Years?
Tillman was killed on April 22, 2004, after his Army Ranger comrades were ambushed in eastern Afghanistan. Rangers in a convoy trailing Tillman's group had just emerged from a canyon where they had been fired upon. They saw Tillman and mistakenly fired on him.
Though dozens of soldiers knew quickly that Tillman had been killed by his fellow troops, the Army said initially that he was killed by enemy gunfire when he led his team to help another group of ambushed soldiers. The family was not told what really happened until May 29, 2004, a delay the Army blamed on procedural mistakes.
Sounds more like 37 days, rather than years.
I'm sorry for their loss.
I'm sorry for our country's loss.
It is most likely that the officer used poor judgment in an effort to temporarily spare Pat's brother from hearing that it was his fellow soldiers that accidentally shot Pat.
However, it is still true that Pat let his group of Rangers against enemy forces that were attacking his group, and that he died as a result of that engagement. They had just come under fire, and the other soldiers thought that he was one of those attackers rather than a fellow American.
His actions were no less brave because he died as a result of friendly fire.
His brother should have been told the truth right away, instead of 5 weeks later.
However, I find it hard to believe that the officer that chose to keep that information from him thought it could be kept form him long term.
Dozens of soldiers knew what had happened right away. Such secrets spread quickly.
It was likely what the officer thought was a little white lie to help ease the initial shock for Pat's brother that spiraled quickly out of control.
This is unfortunate, and it was the wrong thing for that officer to do. However, the only reason that this has remained in the public eye for so long is that there are those who want to use this issue to demoralize our troops and to attack the administration.
‘Friendly fire’ has been the reason for a number of deaths otherwise reported. It is bad enough that a loved one is killed, let alone by his own troops by mistake. It is the same issue when the family wants to know, “Did he suffer?” Get real, what are you going to say....the truth when it serves no purpose other than to take the loss into the realm of agony?
This is not as black and white as dillitantes such as Waxman like to paint it.
God rest Tillman’s soul and may his family find some peace.