Friday, July 27, 2007
The Associated Press reports that the Pentagon has released more documents regarding the investigation into the death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman in Afghanistan. Tillman, who gave up playing for the Arizona Cardinals to sign up with the military after Sept. 11, was killed by his own troops in 2004, but Army officials cooked up a bullshit a story about how he died charging enemy insurgents.
This is what we call propaganda. And it's disgraceful.
The story notes:
The documents also shed new light on Tillman's last moments.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 ..."