Just seven days after Pat Tillman's death, a top general warned there were strong indications that it was friendly fire and President Bush might embarrass himself if he said the NFL star-turned-soldier died in an ambush, according to a memo obtained by The Associated Press.
It was not until a month afterward that the Pentagon told the public and grieving family members the truth _ that Tillman was mistakenly killed in Afghanistan by his comrades.
The memo reinforces suspicions that the Pentagon was more concerned with sparing officials from embarrassment than with leveling with Tillman's family.
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Chasing The Ghost Writes:
To me, Pat Tillman always seemed like G.I. Joe, but only real. The real American hero.
What they used Tillman for was terrible. Just terrible. Look what they did to our true American hero. A man who gave up his NFL career to serve in the military was killed by friendly fire, only to have his President use him as a martyr to bolster support for the war cause.
They used his death as a political platform.
While Bush showcased the bravery and integrity of Pat Tillman, he did it knowing that Pat was not killed by the enemy, but by friendly fire.
How could Bush lie to Pat's family like that, to the Nation like that? The same way he lied to us about everything else I suppose.
They disgraced Pat, and what they did was was inexcusably cruel and maniacal. They lied to his family about how he really died to score political points. That's so dishonorable, only a scoundrel would consider it.
They said, "Look at Pat, what a hero - he died for this country - he was killed by the enemy." It made the heart swell pride and patriotism at the same time, but half of it was a lie.
Pat Tillman is a hero, he did die for his country. But the enemy didn't kill him, his own country did.
His own President disrespected his memory by making false statements and convincing people of war stories that were not true. All in the name of politics, and support for the war.
If I didn't think Bush could get any lower, I've just been proven wrong.
Rest in peace, Pat Tillman. Thank God the truth was told about your death.
