Pat Tillman's Mother Recalls Journey for Facts in New Book

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Pat Tillman's mother recalls journey for facts in new book

By SCOTT LINDLAW and MARTHA MENDOZA (Associated Press Writers)
From Associated Press
May 12, 2008 7:50 PM EDT
SAN FRANCISCO - The mother of a former professional football player who who died while serving in the Army Rangers suspects the military's account of how fellow soldiers shot and killed her son in Afghanistan is still not the true story, four years later, according to her new book. The Army told the family and public that Pat Tillman died in an enemy ambush April 22, 2004. The military knew within hours that friendly fire was involved but waited five weeks before disclosing it, in violation of military regulations. The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported on the investigation into Tillman's death, but lawmakers granted Mary Tillman access to uncensored versions of some documents that were not available to journalists.

"Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman," just issued by Modern Times books, is based on her review of those documents and charts the Tillman family's efforts to cut through misleading official accounts of how the former football player died. Tillman had walked away from a contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist after the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Citing documents and eyewitness accounts, Mrs. Tillman says she strongly suspects the men who shot her son stepped out of a Humvee to aim carefully at him. They were not, as official accounts have asserted, speeding by on a bumpy mountain road. The shooters denied this. At one Army briefing, Mrs. Tillman vents frustration and incredulity at lead investigator Brig. Gen. Gary Jones. He had dismissed the account of Spc. Bryan O'Neal, who was just a few feet away from Tillman when the Rangers lit up their position with gunfire. "No one got out of the vehicle. That early information is incorrect, and O'Neal is the least reliable witness because he was so traumatized," Jones tells Mrs. Tillman, according to the author. "You won't believe O'Neal, but you'll believe the guys who were shooting at him!" Mrs. Tillman says.

- snip -

Mrs. Tillman reserves special contempt for Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, currently the commander of the "black ops" Joint Special Operations Command. Just a day after approving a Silver Star medal claiming Tillman had been cut down by "devastating enemy fire," McChrystal tried to secretly warn President George W. Bush that the story might not be true. The AP obtained and published the memo last year. "Not only is he lying about the circumstances surrounding Pat's death, as enemy fire had ceased many minutes before, he is proposing false language for the Silver Star narrative," Mrs. Tillman writes of the Silver Star language. "The false narrative, which McChrystal clearly helped construct, diminished Pat's true actions."

Read more: http://enews.earthlink.net/article/nat?guid=20080512/4827c0c0_3426_1335020080512-665693309

[unhappycamper]

1. Tillman mom: Account of death may not be true

Source: Army Times



Mary Tillman, mother of NFL star-turned-Army Ranger Pat Tillman, testifies before the Committee on House Oversight and Government Reform on Capitol Hill in 2007. In "Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman," Mary Tillman charts her family's efforts to cut through misleading official accounts of how her son died in Afghanistan.


Tillman mom: Account of death may not be true
By Scott Lindlaw and Martha Mendoza - The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday May 13, 2008 7:18:02 EDT

SAN FRANCISCO — The mother of a former professional football player who died while serving in the Army Rangers suspects the military’s account of how fellow soldiers shot and killed her son in Afghanistan is still not the true story, four years later, according to her new book.

The Army told the family and public that Pat Tillman died in an enemy ambush April 22, 2004. The military knew within hours that friendly fire was involved but waited five weeks before disclosing it, in violation of military regulations.

The Associated Press and other news organizations have reported on the investigation into Tillman’s death, but lawmakers granted Mary Tillman access to uncensored versions of some documents that were not available to journalists.

“Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman,” just issued by Modern Times books, is based on her review of those documents and charts the Tillman family’s efforts to cut through misleading official accounts of how the former football player died. Tillman had walked away from a contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist after the September 2001 terrorist attacks.

Read more: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_tillmanbook_051208/

[panAmerican]

2. Truly sad and shameful

[Frosty1]

3. Story is gone

That page has gone AWOL!

404 Error: File not found
It appears that the page you requested cannot be located at this time.

Please check to make sure that everything in the URL was spelled correctly. Otherwise, use the site search above to find the information you need.

[Frosty1]

4. Link

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/05/ap_tillmanbook_051208/

[EFerrari]

5. Pat Tillman's story is especially dangerous for the Junta

because it removes the last shred of doubt about the kind of contempt in which they hold American citizens.

[cascadiance]

9. And might remove their "martial law lieutenants" if it was fully investigated!...

That is why I think they claimed executive privilege. Perhaps not to cover their own asses in the administration, but to make sure they had their lieutenants in place in the military to either carry out a strike on Iran or do worse around election time.

[tanyev]

6. K & R

[RamboLiberal]

7. I just got the book yesterday

Had only a chance to scan, but certainly going to be an interesting read. Gave me a lot of respect too for the Tillman family.

Really criminal what the Bush Admin and the military did to this family and to Pat and Kevin Tillman. Mary Tillman also tells the stories of other families where the military covered up the facts of soldiers deaths.

[cascadiance]

8. Just picked up this book and Ariana's new book at Costco the other day...

Others should do the same. This is the first time in a while we've had a "few" reasonable progressive books offered there. They've had a lot of crap from the likes of Doug Feith, Ann Coulter, Michael Savage, Laura Schlesinger, the "Liberal Fascism" book, etc. and didn't get ones they should have like "The Shock Doctrine", etc.

Bought it both to get the book and send a message to Costco that they aren't taking care of their core customer base which we progressives are!

Hoping to get this one read over the next few days on a trip. I really want to hear what Mrs. Tillman's thoughts are on the real motivations for the coverup and the executive privilege being asked for to facilitate this coverup. I have my own ideas, but I'm curious about hers.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

10. I didn't read the rest of the article

so it may be there, but the thing I want to know is WHY was he killed? To beleive it was an accident is pretty far fetched. I think they worried that he might let everyone know what a boondoggle ths whole 'war' is. It's just a giant business deal and troops getting killed are the cost of doing business........... :shrug: