Pat Tillman Investigation

The latest information out on the Pat Tillman case with the military's eventual admission of his death by friendly fire, as opposed to heroic defense against the enemy, is that the fire might not have been so friendly. Included in the information is the fact that he had three gunshot wounds in his forehead that were consistent with being fired upon with an M-16 from 10 yards away, and that there was no evidence of any enemy fire whatsoever at the scene.

It has been widely reported by the AP and others that Spc. Bryan O'Neal, who was at Tillman's side as he was killed, told investigators that Tillman was waving his arms shouting "Cease fire, friendlies, I am Pat (expletive) Tillman, damn it!" again and again.

But the latest documents give a different account from a chaplain who debriefed the entire unit days after Tillman was killed.

The chaplain said that O'Neal told him he was hugging the ground at Tillman's side, "crying out to God, help us. And Tillman says to him, `Would you shut your (expletive) mouth? God's not going to help you; you need to do something for yourself, you sniveling ..."

That may at least be circumstantial evidence that the enemy was expected, eh? If so, somebody decided not to wait for them to take care of Pat and his God-slandering talk.