Was Gen. McChrystal behind the coverup of Pat Tillman's 'friendly fire' death?
By John Amato Tuesday Oct 06, 2009 12:00pmWe've posted a ton of information about the Pat Tillman saga on C&L as heartbreaking as it is and I wanted to remind everyone that the man who is going public with his views on how to handle Afghanistan was deeply involved with torture and Pat Tillman's cover up.
The parents of slain Army Ranger and NFL star Pat Tillman voiced concerns Tuesday that the general who played a role in mischaracterizing his death could be put in charge of military operations in Afghanistan. In a brief interview with The Associated Press, Pat Tillman Sr. accused Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal of covering up the circumstances of the 2004 slaying. "I do believe that guy participated in a falsified homicide investigation," Pat Tillman Sr. said.
He later apologized for his role in the cover up.
The Daily News:
The general taking over the Afghan war said Tuesday he was sorry for the coverup of ex-NFL star Pat Tillman's friendly fire death."I was a part of that, and I apologize for it," Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal told a Senate hearing.
Tillman was killed by fellow GIs in 2004 as his Ranger unit operated in eastern Afghanistan on the Pakistan border.
McChrystal signed off on a posthumous Silver Star medal for Tillman - who gave up a fortune as a pro football player to join the Army after 9/11 - though he knew it might be fratricide and not a firefight.
It took six probes before his family learned the truth: other troops mistook him for the enemy and shot him as he screamed, "I'm Pat F---ing Tillman!"
"There is nothing we can do to automatically restore the trust which was the second casualty," McChrystal said.
But the general, who commanded the supersecret Joint Special Operations Command then, denied the phony narrative of a raging firefight was anything more sinister than "mistakes" made to honor the famous GI.
And then there is his role in our torture policies.
The Nation:
When an anonymous Army interrogator "at great personal risk" blew the whistle to Esquire in August 2006 on an extensive torture enterprise at Camp Nama, he described the then unknown McChrystal as being an overseer who knew the ugly truth. Torture at Camp Nama included using ice water to induce hypothermia. It was not a rogue operation unless we consider Generals like McChrystal "rogues." As Esquire reported:
Once, somebody brought it up with the colonel. "Will [the Red Cross] ever be allowed in here?" And he said absolutely not. He had this directly from General McChrystal and the Pentagon that there's no way that the Red Cross could get in--they won't have access and they never will. This facility was completely closed off to anybody investigating, even Army investigators.
Later in the piece, when asked where the colonel was getting his orders from the interrogator said, "I believe it was a two-star general. I believe his name was General McChrystal. I saw him there a couple of times."
I was watching MSNBC and on Andrea Mitchell's show, pundits wondered if McChrystal would quit if he didn't get the troops he requested. You know, I always thought that soldiers were supposed to follow orders. The president is in charge of the military and serve him. What would happen to a soldier in Iraq or Afghanistan who refused a direct order? I understand that he's past that pay grade, but he's way out of line. Hey, I don't mind leaks to the media, that's going to happen, but he's not acting like a high ranking General should, but with his past, are you surprised?
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Let's see . . .
Promoted June 2009, make political hay, then quit when some unreasonable
demandrequest isn't met?Sounds more like a RW set up to damage Obama to me. We know the hardcore RWNJ's are only trying to eff Barack up - somehow - some way.
Then again I forgot my tin foil hat today
:)
PS - AGAIN TDS! - the only real news on the TV.
So...is our democracy totally destroyed yet?
End the 'wars', bring the troops home. Dismantle the CIA, and cut the obscenely bloated '
Defense'War Profiteers Budget by 90%.Learn to live in peace with the world.
Ya, shut off that bloody war machine now and come in for your soup before it gets cold.
Let the war machine keepers work on orbitting solar panels and lunar bases.
Adapt the Military Industrial Complex for peaceful purposes or become it's slave.
..and there's nothing wrong with Peace! The two are not mutually exclusive. Its like the scene in the Karate Kid where Mr. Miagi asks Daniel-san if he thinks Karate is about fighting and if its not why train so Daniel-san reasons that you train so you don't have to fight. I have a Star Trek-original series paralell also but I digress.
If we're not in Afghanistan to kill or capture osama bin laden, then its time to come home! w lied to us about that war too and his legacy on it ought to be: We brought the troops home!
Oh and too late - we are slaves to the MIC. The question should now be whether we can find a proper balance and thankfully without w or darth cheney, maybe we can!
Don't define your beliefs by using pop culture. It'll screw you every time.
Hey, don't bring me into this with your comment about "pop" culture. You have no idea about my culture. ;)
POP Rocks!
I should have gotten a trademark on those things. I guess now it's too late.
Well McChrystal failed up, so yes, he was behind the cover-up. Still is.
He admitted responsibilty and apologized for it - that's extremely rare for a Republican - so i don't know...
Is he a Repug?
I cannot put much stock in the apology because he forced to say something after the evidence clearly showed that he had to have been involved. It's not like he came forward of his own free will.
This is not now or ever was a friendly fire situation.
He suffered a triple tap to the forehead lying down. A triple tap is a three burst setting on a rifle. He suffered three bullet holes in a two inch circle, the shooter was mighty close.
Pat Tillman was assassinated because he was a hero. The republicans lost a worthy opponent in future Presidential contests because of his assassination, possibly by outside contractors or an unknown government assassination squad..
They had him killed to put on 'a show'. "Pat Tillman was assassinated because he was a hero"
is NOT guilty of at LEAST serious war crimes, cover-ups, embezzlement, and resume-padding on the corpses of his men...McChrystal is no different: he's a dirty, corrupt, vicious baby-killer, at BEST!@
Stop disparaging the troops!
There was a guy on Jon Stewart's show last week who has written a book about Tillman's death. I wish I could remember his name. I would like to read the book and see what part McChrystal played and to what extent.
I got lots of questions. Like who suggested to the Obama administration that McChrystal was the right man for Afghanistan? Was it McCain? And what did Petraeus think of the appointment? McChrystal sounds like he is the next one to be spoken of as going rogue.
McCrystal probably ordered the hit, because Tillman either already was, or soon would soon become, a loose cannon if he survived to write his memoirs...
He had wrote them and someone burned them.
Tillman was coming home to campaign against bush/cheney murder tag team.
But then wiretap...triple tap
McCystal, shades of McArthur. "You may not respect the man but you will respect the office"
military campaigns.
I found the book I was talking about in my comment before this one, it's here
Book-TV on Cspan2
It's pretty good, Mary Tillman was on once too.
Why do Reslugs hate our troops so much???
Because there are still some men-of-honor in our troops. Maybe when they are gone and replaced with Blackwater merciless mercinaries will the Repugs like the troops.
some people are on a completely different agenda?
Hannity? O'Reilly?, VanSustran?, Wallace?, or Beck? who's going to be the first person to cover this book and condemn the Bush administrations appalling actions?
I'll be holding my breath.
No no wallster. It's not Bushes fault, nothing is. FOXs' spin is that Obama is not listening to his "commanders on the ground" therefor endangering our troops lives and forwarding an agenda of "defeat".
I wish once, just FUCKING once, someone would explain to me what "winning" means in Afganistan.
"Winning" is never having to say "I'm leaving."
n/t
A General that lies. That is almost as hard to believe as a lying Priest, or Tele-Evangelist or Pastor or somethin isn't it.....
The President needs to take McChrystal to the wood shed and yank a knot in his tail. I'm not really sure what that means but my grandmother used to threaten to do that to me if I didn't straighten up and fly right. It worked on me and maybe if the President threatens McChrystal it would work on him.
But . . .
We spend a trillion dollars on a military to defend what?
A country where 50 million people are at risk of getting sick and dying, the poor unfortunate souls with no job, no income, no insurance, no healthcare, no food, no housing, no coat for the winter . . .
They can't even join the military . . .
AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
I think that the General already said he couldn't support a strategy like the one currently being proposed by VP Biden. That would seem to mandate his removal if Obama selects that strategy.
If a general quits, does he get to keep all his general stuff like retirement pay and glory?
As long as the discharge is honorable, you get to keep all the shiny stuff.
Thanks for that info, Tyler. So he would get to keep his bragging rights too.
Why was this report on Afghanistan leaked? Who leaked it--the Bush holdovers in the Pentagon, State, DoD? What is the Generals agenda? Is he one of the christian nationalist in the military--the ones passing out bibles, building megachruches on militaty bases, training the troops as "missionaries", Does he think this is a holy war? These are the questions I have. Anyone?
All those things rattled around in my head too. We need more background on this guy.
First of all, the military tried to capitalize on his death, describing him as a war hero who died in a fierce battle with "the enemy". Then, when that shite didn't stick, they conjured up the "friendly fire" scenario during an exchange with "the enemy". When that didn't stick, they said... oh, it was really fratricide... the enemy wasn't involved. The truth is that Pat Tillman was a popular, well read, enlightened man who was ready to spill the beans on the illegarity of the Iraq war. Arrangements were made that, when Tillman returned home from Afghanistan, to meet with anti war critic/author Noam Chomsky. That's right, they needed to shut him up permanently.
Although I don't have all the facts and cannot be 100% sure, I tend to agree with your assessment after reading various sources on Pat Tillman.
I'm not sure about that. But Tillman's "heroic" death was exploited as much as possible to cheer on the wars. It was a great story, just like Jessica Lynch(?) that was saved by the marines in Iraq and later testified that that was total bullshit.
Pro war propoganda at it's finest.
Man, the war mongers are all over teevee and they all seem like they are getting a warm feeling in their legs talking about war.
Dear J. Amato, thank you for bringing this up. I knew you would.
Appalling that it isn't swamping the newspapers, network evening news, and 24/7 cable news channels. I'm just so surprised. Must be an explanation. Wonder what it is?
There are way more important things to swamp the airwaves with. Haven't you heard that David Letterman was screwing half his staff and was being blackmailed? Get your priorities straight.
I sense a retirement and a sudden interest in elective office for the General. What state is he from? He will be embraced by the hard right and be portrayed as a victim who was sold down the river by a defeatist administration. The General will play his part with vigor.
Who spent a year underminning Gen McKearnin(sp)and prepping the field for when he took command.
Thanks John. Now I know exactly what I'll be getting my 62-year old diehard Republican sister this Christmas: "Where Men Win Glory" by Jon Krakauer.
And I'll be getting myself a copy, too. Loved his "Into Thin Air". Great writer. Riveting storyteller.
everyday, I have this feeling that Obama really is just a plant - a puppet being used by the PtB to advance their agenda.
Why else would he avoid the emplacement of the policies and programs he espoused during the campaign while continuing to retain so many failed people and policies from the Darth/Dubya regime???!!
That's not a good thing for democracy.
for our library to purchase this. Cant wait.
I am not a conspiracy theories, however the timing of this with the Nazi Fascist Right Wing Think Tank sudden escalation of more troops in Afghanistan and the big hit the Military Industrial Complex just took puts me on edge.
Look I did 20+ years plus combat time (more than you can say about the Spineless, Cowardly right)my concern is this , this was not a talking piece, nor was it a slip of the tongue, this General is Dirty and he is out to bring down the President.
The investigation of or the lack of one his own statements, those of his fellow officers says it all. Remember this man was educated as one of the best America has to offer, he is a West Point Graduate so please do not tell me this CLOWN had a slip of the tongue he like the other Racist Nazi Christians seems to forget his OATH to SERVE and PROTECT, what I am reading this guy is serving and protecting himself and his Right Wing Hate Mongers.
One of the basic values of the Army is integrity. So General McCrystal compromises his integrity over the Tillman death, and all he had to say was that he was sorry?
Boy, the Army sure has changed since my time (1960-1990). A lack of integrity in any matter got you shown the door.
Black Knights of the Hudson! I will not lie, cheat, or steal. And, if I do, I will be thrown out on the sidewalk in Highland Falls. McCrystal, Class of 1976, as I recall.
New questions are being raised over the death of Pat Tillman, the football star turned Army Ranger who died in Afghanistan in 2004. The Associated Press has obtained new documents that suggest Tillman might have been deliberately shot by a fellow Army Ranger. The documents show Tillman was shot three times in the forehead. The bullet holes were so close together that it appeared Tillman was cut down by an M-16 fired from about 10 yards away. Army medical examiners were initially suspicious and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player’s death amounted to a crime. The Pentagon initially told the public and the Tillman family that he had been killed by enemy fire. Later the military said Tillman was killed by friendly fire.
http://www.democracynow.org/2007/7/30/headlin...
Some interesting articles:
The CIA Killed Pat Tillman
How Pat Tillman Died
The criminal investigation by the doctors was ordered stopped by higher ups.
That triple tap would have to be damned close for such a tight pattern.
Easy to test using a pumpkin and a charging, firing assassin. His chest protection was shattered and knocked him down, then he was finished off, probably.
.
No one can tell me that an untrained Afghan could put 3 in the forehead in the heat of battle.
Tillman was reported to have said that this excursion in Afghanistan was a waste.
He Was America's guy. The whole country liked and respected him.
Well, most the country anyway.
They couldn't have him coming home and talking.
3 in the forehead, in a tight formation tells me fully automatic.
From a supported firing position.
50 yards or closer.
...have a setting halfway between "Fully" and "Semi" auto, it shoots bursts of three shots at a time BANGBANGBANG! Pull the trigger again, BANGBANGBANG!
"I was a part of that [cover up], and I apologize for
itfor getting caught," Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal told a Senate hearing.FIFY
that he was involved in the Tillman cover-up, torture and numerous other illegal activities. That's all well documented. The only thing of question is just how deeply he was involved and how much of it he was at the head of.
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