Pentagon Playing It Safe . . . and Its Safety

The Associated Press obtained copies of documents this week that provided more credence to what many have long suspected-- that Corporal Pat Tillman was murdered by his fellow soldiers. The documents shed new light on the medical details of Tillman's death, the cover up that followed it, and a glimpse into the moments just before he died.



New Medical Details:

From the very beginning, Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman's forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player's death amounted to a crime.

"The medical evidence did not match up with the scenario as described," a doctor who examined Tillman's body after he was killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan in 2004 told investigators.

The doctors (whose names were blacked out) said that the bullet holes were so close together that it appeared the Army Ranger was killed by an M-16 fired from less than 10 yards away.

Investigators pressed officers and soldiers on a question Tillman's mother has been asking all along. "Have you, at any time since this incident occurred back on April 22, 2004, have you ever received any information even rumor that Cpl. Tillman was killed by anybody within his own unit intentionally?" an investigator asked then-Capt. Richard Scott. Scott, and others who were also asked that same question demurred, saying they were certain the shooting was accidental.

According to the newly-obtained documents, no evidence at all of enemy fire was found at the scene - no one was hit by enemy fire, nor was any government equipment struck.

Tillman's mother, Mary Tillman, who has long suggested that her son was deliberately killed by his comrades, said she is still looking for answers and looks forward to the congressional hearings next week.

The Cover Up:

The Pentagon and the Bush administration have been criticized in recent months for lying about the circumstances of Tillman's death. The military initially told the public and the Tillman family that he had been killed by enemy fire. Only weeks later did the Pentagon acknowledge he was gunned down by fellow Rangers.

The new reports document how Army attorneys sent each other congratulatory e-mails for keeping criminal investigators at bay as the Army conducted an internal friendly-fire investigation that resulted in administrative (i.e. non-criminal) punishments.

The three-star general who kept the truth about Tillman's death from his family and the public told investigators some 70 times that he had a bad memory and couldn't recall details of his actions. At one point, he said: "You've got me really scared about my brain right now. I'm really having a problem."

Last Moments Before Tillman's Death:

It has been widely reported that Spc. Bryan O'Neal, who was at Tillman's side as he was killed, told investigators that Tillman was waving his arms shouting "Cease fire, friendlies, I am Pat fucking Tillman, damn it!" again and again.

But the latest documents give a different account from a chaplain who debriefed the entire unit days after Tillman was killed. The chaplain said that O'Neal told him he was hugging the ground at Tillman's side, "crying out to God, help us. And Tillman says to him, 'Would you shut your fucking mouth? God's not going to help you; you need to do something for yourself, you sniveling ..."

In a public statement, Tillman's mother said this week: "Nothing is going to bring Pat back. It's about justice for Pat and justice for other soldiers. The nation has been deceived," she said.