Parents: Army disrespected Tillman's memory

[DangerZoneMAV]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/05/23/tilman.probe.ap/index.html

What do you guys think? I think his parents should let it go and let him rest in peace. What do they expect to come of this by making a fuss? Of course it's a shame what happened to Pat, but I'm sure he would want his parents to drop it as well. He will be honored in memory by the rest of the country and his fellow soldiers. They know this.

[Ezmartini]

I think in instances like this and Jessica Lynch, the public should be keeping a watchful eye on the media, not the Pentagon. The press is the worst when it comes to half baked stories.

[Beadle]

In all honesty, sometimes when things happen...you just have to get the word out. In the early juncture of the death, I'm pretty sure they didnt know it was friendly fire. The family was notified within 48 hours, and was explained the jist of what happened. Now, the Media gets ahold of something like this, and just throws gas on a fire. Newsweek, Times...all these Left-Wing media outlets have been the biggest killer so far in the War on Terror...I mean fuck...how much lame reporting can you do without having proper evidence to back it up, when does the journalist start taking the blame. I can almost guarentee you, that a that Newsweek report added several more people that were on the "fence" to become sympathetic to the Terrorist cause. Media needs to shut the fuck up about somethings, and like Mav's said...let it rest.

[Aries]

the problem is that they believe that the Army covered up the reason he was killed to use it for "instant bandwagon patriotism". imagine how different things would have been if they had straight up said "yeah, it wasnt an ambush but he was actually killed by members of his own unit".

[Cerebroden]

oh not to mention killed by the "elite ranger unit" that he was a part of

[Beadle]

the problem is that they believe that the Army covered up the reason he was killed to use it for "instant bandwagon patriotism". imagine how different things would have been if they had straight up said "yeah, it wasnt an ambush but he was actually killed by members of his own unit".

Shit the Military is all about covering up, people getting awards post humiously 40 years after conflicts...with thief families never knowing what became of them, except KIA or MIA.

[Beadle]

CMSgt Richard L. Etchberger.....KIA in the evacuation of Lima Site 85 in March 1968. Posthumuously awarded the Air Force Cross

This is what I was refering too before hand.

Its a long story, one we have to know for our Promotional Testing to be an NCO...
Pretty much, guy was in Laos...and he was the last one on the plane, because he was fighting back the Vietcong....he gets shot and killed as he is on the plane coming back. Goverment says he died in action over Vietnam, doesnt tell his family much. 20 odd years later, the Government fesses up and tells his family he was in Laos...and awards him the Air Force Cross.
http://1cevg.org/etchberger/

[Gambit]

If the family decides to sue the Army, I'm gonna say it's outright money-grubbing. All's fair if they want to complain, but I mean, come on... at least you got the strait story eventually!

[Beadle]

If the family decides to sue the Army, I'm gonna say it's outright money-grubbing. All's fair if they want to complain, but I mean, come on... at least you got the strait story eventually!

They can't sue the Army...when you Enlist or get Commissioned...all releases to your family regarding press are covered under the same article that you take an oath under/sign stating you "can't sue the government."

[Holt]

Those aren't exactly fool-proof in court though. Plenty of documents saying the exact same thing have been ruled invalid in court. I could look it up, but its the summer and i'm lazy

[CombatCady]

There he goes, arguing everything...

[Ezmartini]

Uh oh, not another CadetCady/Holt topic....

[javelin66]

I've noticed that people who read 'the facts' of an event from the comfort of their living room are much better combat leaders and make better decisions than the people making the call on the battlefield while dodging bullets.

When I was a company commander we had a soldier in a sister company killed on a live fire. CID seized all the weapons on the range (we knew it was a 5.56 round) and ran ballistics tests to find out which weapon killed the guy. However, the investigation determined that it was an accidental shooting, so the battalion commander decided not to release the results of the test. Why? It would do no good to tell some young soldier that he killed one of his buddies.

I wonder if Mrs Tillman realizes that ultimately, one of her son's best friends killed him. Every guy in that element is aware that he may have been the one that killed him, and I think that is punishment enough.

[CombatCady]

I agree, Jav. If something like that ever happened to me, I'm not sure I'd be able to live with myself afterwards.

[SWATJester]

man, everybody's all fucked up. The army's fucked up for dishonoring ranger tillman's memory with a coverup, and the parents are fucked up for keeping it in the limelight (though granted I can see their reasons for wanting to do so, can't say I wouldn't do the same if I were them.) The media's fucked up........well shit we all know that.

In the end though, nothings going to happen. They can't file suit against the army, that'd be subject to the same restrictions as any suit against the federal government, moreso because of all the contracts that were signed in the enlistment etc.