Posted on 08/09/2007 11:48:55 PM PDT by neverdem
BY now, most Americans know the story of Cpl. Pat Tillman. He bravely chose military service rather than the National Football League, and he was killed in Afghanistan in 2004 by fire from his comrades.
My own units in Vietnam were occasionally the victims of errant rifle fire, mortar rounds and bombs — indeed, the very success of an infantry attack is dependent on leaning forward into friendly supporting fires.
But, after the fact, the Tillman death played out differently. His unit reported that he was killed in a ferocious engagement with the enemy, and the truth was hidden by the chain of command until, as is almost always the case, the truth escaped. As has been proved repeatedly, bad news doesn’t get any better with age. Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensinger Jr., who was responsible for the cover-up, has been censured and faces demotion.
Sadly, Corporal Tillman’s death comes with another unhappy legacy: a ludicrous change in the Army regulation that deals with reporting casualties. With this change, the Army now requires a formal, independent investigation into the death of every American in a hostile area.
If this provision had been in place when we began our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, there would have been about 3,700 investigations by now. The American losses in Vietnam would have required more than 58,000 inquiries. And if the regulation had existed in World War II, we would have conducted 400,000 investigations, requiring perhaps as many investigating officers as we now have troops in Iraq.
In theory, the rule sounds commendable. Life is precious, and if one is cut short in combat then we owe the soldier and his family as full a report as possible. Having experienced more than enough combat, I understand this sentiment. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s the...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Click the link for a more complete biography and the Congressional Medal of Honor Citation.
Is anyone else getting sick of this? Is Tillman so much more important than other soldiers? Does his family have more pull?
IMHO all have played a place in the protection of our country.
Chills of pride ran down my arms, even tho it was 100 plus.
All of this BS is just anti Bush, anti war, anti troops.
Tillman was an honorable man, who died in an honorable way while serving his country.
I'm also getting tired of the liberal media using this incident to attack military morale and integrity.
His family's grief is being exploited by others to push their political agenda. It is shameful. The actions of some of Tillman's family have also been ...unfortunate. However, they are grieving, so their actions should be taken in that context. However, those who are taking advantage of them in their grief have no excuse and their actions are reprehensible.
I thought he quit in protest.
Must have been a different MilAn.
“Is anyone else getting sick of this?”
I’m tired of Army leadership trying to manipulate American public opinion by lying about what happened and happens.
It’s not only wrong but illegal. Conducting PSYOP operations against American public. The Smith-Mundt Act of 1948, amended in 1972 and 1998, prohibits the U.S. government from propagandizing the American public with information and psychological operations directed at foreign audiences.
"Sadly, Corporal Tillman’s death comes with another unhappy legacy: a ludicrous change in the Army regulation that deals with reporting casualties. With this change, the Army now requires a formal, independent investigation into the death of every American in a hostile area."
What I am sick about is the stupid lies, and the stupid reaction that it generated. This regulation should be annulled immediately. It is utterly ridiculous.
I think the way to halt this stupid reg...is for GI’s to simply refuse to cooperate with the investigation team and be pulled off the line while they force them to cooperate. After you pull 10,000 guys off the line in a month...the leadership will start to question why people won’t cooperate anymore. The whole rule goes down the drain. I can understand if there is a hint of murder or absolute incompetence involved...but after that...a $100,000 investigation doesn’t amount to much...no one will believe the final report anyway.
The rule is absurd even in theory. The jackass who came up with it ought to be tarred and feathered.
I agree with you on that, but this new regulation isn't going to solve that problem, and it's going to create a whole host of other problems.
New regulation?
It’s almost 60 years old, for goodness sake. That’s almost 1/4th of the history of the republic.
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