Investigating the Death of Pat Tillman

The family of Cpl. Pat Tillman is questioning the Army's process of notifying family members of facts concerning the death soldiers. Pat Tillman, former Arizona Cardinals safety, enlisted in the Army in 2002 as a reaction to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Tillman was serving near the Afghanistan and Pakistan border when he was killed by gunfire on April 22, 2004.

Investigation proved that Pat Tillman was killed by a member of his own platoon, who had mistaken him for an enemy combatant due to poor communication amidst the platoon. However, the Tillman family was not notified of this discovery until over a month after his death, spawning a feeling of conspiracy, cover-up, and general dissatisfaction with the Army's report. While the initial investigation showed that Tillman was killed by "friendly" fire, the full investigation claims that there was not an attempt to withhold information, but that there were inadequacies in the first investigation which could be construed to appear as such.

Also aiding the family's suspicion are the records submitted regarding the posthumous awarding of Tillman's Silver Star. The documents show that statements made were false, and written to imply that Tillman was killed by an enemy combatant (which is one requirement for receiving the Silver Star) rather than by a member of his own platoon. According to CNN, "The Tillman family noted that while the Army reported 'improprieties in the submission of the award, they appear to have intentionally stopped short in every single misstep of actual criminal actions. Submitting fraudulent awards is a crime. More than one person participating in the construction of a fraudulent award is conspiracy".

While his death has been ruled an accident, there has been a number of mistakes and oversights, making it reasonable why the Tillman family feels there may be a conspiracy underfoot. Nine officers have been questioned concerning the actions taken in Tillman's death as well as the Silver Star award. The officers include Generals Phillip Kensinger, James Nixon, Stanley McChrystal, Gary Jones, and four others who are below the rank of General.

A foundation has been set up in Tillman's memory. The Pat Tillman Foundation honors leadership, academics, and global awareness currently through two programs. The Leadership Through Action program initially started at Arizona State University goal is to develop leaders of positive change by providing the resources to college students to identify, develop, test, and implement positive social awareness and change. The Pat Tillman Foundation has also joined up with Youth Re:Action Corps to work with high school students that they may be educated about local and global social issues, as well as how to positively influence change in these areas as well.

Sources:

www.cnn.com
www.pattillmanfoundation.org