shot by fellow rangers but when in combat you shoot first and think later. I admire PT for his bravery and i spit on his chain of comannd for lying. But sometimes you have to hide the truth. PT is a great american who should be honered and as long as i keep LEAVE NO MAN BEHIND in my profile he and others will be remembered.

I have troops that died under my command but i love thier memories and i honor thier lives and i continue to support troops. Just do me one thing i'm not arguing i'm not debating i'm not trying to get into a pissin contest. Just :pray: for all our soldiers, Thats all i ask please :pray: for thier return.

[ParanoidAndroid]

I completely understand the Army's position on this, especially as a former member.
The Army spends too much time on their image when they should be spending more time on changing the way they operate.
Unfortunately the Army is inefficient and while they are struggling to protect their image, they often come out looking like bumbling idiots. I get friggin' embarassed when crap like this happens.
I served in a couple of very good units with outstanding commanders and we performed admirably. I also served in a couple of rather poor units with negligent commanders and self-serving NCO's. Luckily, I went into combat with the good ones. Our battlefield intelligence set up our artillery for a 90% hit-miss ratio! F'in outstanding! Would any of the officers in that unit lie about something as serious as the death of a soldier? I highly doubt it, but once the brigade commanders show up to "streamline" the story, that is when the lying starts. The higher up you go, the more full of s*** they are.

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

Another blunder by this president and his staff and thanks to them a good NFL player is dead.

''They knew all along that something was seriously wrong and they just wanted to cover it up.''

-- Pat Tillman's mother Mary, telling the Washington Post the military should have launched the investigation at the onset

''If you send investigators to reinvestigate an investigation that was falsified in the first place, what do you think you're going to get?''

-- Tillman's father Patrick Tillman Sr., explaining to the Washington Post why he questioned whether the investigation would provide more answers
http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060304174409990002&ncid=NWS00010000000001

''We are obligated to answer the family's questions, as we are with all grieving families.''

-- Col. Joseph Curtin, an Army spokesman :liar:

[SabreEleven]

Thank people like me and LT and Phil for your freedom when you get shot at then you can talk.

Phil? Phil was in the Air Force like a whole two weeks and he still took leave for half of one of those weeks.

[LtFinFan66]

My question is: If this were Joe Smith from Bopunk, Alabama....would they investigate 2 years later. Not likely!

[chernobylwraiths]

Pat Tillman is an inspiration, not a hero.

[ParanoidAndroid]

My question is: If this were Joe Smith from Bopunk, Alabama....would they investigate 2 years later. Not likely!

Nope. It would have never made it to the national media.

[SabreEleven]

Nope. It would have never made it to the national media.

It never would have made national media, but would have the investigation have happened at all

[Billzz]

He got shot, he is no longer with us, end of story.

Don't care who did it, nothing is going to show anything but a accident, no one intentionaly tried to kill PT. This happens all the time but the media is glorifiying it because some guy making millions decides to serve his country. Yes he gave up the American Dream but the reality is that Joe Blow working at McDonalds does the same thing on a daily basis. He gives up his family, friends, kids whatever to serve, gives his life and no one gives a flip. Infact I beleive there is a wall in Washington with names of a few thousand PT's.

I don't like it and it personally makes me sick to my stomach for the family of Pat Tillman that are the real ones having to endure this circus in his name. Let the man Rest In Peace and give his family some respect in the process.

My 2 cents and yes I served in Desert Storm.