Pat Tillman Investigation

Here's one high-ranking officer who, unlike Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger, isn't going to pay any price for his role in the Tillman cover-up.

Just a day after approving a medal claiming former NFL player Pat Tillman had been cut down by "devastating enemy fire" in Afghanistan, a high-ranking general tried to warn President Bush that the story might not be true, according to testimony obtained by The Associated Press.

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[Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal] acknowledged he had suspected several days prior to approving the Silver Star citation on April 28, 2004, that Tillman may have died by fratricide.

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He said that suspicion led him to send a memo to top generals imploring "our nation's leaders," specifically "POTUS" _ the acronym for the president _ to avoid cribbing the "devastating enemy fire" explanation from the award citation for their speeches.

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The P4 message did not request or suggest any action to correct the information in the award recommendation package," wrote Thomas Gimble, then the Pentagon's top investigator.

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McChrystal testified in a previous investigation that he had decided not to tell the Tillman family of friendly fire "based on my thought that providing incorrect information before an initial investigation was complete was not in line with normal policies." However, Army regulations require that families be notified when such an investigation is under way - not when it is completed.

Like several other officers involved in the case, McChrystal testified that he did not know about the rule.

  TPM

That's as possible as Cheney not recalling whether he sent Gonzo to Ashcroft's hospital bedside.

The general is a liar at least twice over then in the case of Pat Tillman's death (which, as you know, shows evidence of possible murder by fellow soldiers - not just "friendly fire"). Perhaps he did indeed warn Bush about the possibility of a different scenario than the one he offered for Tillman's death. If so, it would have been to avoid the repercussions of the real story coming out later. What he didn't realize was that this administration doesn't mind a bit to get caught making up stories. They never pay any consequences for it.

I am just amazed when officers lie about not knowing something to do with military rules. Shouldn't that in itself be grounds for at least demotion? You didn't know the rules? How did you get to be an officer?

Here's the memo McChrystal sent. As you can see, three top dogs were advised. Only Kensinger has yet had to pay any consequences - a letter of censure.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.

Why Was Pat Tillman Killed?

Justin Raimondo has some interesting bits of information to think about when trying to answer that question. For one thing, Pat was supposedly a fan of Noam Chomsky and was to meet with the famous anti-war leftist when his tour of duty was over.

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.

We Just As Well Go Ahead and Crown Him King

Bush is now claiming executive privilege to avoid turning over documents in the Pat Tillman investigation!

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.