Tillman killed by friendly fire

Billy House

Republic Washington Bureau

May. 29, 2004 12:00 AM

WASHINGTON - Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinals football player who died in April while a U.S. soldier fighting in Afghanistan, likely was killed by friendly fire, an Army investigation has concluded.

News of that finding was disseminated Friday to some members of Congress and some Tillman family members just as the Memorial Day weekend was to begin, including today's dedication ceremonies in Washington of the World War II Memorial.

"It does seem pretty clear that he was killed by friendly fire," said Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, which was alerted to the information by the Army's Legislative Liaison Office.

"This does not take away one iota from the heroic nature and courage of the man. The source of that fire is of little consequence in terms of heroism," Franks said. He said that after learning of the Army's conclusions, he made some follow-up inquiries and was satisfied the information was accurate.

Friendly-fire accidents are an inevitable part of warfare, according to an expert, who agreed that it should not diminish acts of heroism.

"It's tragic, and we probably feel worse about it," said Stephen Walt, a professor of International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. "But warfare is a inherently unpredictable activity. Friendly-fire accidents are a part of modern warfare and probably existed as far back as the Stone Age."

The Army reported last month that Tillman, 27, was killed April 22 while leading his team of Army Rangers up a remote southeastern Afghanistan hill to knock out enemy fire that had pinned down other U.S. soldiers.

As Tillman and other soldiers neared the hill's crest, the Army reported, Tillman directed his team into firing positions and was shot and killed as he sprayed enemy positions with fire from his automatic weapon.

The Army did not specify who fired the shot or shots that killed Tillman.

For his actions, the Army posthumously awarded Tillman the Silver Star, its third-highest award for combat valor, saying Tillman led his Ranger team that day "without regard for his own safety" and was shot and killed heroically trying to save his comrades. The Army said his actions helped the trapped soldiers maneuver to safety "without taking a single casualty."

Tillman's platoon was in the region as part of a spring offensive called Operation Mountain Storm, aimed at rooting out hard-line Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.

Tillman, who to many people had become a symbol of American patriotism, had walked away from a lucrative contract extension offered by the Cardinals to join the Army in 2002.

Officials at the Pentagon and at Central Command headquarters in Tampa, late Friday declined to provide more details of the investigation's findings.

But an e-mail circulated within the House Armed Services Committee from committee staff members said: "Army just called to give us a heads up. They have every reason to believe the 15-6 investigation shows Pat Tillman was killed as a result of friendly fire."

That same message continues, "The Army has notified his family, so it may come out in the media this weekend."

Army Regulation 15-6 is used as the basis for many investigations requiring a detailed gathering and analyzing of facts, from "fratricide accidents," or friendly-fire incidents, to other matters, including civilian shootings or injuries, accidental weapons discharges or allegations of misconduct.

The detailed Blood And Glory fantasy painted at the military's posthumous award ceremony for Tillman is now exposed as complete BS. There weren't even any enemy forces! Makes you wonder who actually wrote the heroic account of a battle that never happened, and if the details of THIS incident are so completely phony, what about everything else?

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Army Says Friendly Fire 'Probably' Killed Tillman

Ex-NFL Player Died Serving in Afghanistan

By JAY COHEN, AP

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (May 29) - Former pro football player Pat Tillman was probably killed by friendly fire as he led his team of Army Rangers up a hill during a firefight in Afghanistan last month, the U.S. Army said Saturday.

Tillman walked away from a $3.6 million NFL contract to join the Army after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Previous military statements suggested he was killed April 22 under enemy fire.

''While there was no one specific finding of fault, the investigation results indicate that Cpl. Tillman probably died as a result of friendly fire while his unit was engaged in combat with enemy forces,'' Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensington Jr. said in a brief statement to reporters at the Army Special Operations Command.

Kensington said the firefight took place in ''very severe and constricted terrain in impaired light'' with 10 to 12 enemy combatants firing on U.S. forces.

An Afghan military official told The Associated Press on Saturday that Tillman died because of a ''misunderstanding'' when two mixed groups of American and Afghan soldiers began firing wildly in the confusion following an explosion.



The Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also contradicted U.S. reports that the American soldiers had come under enemy fire.

Kensington, who heads Army Special Forces, took no questions Saturday morning after reading the statement.

When Tillman was awarded the Silver Star, the Army said he was killed after his platoon was split into two sections for what officials called a ground assault convoy. Tillman was in charge of the lead group.

His group was safely out of the area when the trailing group came under mortar and small arms fire, according to the Army, and he ordered them to return.

''Through the firing, Tillman's voice was heard issuing fire commands to take the fight to the enemy on the dominating high ground,'' the award announcement said. ''Only after his team engaged the well-armed enemy did it appear their fires diminished.

''As a result of his leadership and his team's efforts, the platoon trail section was able to maneuver through the ambush to positions of safety without a single casualty,'' the announcement said.

Tillman, a member of the elite Ranger unit since 2002, was posthumously promoted from specialist to corporal and also awarded a Purple Heart.

''The result of this investigation in no way diminished the bravery and sacrifice displayed by Cpl. Tillman,'' said Kensington, who heads Army Special Forces. He took no questions Saturday morning after reading the statement.

A woman who answered the phone late Friday at the home of Tillman's uncle said the family would have no immediate comment.

At a memorial service in his hometown of San Jose earlier this month Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., called him ''a most honorable man.''



''While many of us will be blessed to live a longer life, few of us will ever live a better one,'' McCain, who spent 5 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said at Tillman's memorial service.

The friendly fire account was first reported by the Arizona Republic and The Argus of Fremont (Calif.) on Saturday.

''It does seem pretty clear that he was killed by friendly fire,'' Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Republic. Franks said his panel was alerted to the information by the Army's Legislative Liaison Office.

The Afghan official told the AP that two groups of soldiers had drifted some distance apart during the operation in the remote Spera district of Khost province, close to the Pakistani border.

''Suddenly the sound of a mine explosion was heard somewhere between the two groups and the Americans in one group started firing,'' the official said, citing an account given to him by an Afghan fighter who was part of that group, not Tillman's.

''Nobody knew what it was - a mine, a remote-controlled bomb - or what was going on, or if enemy forces were firing. The situation was very confusing,'' the official said.

''As the result of this firing, that American was killed and three Afghan soldiers were injured. It was a misunderstanding and afterwards they realized that it was a mine that had exploded and there were no enemy forces.''

U.S. military officials in Kabul had no immediate comment.

Tillman's platoon was in the area as part of an effort called Operation Mountain Storm, in which they were charged with rooting out Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.

The Arizona Cardinals safety became the first NFL player to die in combat since the Vietnam War. He was one of about 100 U.S. soldiers to have been killed in Afghanistan since the United States invaded in 2001.



05-29-04 1024EDT

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

Tillman was hailed as a hero when he died. Now its revealed that he was likely killed by his own men. I guess the old adage really is true, "Those who live by the sword will die by the sword."

This is tragic. It pisses me off.