WAR: Former NFL Player Pat Tillman Probably Killed by "Friendly Fire", page 1

posted on May, 29 2004 @ 08:36 AM

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Former football player and American hero Pat Tillman was most likely killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire says a statement released by the Army Special Operations Command. Tillman had walked away from $3.6 million NFL contract to join the army.

Former NFL Player Pat Tillman 'probably' Killed by Friendly Fire, Army Says
"While there was no one specific finding of fault, the investigation results indicate that Corp. Tillman probably died as a result of friendly fire while his unit was engaged in combat with enemy forces," Lt. Gen. Philip R. Kensington Jr. said in a statement released by the Army Special Operations Command.

The statement said the firefight took place in "very severe and constricted terrain in impaired light" with enemy combatants firing on U.S. forces.

An Afghan military official told The Associated Press on Saturday that Tillman died because of a "misunderstanding" when two mixed groups of American and Afghan soldiers began firing wildly in the confusion following an explosion.

The Afghan official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also contradicted U.S. reports that the American soldiers had come under enemy fire.

The Army has said the enemy shooters had pinned down other soldiers when Tillman was killed on April 22.

Tillman's family declined to comment.

The report of friendly fire was first reported by the Arizona Republic and The Argus of Fremont (Calif.) on Saturday.

"It does seem pretty clear that he was killed by friendly fire," Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., a member of the House Armed Services Committee, told the Republic. Franks said his panel was alerted to the information by the Army's Legislative Liaison Office.

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Related ATSNN Article:
WAR: Former NFL Player Killed in Afghanistan

[Edited on 5-29-2004 by worldwatcher]

Plato986

posted on May, 30 2004 @ 02:08 AM

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Looks like no one's touching this one. In the end I really don't think it matters how the man died, but friendly fire does (but it shouldn't) kind of take away the image we've had of the man.

slugfast

posted on May, 30 2004 @ 02:46 AM

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Shoot, Friendly Fire makes his whol hero image much less recognizable by the Sheeple and makes his death seem so much more tragic. He gave up his salary in the NFL for what? to die of friendly fire? I am outraged if this is true, the media portrays him as a saint (and I feel so bad he died), but hell he died at the hands of his own? This is terrible, another media ploy to divert our attention from the real problems in Iraq, an Unprepared US Army.

God pray for our soldiers that are involved in this mess.... I know I don't want to lose any more friends in this fiasco. I wonder how we will look at this war in the next 50 years?

AGENT 007

posted on May, 30 2004 @ 06:27 AM

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Everyone when talking about this guy talks about the money he walked away from by joining the war how about this money or no money if he didnt join he would still be ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

curme

posted on May, 30 2004 @ 09:02 AM

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Personally I'm tired of hearing about the guy. I didn't know who he was until I started reading about him. Apparently he was a popular football player. America's worship of clebrities is just sickening. I'd rather hear about my friend Craig who died. He just bought a house in Fayetteville, NC beofre we were deployed. It had a pool but he never got a chance to swim in it. His wife fixed it up and sent pictures of it. We'd be hot and dirty just staring at pictures of that huge pool. He was a real nice guy, a real stand-up guy. Funny too! This Tilman guy means nothing to me. I commend him for joining, for becoming a Ranger, and I am saddend by his death, but just as I am saddend at every soldier's death, but unfortunately, nobody cares about them because they weren't famous. I guess the other sacrifices can't be measured in millions, therefore don't warrent such an in-depth discourse.

EmbryonicEssence

posted on May, 30 2004 @ 04:52 PM

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I agree with curme. Its sickening how we deify celebrities. With their deaths come huge ceremonial funerals, tv biographies, newspaper articles, written biographies, etc... For what? Because the person led a "public" life? He played football, big whoop.

What about those millions of people who have died throughout the wars of history, and the crap that goes on now? Are their lives not as important as a damn football player's? We should remember him in passing, not be bombarded with his "story" every single day after his death. He chose his destiny, it shouldn't be made more tragic than it really is. It is sad that just as many people have died because of friendly fire than by enemy fire throughout history.

I'm sorry about your friend curme.

[Edited on 5-30-2004 by EmbryonicEssence]

intrepid

posted on May, 30 2004 @ 05:11 PM

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Curme, I don't think that what he did lessens what the other troops have done, or suffered. The point was that he was making an exellent living doing what he enjoyed, football. Athletes live for their sport, the point was he was bigger than most of us, to put himself secondary. I don't think this lessens the sacrifice of the other troops, I sure hope it doesn't.