WAR: Report: Pat Tillmans Final Minutes a Horror

A recent transcript shows that the last few minutes of Pat Tillman�s life involved misdirected machine-gun and frantic attempts to use hand signals to those firing. The signals were tragically interpreted as hostile acts. Tillman walked away from the National Football League to join the special forces after 911. After initial denials, the Army has admitted that he was killed as the result of friendly fire.




Tillman walked away from a 3.6 million dollar a year contract to serve his country. Deeply moved by the events of 911, he felt it was his duty to protect and serve his country. Regardless of the politics and where you stand on the war on terrorism and the like, this act of selfless patriotism has not been seen in our country for some time. It also highlights the risks of blue on blue incidents. In today�s fast pace combat, the need to identify friend from foe is critical. In GWII a British Tornado was shot down by a U.S. Patriot batters. Much more work need to be done in this regard.

Tillman is no less a hero. Friendly fire is hostile fire. It is always a tragedy when a individual dies as a result of fire originating from friendly forces, but it in no way negates the honor of those who meet their end in this way. Tillman was a real American hero and I hope his name lives forever.

This is sad and yet it happens and is part of war, but we do try our best to not let it happen,


To the people who say Tillman was stupid, you have no clue about this man.

He is truly an American Patriot and no matter how he died, he is still a hero!

True hero in ever sence. He gave his all for his country. How many of US could walk away from that kind of money?

okay so let me get this correct.... he's a patriot because he died?
do I have to die to be important? .. what about all those people helping and doing good... or holding pickets and protesting outrageous Acts? Don't you understand the symbolism there? WE KILLED HIM, We are fighting a war against ourselves against humans... Granted he may have been a noble man and had noble ideas, he isn't anymore, why do we praise people for the good they do when they're dead? Personally I think he was better off playing football and being an idol to children then to go to a frivolous war where all the opposition wants is a reform of the horrible policies that are inplace.... They've just decided to use death as a wakeup call for those of us who are asleep.
EDIT:

its all relative, on the other side of the fence those people who blow themselves up are considered Patriots in their own sense... and they find it hard to understand you all going to war...
Why do you think when soldiers come back they feel so down? because they realize that those men they were killing, and those children that died are just like his family back home, they just speak a different language and have a different coloration of the skin... They see how fruitless war is, and no HYPE machine can convince those people otherwise.

[edit on 5/12/04 by dnero6911]

At the risk of seeming just a tad sanctimonious, how much money a soldier leaves behind is irrelevant.

The life of a millionaire is no more valuable than the life of the poorest human being on the face of the earth.

Pat Tillman was a great American hero, but no greater than what some might think of as the least of his comrades.

Compared to the sacrifice of a soldier's life, all the money ever minted is meaningless.

Pat Tillman was not a hero because he died, or because he walked away from a lucrative contract.

Pat Tillman was a hero because he answered the call of his country.

Originally posted by Majic
At the risk of seeming just a tad sanctimonious, how much money a soldier leaves behind is irrelevant.

The life of a millionaire is no more valuable than the life of the poorest human being on the face of the earth.

Pat Tillman was a great American hero, but no greater than what some might think of as the least of his comrades.

Compared to the sacrifice of a soldier's life, all the money ever minted is meaningless.

Pat Tillman was not a hero because he died, or because he walked away from a lucrative contract.

Pat Tillman was a hero because he answered the call of his country.

Whose going to be the first REAL hero and answer the call of his planet?

Pat Tillman fought for and died for what he BELIEVED in......
Man has free will, he made a choice.

Patriot - supporter of own country: somebody who proudly
supports or defsupporter of own country: somebody who proudly
supports or defends his or her country and its way of life
ends his or her country and its way of life

I truly respect what he had done...

Tillman isn't a Patriot because he died. Tillman is a patriot because he held more lofty ideals then most. To him it was more important that he go and protect his country, and countrymen. It wasn't about money.

I think that he can still be an idol to children. In fact I think he makes a better idol for children then most of the spoiled brats that play in the NFL.

Originally posted by phreak_of_nature
Tillman isn't a Patriot because he died. Tillman is a patriot because he held more lofty ideals then most. To him it was more important that he go and protect his country, and countrymen. It wasn't about money.

I think that he can still be an idol to children. In fact I think he makes a better idol for children then most of the spoiled brats that play in the NFL.

I wasn't using that contrast as a good option, being an idol isn't correct either.

Originally posted by dnero6911
I wasn't using that contrast as a good option, being an idol isn't correct either.

No you probably meant to use the phrase role model. My response still fits though. Tillman should be a role model for kids. He's a better one then the guys who are mostly interested in self promotion.

I didn't mean better for anyone else.. Just him and his own self..

Thats another joke in itself.. Self Promotion in the business of killing... lol
"I'm coronel Mc Kill, I dictate how much death is necessary and how my men should react, bullets to the teeth I say!" lol

No, but I do respect his choices and do consider him to be greater than most people "it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter heaven."

I didn't mean better for anyone else.. Just him and his own self..

Thats another joke in itself.. Self Promotion in the business of killing... lol
"I'm coronel Mc Kill, I dictate how much death is necessary and how my men should react, bullets to the teeth I say!" lol

No, but I do respect his choices and do consider him to be greater than most people "it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter heaven."

Nooo... I meant million dollar football players who love to see their pictures all over the place.

Soldiers aren't the type of guys who are interested in promoting themselves or their "image".

Soldiers are mostly a humble lot.

This is what happens when our FINEST have to pay from their inferior command:

"I could hear the pain in his voice," recalled the young Ranger who had been near him. Tillman kept calling out that he was a friendly, and he shouted, "I am Pat (expletive) Tillman, damn it!" His comrade recalled: "He said this over and over again until he stopped.

Really gets the blood boiling

I wonder if this Lt. Col. Matthew Beevers was promoted?

U.S. spokesman, Lt. Col. Matthew Beevers, said it was just one example of the dedication of all of the 13,500 U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.

"Specialist Tillman was clearly a patriot but I think that exemplifies ultimately the patriotism of every soldier, seaman, airman and Marine serving in Afghanistan today ... everybody here is serving and is truly a patriot," Beevers said.

Beevers also gave a few more details about the firefight that cost the 27-year-old Tillman his life. He said it occurred at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on a road near the village of Sperah, about 25 miles southwest of a U.S. base at Khost. After coming under fire, Tillman's patrol got out of their vehicles and pursued the attackers, then were ambushed. Beevers said the fighting was "sustained" and lasted 15-20 minutes.

He said Tillman was killed by enemy fire, but he had no information about what type of weapons were involved or whether Tillman died immediately.

Our patriots deserve better...

"A coward dies a thousand times before their death, but the valiant
never taste of death but once" - Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

I hope one day patriot Kevin Tillman publishes his memoirs...

Its hardly a surprise that he was killed by friendly fire. More proof of the shoot first, think later training of the US forces.

Id be more afraid of them than any foe if I had to go into combat as an ally with them.

I think there is more to the picture here, isn't there? I find that the timing of the release of this new information about Tillman is impeccable. They are just going through the whole process to get this intelligence reform bill passed, and are using the Tillman tragedy to garner support for it. This whole Tillman tragedy is the ultimate public relations example to show how "important" this bill is, and how "dire" it is needed right away. They want to pass this bill in only a month. (the bill is hundreds of pages long and they expect all those politicians to quickly read and fully understand it to vote on it). With the Tillman tragedy, politicians won't need to read it and understand it, they can just sympathize with the Tillman tragedy and vote appropriately uninformed... Obviously, those kids fighting out there that night could have used some better, instant, "live" intelligence to maybe realize that they were shooting at each other, but I think it is brutal and disgusting that they are using Tillman's story simply to push a bill through... I am sure there is a lot more to this bill than simply providing live intelligence in the field, too. That info is not reported however, just report the emotional stuff so that the "blind" senators can get emotional too and vote yes.

...and I doubt there were any "enemies" out there that night. The military is just sticking to that story to validate and justify Tillmans Silver Star (not that he didn't deserve it anyway, but I expect it was given to him under false pretenses).

The way this was related on the news was the Defense Dept. knew for months after his death how he died, but covered it up. They let him be "heroized" via the marketing dept. the way they did Jessica (I couldn't get my gun to work) Lynch and basically made up a story. I understand McCain is now rather upset he gave a completely false account of the tragedy at the funeral.

But of course it all came out when forced. I don'[t think anyone here is calling Pat stupid, or saying he's not a hero (though we sure do like using that word alot these days), but that the government was a little slow with the truth.

His Mom is said to be a bit perterbed right now given all the BS that's been slung around. Some quote like "I've had alot of time to think about it. And I'm irked. About EVERYTHING."

Not an exact quote, but the jist I heard this morning.

Rant,

You would have thought that the Pentagon would try to stay on McCains good side. Yes this smacks of a total coverup and this news just popped up:

UPDATE: Army Opens New Probe Into Tillman Death

WASHINGTON - The Army has opened a new investigation into the friendly fire death in Afghanistan of Pat Tillman, who quit the NFL to be a Ranger, officials said Monday. Army officials said Tillman's family sought additional information about circumstances of his April 22 death, but the fundamental account of the battle in which he was killed is not being challenged.
story.news.yahoo.com.../ap/20041207/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/tillman_investigation" target="_blank" class="postlink">New Probe