I am not going to begin my column with a normal lead today. I am too sick and too disgusted by the story I am writing about to be either humorous or provocative. My apologies.
On March 26, a Pentagon investigation concluded that Army officials violated military bylaws by failing to disclose accurate information about the April 2004 death of Army Corporal Pat Tillman. The officials violated military regulations by saying that Mr. Tillman was killed by enemy forces when they had knowledge he was actually shot to death by friendly fire. As reported in The New York Times, military regulations clearly state, "Family members must be informed of additional information regarding a soldier's cause of death as soon as it becomes available."
Thus begins another saga of lies and cover-ups from Washington and the Bush administration.
The Pentagon report details two occasions when then head of Army Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen. Phillip Kensinger, refused to disclose the proper information about Mr. Tillman's death after he became aware of it. Kensinger kept his mouth shut for 35 days after being told the real cause of death, even keeping quiet throughout Mr. Tillman's highly publicized memorial service.
Even the Pentagon report didn't have an excuse, saying, "We find no reasonable explanation for these failures to comply with Army regulations." Well, that's because there isn't an ounce of reason to be found in using a soldier's death for political gain.
Yet the misreporting and cover-up of Mr. Tillman's cause of death has raised even a few more eyebrows than normal, for the most part because the man in question was anything but normal. A talented player in the National Football League, Mr. Tillman turned down a three-year $3.6 million contract offer from the Arizona Cardinals to fight in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
Upon the news of his death, Mr. Tillman drew comparisons to baseball great Ted Williams, who twice interrupted his playing career to serve in World War II and Korea. Likewise, the Bush administration wasted no time in making Mr. Tillman the poster boy of American sacrifice and patriotism, branding him the perfect example of putting country before self in a time of war.
But today, he symbolized something far different and far more disturbing: the perpetual unraveling of the Bush administration's untruths, which have left this country exhausted and distraught.
Such was the sentiment echoed by Mr. Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, when she appeared on an ESPN radio talk show. "If you think about it, Pat was killed on April 22," Ms. Tillman said. "And on April 29, General Abizaid, General Brown and General Kensinger were notified that Pat was indeed killed by fratricide. General Kensinger was at Pat's memorial service on May 3. He already knew that Pat was killed by fratricide. Yet the army gave a Navy Seal friend of Pat's a narrative to read that indicated that Pat was killed by enemy fire. That was not a misstep. That was not an error. That was an attempt to have this narrative read on national television to dupe the American public."
Ms. Tillman also indicated on the radio show that her son was fervently in opposition of the war in Iraq, and that after the fourth consecutive investigation into his death, she feels Congressional hearings are the only way she can gain some closure by knowing the truth about her son.
The fact of the matter is that Mr. Tillman was no more important or pertinent to the war effort than any another soldier. But his story is important because of how it was made public — under the guise of pure valor and patriotism, yet in truth, only with the goal of political posture.
Mr. Tillman was a human hero who deserves humane treatment, and that process begins with respecting the wish of his family for a Congressional inquiry.
Patrick Tillman Sr. summarized the feelings shared by his family, myself and many across the country when he said, "After it happened, all the people in positions of authority went out of their way to script this. They purposely interfered with the investigation; they covered it up. I think they thought they could control it, and they realized that their recruiting efforts were going to go to hell in a hand basket if the truth about his death got out. They blew up their poster boy."
Andy Granias ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in political science and international studies.
