Chris's Rants

Monday, December 06, 2004

Spinsanity

From today's WaPo: Army Spun Tale Around Ill-Fated Mission. Recall the tale of selfless heroism of an NFL Linebacker who gave up the american dream of becoming an NFL star to defend his country:
"He ordered his team to dismount and then maneuvered the Rangers up a hill near the enemy's location," the release said. "As they crested the hill, Tillman directed his team into firing positions and personally provided suppressive fire. . . . Tillman's voice was heard issuing commands to take the fight to the enemy forces."
Makes your chest swell with pride, doesn't it. Almost brings a tear. You almost can hear the 1812 Overture or Battle Hymn of the Republic playing in the background.

Well, as it turns out, the story is even more tragic than we were first lead to believe. Corporal Pat Tillman was the victim not of the Taliban and/or al Qaeda fighters, but of friendly fire from members of his own platoon.
But the Army's published account not only withheld all evidence of fratricide, but also exaggerated Tillman's role and stripped his actions of their context. Tillman was not one of the senior commanders on the scene -- he directed only himself, one other Ranger and an Afghan militiaman, under supervision from others. And witness statements in the Army's files at the time of the news release describe Tillman's voice ringing out on the battlefield mainly in a desperate effort, joined by other Rangers on his ridge, to warn comrades to stop shooting at their own men.
I recommend reading the whole (long) article.

The reader's digest version.

Pentagon lies about Tillman incident in an effort to turn public attention away from Abu Ghraib. Pentagon brass protect their own kind while reserving punishment for the grunts.

Sad, really, but not surprising.

3 Comments:

  • Reminds me of Jessica Lynch fairy tale...
    "truth is the first casualty of war" as they say.
    Jacques Durand

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at December 07, 2004 8:23 PM  

  • I wonder if there have been any stories out of Iraq that have been "truthful". I've heard credible doubts raised about every story, from Jessica to Tillman to Fallujah to Abu Ghraib coverups to "passivating resistance" to complete lack of reconstruction to why Chalabi was *really* being arrested to the democracy goal (the US proposed Iraqi Constitution had 1 clause that they wouldn't give on, that would enshrine current contracts for 20 years )

    Dave Orchard

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at December 14, 2004 4:06 PM  

  • One thing I found that helps on increasing the quality of the information you get, is to use foreign sources. Its amazing how more you can learn by listening to BBC, Canada, and other reputable news in Europe (unfortunately not all french news are translated I believe ;-) Reporters from other countries may not have "embed" privilege, but they can tell you a lot with less restraint.
    In other words, the medical advice applies: "when consulting for sickness, always get a second or third opinion" !!
    Jacques Durand

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at January 12, 2005 7:46 PM  

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