New friendly fire coverup: Army shreds files on dead soldiers

New friendly fire coverup: Army shreds files on dead soldiers

www.salon.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

This is a fascinating and heart-wrenching article. I encourage everyone to read the whole piece. (Please do not watch the attached video unless you are used to graphic combat footage)

I don't understand why the armed forces keep trying to cover up friendly fire incidents. Obviously they feel embarrassed about it but inevitably, like any exposed coverup, it ends up making them look ten times worse.

We understand the horrors and fog of war. Tell us and especially the soldiers' families the truth, take whatever action needs to be taken, so we can all move on.

Shredding documents is just the worse thing they could have done.
Now everyone is going to wonder what else they are hiding.

Good on Salon to see this investigation to the end.


www.salon.com
(visit the link for the full news article)




[edit on 11/20/2008 by schrodingers dog]

This just makes me so sick. Everytime I hear a story like this, I cannot help but wonder what these killers are in the military for. How does love for your country drive you to cowardly kill a fellow and cover it up.

I just wanted to give a sense of the crime commited.



Hopefully people will!




[edit on 11/20/2008 by schrodingers dog]

Just how many friendly fire deaths are they having, if they feel that they need to cover them all up?

When I read things like this It only makes me wonder how much my own government lies to the people.

If they can lie about the death of our sons and daughters I can only guess what else they hide from us.

reply to post by marg6043

---

It seems that, as per usual, the truth is in the hands of courageous soldiers who are willing to come forth, the rare true investigative journalist, and one of the few representatives we have who are willing to stand up for what is right. These elements rarely come together. It is disgraceful that even now the MSM has failed to report this story. Apparently the "you're only reporting bad news" campaign of media intimidation has been effective.

That is true, but while people have been losing faith on the government the faith on the fellow American citizens is alive.

This brings me on how much the government goes after whistle blowers but guess what if it wasn't for them we may never know the corruption that plagues Washington.

I don't actually know. I can't find the official up to date stats so if someone knows a link for that information it would be helpful.

However most of us understand that "friendly fire" casualties are a part of war. These deaths are tragic enough on their own, the coverups and the lying are not only disgraceful but they are a slap in the face to the families of these fallen soldiers and to all the other soldiers.

"Killers"? Do you understand the concept of friendly fire (not that it's really "friendly"). Otherwise known as "blue on blue" or "Firing out of safe"?

It's the accidental killing of your own troops. No "cowardly killing" or any other BS you're trying to push. Does that sometimes happen? Yep, but in this case, it seems like the guys were accidently hit by tank fire from their own guys.

The shredding of the files on their investigation is completely wrong, tho.

And for all that think this is something new, try googling something called "Operation Cobra, July 1944".

reply to post by jerico65

---

I gess you need to read up a little.

Anyway, this is about covering up your actions. That is being a coward. You messed up, you shot a fellow, and the brave thing to do is to blame it on the enemy and cover it up? This is what you want to stick up for, OK. But "friendly fire" Begs a deeper issue anyway....

Pat Tilman anyone?

How about the soldiers murdered on base.
How many soldiers are accidentally shot in the head on base or in the green zone one time? How often does that fit your little scenario?

The point here is murder being covered up as friendly fire. Or do you not care enough to look beyond whatever BS Hannity tells you?

A small tight grouping in the head at point blank range with no combat fire happening. Hmmm....I didn't think it sounded friendly.

Sorry pal but you are actually talking about friendly fire. I am talking about cowards that murder their brothers and then try to get away with it by MAKING IT LOOK LIKE FRIENDLY FIRE.

Try reading more than your own posts some time.

[edit on 20-11-2008 by angel of lightangelo]

[edit on 20-11-2008 by angel of lightangelo]

Have you read the source in the original post? Does it mention murder, or Pat Tilman?? Nope, it doesn't. So, how about actually sticking what the story is talking about? Not too hard, is it?



Don't remember anything about "small tight groupings at point blank range" in the story. I'd love to see a TANK do something like that! You're lack of military knowledge is, once again, showing.



Try reading the freakin' story for once and not go off onto some screwed up tangent that has NOTHING to do with the actual original story!!!

Not too difficult.

The story is about a friendly fire incident and the Army destroying the records.

reply to post by jerico65

---

My first response was to the story of soldier killed by friendly fire and it was covered up. That is cowardly and wrong. The covering up. I responded to that how I felt. You felt compelled to push the point by asking if I knew what friendly fire meant. And my response is more "friendly fire" killings. It is happening for different reasons. Is it really friendly fire? Ok, then why cover it up? OK it is, and you did, and you deserve what for that? Sorry if I get upset over the idea that friendly fire is covered up by men that are supposed to be the best and bravest. That bothers me. And when someone calls me out for having a human response to it, I go on....Murder! There are murders, There have been all kinds of cases of covered up "friendly fire" that turned out to be small close groupings of shots to the head, some on base, some in the green zone, and most without any enemy fire to report at all. So yes, I went off topic because you pushed me there. No, you will not find this stuff in the OP. You will also not find what you said in the OP so we both lose but this is a public forum and if my posting an honest human reaction pisses you off, perhaps you would like to do something about my freedom to do so?

[edit on 20-11-2008 by angel of lightangelo]

That's because I was responding to your derailing of the thread.



Oh, shucks, Mr Internet Tough Guy. I'm quaking in my boots. So just back off on the "wanna do something about it?" comments and just try to pull your head out of your 4th point of contact.

The story is about some guys that were killed by fire from their own tanks, and the Army destroying their records. Try keeping it to just that, M'Kay? Not too difficult.

Guys, please stop with the personal attacks.

Can you help me focus the thread back to the article in the OP?

Please.

I'm trying, dude, I'm trying!!

---

---

On topic please. No sniping or bickering.

Thanks.

-Badge01
Forum Moderator

I was on topic. Soldiers were killed by other soldiers and covered up.

Disgusing and cowardly and it makes me sick!

I believe that is what I said before I was derailed by someone claiming my response was somehow incorrect.

I hope this clears things up.

Topic - soldiers covering the death of fellow soldiers for any reason stinks bad.

Here's your initial post:

This just makes me so sick. Everytime I hear a story like this, I cannot help but wonder what these killers are in the military for. How does love for your country drive you to cowardly kill a fellow and cover it up.

OK, now, explain the sentence "...wonder what these killers are in the military for."? You mean the "killers" in the tank that accidentally fired on their own troops? How does this make them "killers"? Do you think that they are probably upset over the friendly fire incident? Contrary to what you think with your limited military knowledge, US troops are looking to shoot up their own guys just for fun.

Or are you calling the men that ordered the destruction of the records "killers"? How are they killers? (Well, they probably killed an entire forest of trees with the paper they used!) They are wrong for destroying the records of the investigation, and I do wonder why they went about it. It's not like there has never been a friendly fire incident in US military history. They should understand by now that covering up things like this never work out.

This links to your other sentence "....cowardly kill a fellow and cover it up". OK, once again, the tankers didn't "cowardly" kill these guys. I'll bet any amount of your paycheck that the tank gunner wasn't looking thru his sights and calling the TC and saying, "Hey, boss, I see some of our own guys in that building. Let's fire them up for yucks!!"

OK, any other questions?

Other than the Tillman goat-rope, I really didn't find much on friendly fire coverups.

[edit on 20-11-2008 by jerico65]