I tried reading this yesterday, but the thread got pulled.
This article has been previously posted and zotted.
I don't think Tillman was every in Iraq. Was he?
He died a hero. What his personal beliefs were don't mean spit.
Consider the source.
Owl_Eagle(If what I just wrote makes you sad or angry,
Gee SF gate, no agenda there.
He's still dead. That's what's up.
I thought he did die fighting al Qaeda in Afghanistan. This story smells funny.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Tillman confirms: Pat Tillman died in Afghanistan.
Who cares what Pat Tillman's politics were? The fact of the matter is that this fine young man heard the call of duty and answered it. Period.
Hope Cindy doesn't get wind of this article and state including Tillman in her outbursts.
The left can't handle the truth.
I understood that Kevin Tillman's enlistment ended in July. His comments and/or actions would be VERY interesting to learn.
God knows what is accurate, what is paraphrased, reinterpreted, blatantly changed and more. This is an article based on hearsay! Remember what unit he was in - The RGR BAT if I remember right? Most of them are happy when they get the "opportunity" (As they see it) to shoot someone. These guys want to play the game. They want the challenge to themselves, their equipment and prove "their balls are bigger". And frankly, their right to think that way. Smarter, stronger, faster, meaner. More aggressive and more disciplined they are “the” world’s elite infantry units.
After death of a soldier the media likes to “provoke” the family to make statements. They are sad, mad, deny, rationalize and go through the grieving process. The MSM likes to exploit this. There is some degree of uncertainty in any death of a soldier. It’s handled professionally (It’s an elaborate investigation) and in typical Army fashion there is a process. However, the evidence gathered is still what someone saw or heard. It’s not all 100% air tight in most cases. He saw this, the other guy saw that. A full 15-6 is done no matter what. These issues are not handled sloppily or as an easy issue. The process usually takes a long time and this becomes a issue exploited by the media as well. “Why is it taking so long!” is always asked? Well, an officer from OUTside the chain of command needs appointed, he has to interview people who might be in different places in a combat area and difficult to access, he has to follow procedure, issues a recommendation and so on. This does not go fast but in reality it delivers an “accurate” answer. The most accurate you’ll get. You can have it fast or right.
The big green machine keeps rolling even after someone dies. It has to, it’s designed to. Unfortunately for the family, the Army can’t shut down and stop all operations to keep answering one more question that may arise. Truth is, most of the time you answer a question a new question arises. Answers create more questions. This can also be easily exploited. This again can be twisted to show the heartless command that is indifferent of the death of their soldiers. Reality is, there is some truth to this. If a BDE commander shuts shop to harp on the past, he’s not doing what he needs to prevent more from dying. The Army moved on after Custer died. It moved on after Patton’s death as well. It must be this way if it’s to do its job.
In war, people die. Fratricide is a reality and while the rates have dropped significantly because of modern communications, digitization, Combat Identification systems etc. It is still something that happens at a rate of around 2% today (Which is much lower than in the past). Historically and battle dependent we had fratricide rates as high as 12% and 17%. In factories people loose their lives every day, in war it’s no different. Heads get crushed in tanks, fingers cut off by hatches on vehicles and sometimes bombs fall on the wrong target since the GPS receiver showed the last known location on the screen. The key difference today is that the journalist is out there with a video camera reporting on this with a satellite feed as it happens in real time. Every soldier out there has AIM, internet and a cell phone today. Some in the MSM will exploit this. They will act as antagonists since the in your face scandal sells well on the cover page. So while unfortunate that he lost his life due to fratricide, it is a reality of warfare that will also continue.
Risk is mitigated where possible. It is not feasible to eliminate all risk of fratricide. Expect more of the same stories. The MSM and especially these marginal papers will egg conflict on with the families of the deceased. Conflict is their bread and butter and in today’s no holds bared media this is just another target of opportunity for them.
Red6
Dead people dont tell us how they voted,or what books they read.
I doubt that the author has a good source for these comments, but lets suppose they are true ....
Why dont you claim Tillman as a hero of the left? He is a Bush hater (according to this)..that is enough right there, and he reads Chomsky,something that is damn near impossible for anyone but a leftist....
and to top it all off Bush killed him and lied about it ....heck he could be another Casey Sheehan....start to work now before the body cools anymore.
I doubt Tillman was a liberal. He took an oath to "protect and defend the Constitution of the United States of America". Why would a Constitution-hating liberal take an oath to defend it?