The parents of former NFL-star, Pat Tillman, who was killed by his own troops in Afghanistan, have
lashed out at the Army for the lies and cover-up surrounding the death of their son.
...they believe the military and the government created a heroic tale about how their son died to foster a patriotic response across the country. They say the Army's "lies" about what happened have made them suspicious, and that they are certain they will never get the full story.
Neither parent held back on the disgust and anger they were feeling, but Tillman's father nailed it:
"After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this," Patrick Tillman said. "They purposely interfered with the investigation, they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a handbasket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy."
more...
I wish I could say that I'm shocked that the Army...and in the context of the GWOT, I mean the administration...could so cold-heartedly use the death of a soldier to further their flag-waving, bullshit agenda, but my shock-o-meter broke long ago.
Immediately, the Army kept the soldiers on the ground quiet and told Tillman's family and the public that he was killed by enemy fire while storming a hill, barking orders to his fellow Rangers. After a public memorial service, at which Tillman received the Silver Star, the Army told Tillman's family what had really happened, that he had been killed by his own men.
No, they didn't want to ruin their made-for-TV moment...the heroic All-American boy who made the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. Why screw up such a perfect moment with the truth? And if the lies tore at Tillman's family and made them believe they'd never learn the truth of their son's death, too bad. From his mother:
The fact that he was the ultimate team player and he watched his own men kill him is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. The fact that they lied about it afterward is disgusting." [...]
"It makes you feel like you're losing your mind in a way," she said. "You imagine things. When you don't know the truth, certain details can be blown out of proportion. The truth may be painful, but it's the truth. You start to contrive all these scenarios that could have taken place because they just kept lying. If you feel you're being lied to, you can never put it to rest."
And his father:
"If this is what happens when someone high profile dies, I can only imagine what happens with everyone else."
Indeed. How many other families will never know the truth about the death of their loved one? We'll never know.
btw, I want to add that the Army regrets that they "made mistakes" in reporting the circumstances of Tillman's death to his family but that they "cannot undo those early mistakes." I wanted to be sure to mention that.