WP: In the Kill Zone : The Unnecessary Death of Pat Tillman

[kskiska]

Barrage of Bullets Drowned Out Cries of Comrades
Communication Breakdown, Split Platoon Among the Factors Contributing to 'Friendly Fire'

Sunday, December 5, 2004; Page A01

First in a two-part series.

It ended on a stony ridge in fading light. Spec. Pat Tillman lay dying behind a boulder. A young fellow U.S. Army Ranger stretched prone beside him, praying quietly as tracer bullets poured in.

"Cease fire! Friendlies!" Tillman cried out.

Smoke drifted from a signal grenade Tillman had detonated minutes before in a desperate bid to show his platoon members they were shooting the wrong men. For a few moments, the firing had stopped. Tillman stood up, chattering in relief. Then the machine gun bursts erupted again.

"I could hear the pain in his voice," recalled the young Ranger who was near him. Tillman kept calling out that he was a friendly, and he shouted, "I am Pat Tillman, damn it!" His comrade recalled: "He said this over and over again until he stopped."

Myths shaped Pat Tillman's reputation, and mystery shrouded his death. A long-haired, fierce-hitting defensive back with the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League, he turned away a $3.6 million contract after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to volunteer for the war on terrorism, ultimately giving his life in combat in Taliban-infested southeastern Afghanistan.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35717-2004Dec4.html

[Charlie Brown]

1. This was a crime

If the soldiers responsible have not been disciplined, at the very least they should be demoted.

[pretzel4gore]

2. the real terrorist in brainwashington

and the terrs in the whoremedia?...oh, maybe they a bit too vicious for tillman (prefer fighting desperate disorganized 3rd worlders eh?)

[hollowdweller]

3. It's good that this kind of stuff is being reported but I wonder how many

people are noticing it. Also are people really taking notice of how much stuff Bush, the Defense dept, and the gov't in general are trying to either lie about or supress? I really fear for our democracy with the level of lies and secrecy going down.

[saigon68]

4. This story has been LURKING THE WEB FOR A WHILE

I predicted a while ago the TRUTH would come out.

Killed by his own men. Not killed Bayoneting some Rag Head


THE TRUTH WAS COVERED UP BY THE HERO WORSHIP. THIS HERO IS NOW DEAD.

Remember Jessika Lynch BAYONETING THE RAG HEADS?????

SOUND FAMILIAR

GOEBBELS NAZI PROPAGANDA.

[Disturbed]

5. A hero?

Wouldn't he have done more good if he wanted to be patriotic to continue playing football and donating some of his earning to causes that helped Americans?

[saigon68]

9. One could say that

However a man who is feeling inferior and NEEDS TO commit numerous murders and mayhem-- must put a few SCALPS on his belt to impress the SHEEP and therefor OBTAIN A FEELING OF self worth for himself.

[brentspeak]

10. Correct me if I'm wrong but

didn't the Taliban harbor the scumbags who murdered our people? Are you condemning Pat Tillman for wanting to get back at the people who attacked us?

[saigon68]

11. Not really Brent you need a cold shower to kool down

Pat Tillman is a typical (*Now dead) guy who got in over his head--- That's all

[NNguyenMD]

12. Anybody know what happens if its found you're responsible for ...

friendly fire casualties? Court martial? Discharge?

[saigon68]

13. A slap on the hand ---a letter of reprimand, Article 15

If really outrageous maybe a discharge.

Its not a murder, it could I suppose evince a certain type of negligence amounting to willful and wanton.

[girl gone mad]

15. You'r not wrong.

The war in Afghanistan was justified, IMO.

[saigon68]

16. Justified?

History will judge how it was conducted---

RATHER PISS POORLY AND WHAT IN HINDSIGHT AMOUNTS TO A CLUSTER FUCK

DON'T WAVE YOUR FLAG AT ME. I'VE SEEN ENOUGH DEATH TO KNOW WHAT IS NOT A GOOD WAR

GOOD THING THOSE GUYS IN AFGHAN DIED TO CAPTURE OSAMA--- OH I GUESS THEY DIDN'T--- capture him or Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri

They sure did round up about 700 sheep herders and send them to GITMO to be tortured.

[nadinbrzezinski]

19. What history will show is that a war that could have

been justified was not prosecuted in any way that it should

IF we had captured OBL before AQ went flat... for instance

What history will show is that we were saving the main force for the war that had no justification whatsoever...

What history will show is that we burned our chances of actually doing any good in that society (we had... by my reckoningn of the history THREE MONTHS)

But the intent was never about doing what had to be done to take care of business, but to do the bare minimum and save the main force for Iraq... and in that sense a war that could have been justified has become the opening salvo of WW III... we are the ones on the wrong side of history.

And yes both of us have seen enough death and destruction to understand taht you do not just let out the dogs of war... for no reason.

[saigon68]

20. Thanks NB I couldn't have said it better

I guess we are on to Iran soon. They are waiting for the next 9-11 before dropping the hammer.

[girl gone mad]

21. There's no need to shout,

and I find it incredibly rude.

The invasion was justified, though the war was carried out improperly. As far as I know, Mr. Tillman had nothing to do with the planning or procedure of the war. Calling him a war criminal or mirderer for his involvement is inappropriate and does nothing whatsoever to further the anti-war cause.

[saigon68]

23. Your spelling could use some work too.

No reason to start a mad girl straw man argument.

No where did I call him a murderer. DON'T PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH !!!!!!!!!!!!!

I suggested he was IN OVER HIS HEAD.

MY OBSERVATION "DEATH" APPLIES TO THE ADVENTUROUS TILLMAN-----

Now for your reading pleasure "DEATH IN IRAQ-NAM"



DEATH IN IRAQ-NAM

IRAQ-NAM, is a ruthless, vicious place that asks No Quarter and Gives None.

It is ruled by Puppet Allawi appointed by Cheney Caesar, in the year of Our Lord Two Thousand Four A. D.

Death here rides a Pale Horse.

Death claims in no particular order, the Innocent, the Guilty, the Unlucky and the Careless.


MR TILLMAN WAS VERY VERY UNLUCKY-----

[pretzel4gore]

22. the taliban were religious freaks....

but they had nothing to do with the wtc or 911...bushinc was behind, beside, in front of and within the plot to overthrow the legal US gov....911 was just part of the coup d'etat process...also, the taliban were largely a western ie brit/usa creation to spread chaos and despair throughout poor world; yet you'd go after the puppet rather then puppeterr?
you stand corrected brent :)

[daleo]

6. Sounds like a "take no prisoners" mentality at work

"Up on the ridge, Tillman and Rangers around him began to wave their arms and shout. But they only attracted more fire from Baker's vehicle.

"I saw three to four arms pop up," one of the gunners with Baker recalled. "They did not look like the cease-fire hand-and-arm signal because they were waving side to side." When he and the other gunners spotted the waving arms, their "rate of fire increased.""

What if these had been enemy trying to surrender? It sounds like Bush's dismissal of the concept of "rules of war" backfired on Tillman.

[Bigmack]

7. Unnecessary death...?

Yeah.... all of them are unnecessary deaths in this war!

Friendly fire has always killed and injured lots of our people, and the military has always hidden it from the civilians.

But these kids being killed and injured in Iraq AND Afghanistan are ALL being wasted... and for nothing.

Vietnam all over again. Only the dumbass chickenhawks can't see it.

[OutsourceBush]

8. "I am Pat Tillman, damn it"

That might get you good service in a 5 star restaurant, but it won't stop a bloodthirsty Bush redneck from emptying his ammo clip at any breathing thing that moves.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[OutsourceBush]

30. Which one are you?

The zapper, the wires, or the stick? Freeper wet-deam...

[nadinbrzezinski]

14. Why release this now?

I mean this coudl actually depress (even further) enlistment in teh volunteer force....

Yes I see more to this story (beyond the tragedy of friendly fire)....

WHY NOW?

We know what this will do to recruitment folks... and yes this will actually be carried by the complicit media

[daleo]

17. That is always a good question

Why now indeed. It is hard to believe the story just happened to have been researched by the mighty WP investigative reporting staff. It might be to soften people up for the reality of friendly fire - maybe something big is coming.

[TexasBushwhacker]

26. Well, maybe that's a good thing

although I don't know why they couldn't have released it before Bush got re-selected. At least enlistees will know what they're going into and maybe Congress can put some pressure on to start doing things better over there.

The fact is, with so many guardsmen called up, etc., our forces in Afghanistan and Iraq are woefully undertrained, and there have been a lot of friendly fire casualties, just as there were in the first Gulf War when guardsmen were called up. We've spent hundreds of billions of dollars and we're still doing a shitty job because the troops aren't trained enough, are equipped well enough and we never had a good war plan.

Yet Rumsfeld is keeping his job. Amazing!

[burrowowl]

18. I wonder how Tillman's brother

felt, when he realized his serial killed his brother?

[TexasBushwhacker]

25. Well I know he didn't take too kindly to people at the memorial service

who comforted him by saying that Pat, "was in a better place." His answer was "My brother isn't in a better place. My brother is DEAD!" The Tillman brothers were not religious.

[colonel odis]

24. i feel sorry for tillman, just as i feel sorry for any poor schmuck

who gets killed by friendly fire. it's the ultimate case of bad luck.

tillman's motives, etc., aside -- he's worth infinitely more to the bush administration dead than he ever was alive. alive, he was just another grunt out killing indiscriminately in a pathetic show of force by the u.s.a.

but dead .... they can get nascar dads and chuby minivan moms with sensible haircuts and flags on their sweatshirts to tear up. they get msnbc to cover his burial. they get the cover of sports illustrated. they get a great recruiting tool.

the bushies are not above exploiting anything to further their quest for corporate profits.

[lonestarnot]

27. I'm going to take heat for posting this opinion but so be it....

Pat Tillman was another gungho battle patriot, who gave up 3.6 mil contract to go kill people that were not a threat to U.S. An over paid ball player that believed the lie, ultimately killed by friendly fire... He volunteered to go kill people. War is wrong, and the one he went to fight is Fucking Wrong. What kind of mind likes gladiator sport and wants to kill people, and then what kinds of minds attempt to make a hero out of this. He could have stayed home gave up 3.6 mil and donated a kidney, or part of his liver to a cancer victim child and been more a hero, than go die in a "stupid people's war", (over there to keep it off our soil) dreamed up for the economy and oil. Pat Tillman was not and is not a hero. He was confussed as is anyone else volunteering for this endeavor. He is a perfect example of why we should choose leaders carefully with collective wisdom, which we did on 11/2 and were cheated by the elitist neocons. True heroes will be the ones who die right here on American soil in the interest of freedom and democracy. Here, where Americans believe in freedom democracy provides, not in a country where religion inculcated from birth is the top agenda.

[saigon68]

28. NOT FROM ME YOU WON'T

Your assessment of Mr. Tillman is SPOT ON.

I have seen stuff like this happen before. The gung ho guy who jumps up first AND catches a stray bullet right between the eyes.


Mr. Tillman was VERY VERY UNLUCKY.