Immediately following the Oversight Committee hearing in 2007, film director Amir Bar-Lev approached my family and me about making a film on my son Pat and the circumstances surrounding his death. At the time, we were not interested, and we declined. However, as the months passed my daughter-in-law, Marie, decided that a documentary might be the only medium that could really convey to the public the extent of the deception surrounding Pat's death.
This week, Mr. Bar-Lev's film, The Tillman Story, debuts in theaters, and a paperback edition of my book, Boots On The Ground By Dusk, is being reissued by Blurb.
People have asked: "Why is Pat so special that so much attention is given to his death?" I understand that question. Thousands of soldiers and Marines have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of their families have also been given stories cloaked in lies, yet those deaths have not received the attention Pat's has. Pat is not more important or more special than any of the others who have fought in these wars, but the truth of what happened to Pat is important. The truth shines a light on corruption and incompetence, and lack of accountability in the military and government that is systemic, and affects us all.
Major General Stanley McChrystal had been in charge of Joint Special Operations Command in 2004 when Pat was killed, but I had never heard of him until March 2007, when someone anonymously sent an AP reporter a copy of a high priority correspondence, a P-4 memo, written on April 29, 2004 and sent to McChrystal and to Generals Abizaid, Brown, and Kensinger. The purpose of the memo was to warn President George W. Bush and the Secretary of the Army not to make any comments about Pat's heroic death at the hands of the enemy since there was "potential" that Pat was killed by friendly fire. The memo was sent in an effort to spare the White House embarrassment, "if the circumstances of Corporal Tillman's death become public." It provides irrefutable evidence that not only did McChrystal lie about the circumstances surrounding Pat's death, but in it he even proposes false language for the Silver Star award citation. It also makes clear there was never any intention of telling the truth about Pat's death unless circumstances made it absolutely necessary.
There is a curious witness statement by General McChrystal in the third investigation into Pat's death, conducted by General Gary Jones. McChrystal says, "I believe we did not tell the family of the possibility {that the cause of Pat's death was fratricide} because we didn't want to give them a half-baked finding." Yet that is exactly what they did. We were presented with a contrived story--an absolute lie.
McChrystal's actions should have been grounds for firing, which is why it was so disturbing to us when President Obama instead promoted McChrystal to the position of top commander in Afghanistan. I had sent the President an email and a letter reminding him of McChrystal's involvement in the cover-up of Pat's death. In the letter, I suggested McChrystal should be "scrutinized very carefully" by the Senate Armed Services Committee. Pat's father and I both gave statements to the press reiterating this, as we had real knowledge of McChrystal's questionable behavior, of actions we felt should have disqualified him from the position. We felt it would have been negligent not to do something.
On May 13, 2009 Senator John McCain called me. McCain had given a eulogy at Pat's memorial service and was instrumental in pushing for the third investigation of Pat's death, but I hadn't heard from him in several years. I have always believed Pat's case was politically awkward for him, and so he'd chosen to distance himself from the entire affair. I was surprised to hear from him. He said he was contacting me to see if I wanted to give him questions that he could pose to McChrystal at the hearing, which I was willing to do until I learned that McCain was already publicly endorsing the McChrystal appointment before the hearing even began. I let the senator know I wouldn't be sending him any questions, as I feared they would be used to prep McChrystal, rather than to put him on the spot. McChrystal's appointment was approved.
On June 22, 2010, General Stanley McChrystal was forced to retire after remarks he and his staff made to Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings. I was contacted by several reporters and asked to give my thoughts on the subject but I declined to comment. I hadn't read the piece in its entirety at that point, so it seemed inappropriate to say anything. I got the sense a few of the reporter wanted me to say, 'I told you so,' but I was uncomfortable with that.
A day after the story broke I read the full Hastings article. I found myself feeling strangely validated. The "Runaway General" is exactly the arrogant individual I thought him to be. President Obama had no choice but to relieve McChrystal of his command. How sad that the President and Congress didn't properly scrutinize him a year ago.
Over the last five years the Pentagon and Congress have had numerous opportunities to hold accountable those responsible for the cover-up of Pat's death. Each time they've failed.
The government didn't just lie to us; it lied to a nation.
David Bromwich: One More War, Please
Doug Bandow: President Obama: Why Are We in Afghanistan?
Tom Engelhardt: Whose Hands? Whose Blood? Killing Civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq
Mark Olmsted: McChrystal: Anatomy of An Accident on Purpose
Obama relieves McChrystal of command - U.S. news - Military ...
FOXNews.com - Obama Relieves McChrystal Over Critical Remarks ...
But, this cover-up was a thoroughly bi-partisan affair (e.g. Senator McCain, Webb, Levin, President Obama) It wasn’t just a case of the Bush administration and the Army stonewalling the Democratic Congress. Congress didn’t just “fumble†the ball, they threw the game.
It’s not surprising that after their initial cover-up of Pat Tillman’s friendly-fire death fell apart, Army officers and the Bush administration lied to protect their careers. But after they took control of Congress in 2006, the Democrats could have gone after those responsible. Or at least not promoted them twice!
I’ve just posted my 160 page "book", “The [Untold] Tillman Story†– President Obama and the Bi-Partisan Congressional Whitewash of General Stanley McChrystal’s Cover-up of Pat Tillman’s Friendly-Fire Death, at http://www.feralfirefighter.blogspot.com and scribd.com
PS Mary Tillman has the paperback edition of her book at http://www.blurb.com Jon Krakauer just published his revised paperback edition of "Where Men Win Glory" with more material on McChrystal's role and the Army's cover-up.
In the Pacific war it was found that on Guadalcanal and in the Solomons the rate of combat deaths by "Friendly Fire" may have exceeded 12%. As a matter of morale this was kept from the troops and especially the American public. In fact, photos of American dead in the Pacific campaign were never seen in the U.S. press.
In the final analysis, I don't blame the U.S. Army for this fumble. I blame the lies of the U.S. State Department, and by extension all the presidents from Reagan to Obama. A foreign policy built on lies and misdirection.
What has happened to the mainstream media that we no longer can rely upon them to be the watchdogs of government? To challenge, as your husband did, those in power with facts and figures that are irrefutable?
Hopefully, Pat's sacrifice and that of his loved ones will help to change this climate that mimics the Three Monkeys.
To Mary Tillman - your son was a rare breed. A complete patriot. A patriot in times where almost none exist. For your family to be treated in the manner they were treated after his death is an outrage and disgraceful. Thank you for pursuing the truth.
Just curious, however, since this happened in the Bush presidency. How do you feel about Bush? I have not seen any anger directed at him.
As much as Obama is to blame for not prosecuting the Bush regime and indeed promoting someone who lied under it, the original and ultimate villain is Bush.
Winston Churchill
You and your family are honorable people, and it takes honorable people to stand up and speak the truth when NOONE wants to hear it.
Thank you for your sacrifice, thank you standing up, just as your son did.
The way that Pat Tillman and his family were treated is reprehensible and part of a larger pattern of lying that includes Jessica Lynch, Abu Ghraib and a lot of other things that they don't want us to know about or we would make informed decisions that they find "unfortunate".
Thank God for Wikileaks because our legislators and gov are lousy at oversight. The CIA, the NSA, the Pentagon routinely lie and with hold information from our elected officials. If they didn't we wouldn't need Wikileaks...
I think what most Americans are beginning to realize is that our government appears to be our real enemy. I'm not speaking of the current President or individuals involved, I'm speaking of the structure of the organization, and the path that leads to it, which seems to attract those who only desire power and money and who appear to get along in life only by extreme self-dealing.
Until we insist that these people are not above the laws and WILL be held responsible for their own actions, we will continue to hear terrible stories like this family's.
When? Please tell me when we will put an end to these two sets of laws for two separate classes of people and I will stand by you that day.
j/k
Like I said, I am not big on Conspiracy but this whole thing stinks to high Heaven.
And we never did get any explanation of what brought down building 7 which was not hit by a plane. Are you at all curious?
And it continues to lie, witness the current spin effort by General Petraeus, who can say, with a straight face, that the Afghan effort is making progress.
He says this as the news that northern Afghanistan, formerly peaceful, is now being overrun by the Taliban.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/08/14/AR2010081402317.html?hpid=topnews
He also says the objective is to make sure we are never attacked again from Afghan territory. Well, general, that's already been accomplished, because the Taliban and Osama have long since moved to Pakistan.
Clearly, young Americans are being asked to die and be mangled to justify the absurdities offered by "leaders" who are willing to spend their lives to advance their careers.