Wonder what this is all about ?

CNN Tillman friendly fire case to get criminal probe Former NFL player killed in Afghanistan in 2004 Saturday, March 4, 2006; Posted: 4:31 p.m. EST (21:31 GMT) WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The U.S. Defense Department inspector general has directed the Army to open a criminal investigation into the death of former NFL star Pat Tillman, CNN learned on Saturday. Tillman was killed on April 22, 2004, during a ground convoy assault not far from Khowst, Afghanistan, near the eastern border with Pakistan. Two other coalition soldiers were wounded in the ambush and an Afghan militia force soldier was killed. The Army in May of 2004 determined that Tillman, 27, was probably killed by gunfire from his own unit during the intense firefight. Two years before his death, Tillman walked away from a $3.6 million contract with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals to serve in the military. He was posthumously awarded a Silver Star.

A criminal probe..do they have some evidence it was intentional?

Tag.

RIP Pat Tillman

grr..you beat me.

link to full story :

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/03/04/tillman/index.html

left cold.

That sucks more than I even think it will. Damn.

i thought they already ruled it was simple FF, tragic, but accidental?

Quoted: A criminal probe..do they have some evidence it was intentional?

Yes.  It plainly states that he walked away from a $3. 6 million dollar NFL contract.

Obviously his death by friendly fire was intentional and somebody must pay!!!

Quoted: i thought they already ruled it was simple FF, tragic, but accidental?

Betcha somebody couldn't hold it in anymore, cracked and spilled their guts.

There is a possibility that someone killed Pat Tillman on purpose?

Quoted: Quoted: A criminal probe..do they have some evidence it was intentional? Yes.  It plainly states that he walked away from a $3. 6 million dollar NFL contract. Obviously his death by friendly fire was intentional and somebody must pay!!!

Could it have been some sort of criminal negligence that they're looking at?


-K

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: A criminal probe..do they have some evidence it was intentional? Yes.  It plainly states that he walked away from a $3. 6 million dollar NFL contract. Obviously his death by friendly fire was intentional and somebody must pay!!! Could it have been some sort of criminal negligence that they're looking at? -K

I read the same AAR as everyone else.

It seemed they (TILMAN and his fellow soldier) were mistaken for enemy combatants in thier stationary position despite radio calls by TILMAN for a "cease fire - friendlies!"

ETA:  Are you implying the subject of the investigation is not a Cardinals fan???  

......or could it be that they are looking into why his armor and uni were burned, possible cover up?

Perhaps not an intentional act (his death) but it may have been criminal to dispose of evidence such as the body armor/uni?

I hope I phrased that correctly?

Know what I mean?

Quoted: There is a possibility that someone killed Pat Tillman on purpose?

Yeah that shit does happen.

Quoted: Quoted: There is a possibility that someone killed Pat Tillman on purpose? Yeah that shit does happen.

That could mean that some body is in big touble.  I'm sorry to hear that it came down to this.

Quoted: Quoted: A criminal probe..do they have some evidence it was intentional? Yes.  It plainly states that he walked away from a $3. 6 million dollar NFL contract. Obviously his death by friendly fire was intentional and somebody must pay!!!

I think the criminal probe is in regards to the false pretenses of his death that were originally reported.  IIRC, the Army/DOD first reported that Ranger Tillman died in an ambush; it was not till a while later when it was revealed that Ranger Tillman died as result of friendly fire and that-the discrepency-is what they are investigating.  ETA:  As if there was some sort of cover-up brewing in order to avoid bad PR for the Army/DOD.

Report: Evidence destroyed after Tillman's death
Yet investigation finds no intent to hide truth
From Mike Mount
CNN

Wednesday, May 4, 2005 Posted: 9:31 PM EDT (0131 GMT)



Cpl. Pat Tillman was killed by fellow U.S. soldiers last year in Afghanistan.
     


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A new Army report on the death of former NFL player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan last year concluded that his uniform and body armor were burned a day after he was killed -- and before investigators had determined he was shot by his fellow soldiers.

The yet-to-be-released investigation results, first reported by the Washington Post, concludes that the burning of the clothes and armor amounted to destruction of evidence.

Initial reports of Tillman's death on April 22, 2004, said he was shot by Taliban forces during an ambush. An investigation would later reveal that fellow soldiers shot Tillman, thinking he was part of an enemy force firing at them.

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that top U.S. commanders, including Gen. John P. Abizaid of U.S. Central Command, were told that Tillman's death occurred by fratricide days before a nationally televised memorial service was held for him.

Nonetheless, Tillman's family was not notified of that until May 29, 2004, when the first investigation was completed. That was nearly four weeks after the service.

The new report, by Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, was done at the behest of Tillman's family members, who wanted to know why his uniform was burned, and why they were not immediately told he might have been killed by fellow soldiers.

At the time, Tillman's blood-covered uniform and armor were said to have been destroyed because they were considered a biohazard.

Yet the Jones report contains sworn statements from soldiers involved in the incident who said they burned the items because they had taken pictures of the scene, walked around, and knew how Tillman had been killed.

In the new report, soldiers reasoned "they knew in their heart of hearts what had happened, and we were not going to lie about it. So we weren't thinking about proof or anything."

Army investigators now say his clothes should have been preserved as evidence.

Army officials said the Jones report concludes that the Tillman family should have been told at once that "friendly fire" was suspected. The report, however, found no official intent by military commanders to hide the truth.

Tillman gave up a $3.6 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals to become an Army Ranger after the attacks of September 11, 2001. He was posthumously awarded a Silver Star.

Looks to me like they are investigating the coverup. Any army medics here? After that dustup where they charged the wounded soldier for his bloody, burnt, body armor maybe they need to look at when they dispose uniforms and armor.

Quoted: Looks to me like they are investigating the coverup. Any army medics here? After that dustup where they charged the wounded soldier for his bloody, burnt, body armor maybe they need to look at when they dispose uniforms and armor.

I have read the comments of several Army personnel who are familiar with the Lt. in question (the one you reference as "charged...for his body armor") and they have identified him as a complete assbag.  Suffice it to say, he had several opportunities to make it right and he chose not to.

Army vows thorough review of Tillman’s death
Criminal probe begins for former NFL player killed by friendly fire in 2004

The Associated Press
Updated: 7:52 p.m. ET March 5, 2006


WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sunday promised the family of former NFL player Pat Tillman that investigators will examine all the facts surrounding his death in Afghanistan.

Gen. Peter Pace said the Army was launching a criminal investigation into the April 2004 death of Tillman — an Army Ranger shot by fellow soldiers in what previous military reviews had concluded was an accident — because the Defense Department’s inspector general determined it was an additional step that needed to be taken.

A Pentagon official told The Associated Press on Saturday that a criminal investigation would focus on possible charges of negligent homicide. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the new investigation had not formally begun.

Investigators want to look into whether fire by the friendly forces was “fire that should have been going on or was someone potentially firing a weapon when they should not have been,” Pace said.

“Although there’s no evidence that there was criminal activity, the investigators did not specifically look at whether or not there was criminal activity, criminal activity being when Cpl. Tillman was killed by friendly fire,” Pace said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Criticism from Tillman's family
Tillman’s parents have been highly critical of the Army for its handling of questions about their son’s death. Reached Saturday night by The Washington Post, Patrick Tillman Sr. remained skeptical.

“I think it’s another step,” he said. “But if you send investigators to reinvestigate an investigation that was falsified in the first place, what do you think you’re going to get?”

The scope of the new investigation by the Army Criminal Investigation Command had not yet been determined in detail, Army spokesman Col. Joseph Curtin said Saturday. Curtin said the inspector general’s office reviewed the matter at the Army’s request and concluded a criminal probe was warranted.

Pace responded only indirectly when asked whether Tillman’s case, which will now undergo a fifth formal investigation, had been mishandled. “Folks look at them to make sure they have complete information,” he said on “Fox News Sunday.” “If there’s not complete information, they send it back.”

Tillman, 27, played for the Arizona Cardinals but left the NFL to join the Army after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Died near Pakistan-Afghanistan border
Tillman died on April 22, 2004, when he was struck by gunfire during a firefight along a canyon road near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The Army said at the time that the barrage of bullets came from enemy fire.

A report by the Army later found that troops with Tillman knew at the time that friendly fire had killed the football star. Officers destroyed critical evidence and concealed the truth from Tillman’s brother, also an Army Ranger, who was nearby, the report found.

More than three weeks after a memorial service in San Jose, Calif., the Army announced on May 29, 2004, that friendly fire rather than an enemy encounter had caused Tillman’s death. However, even at the time of the memorial, top Army officials were aware that the investigation showed the death had been caused by an act of “gross negligence,” the report said.


© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

I know a man who was a friend of Tillmans. He has been saying for years that Tillmans death is the result of criminal negligence on the part of a senior officer.

Quoted: I know a man who was a friend of Tillmans. He has been saying for years that Tillmans death is the result of criminal negligence on the part of a senior officer.

Knowing what  I know, (Tillman might have been killed by friendly fire) how is that possible?

The only concveivable bombshell is that Tillman was murdered by his comrades, which makes no sense at all.

Criminal negligence is what I heard.

It sounds entirely possible that a breakdown in communication or someone simply being trigger-happy led to his death.

Quoted: ...snip... At the time, Tillman's blood-covered uniform and armor were said to have been destroyed because they were considered a biohazard. ...snip...

Is it standard to do this
Seems weird to me.

Quoted: A criminal probe..do they have some evidence it was intentional?

"I lost a $50 bet  cause of that mother and now he gona pay! "

No, I didn't read the article.

Quoted: Quoted: I know a man who was a friend of Tillmans. He has been saying for years that Tillmans death is the result of criminal negligence on the part of a senior officer. Knowing what  I know, (Tillman might have been killed by friendly fire) how is that possible? The only concveivable bombshell is that Tillman was murdered by his comrades, which makes no sense at all.

There are other ways for someone to fuck up.

Guys,

Why don't we refrain from indulging in frivolous speculation, conjecture, and hearsay.

Thanks.

However, even at the time of the memorial, top Army officials were aware that the investigation showed the death had been caused by an act of “gross negligence,” the report said.

This is what I've been hearing for a while.

Bomber