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05-31-2004, 09:10 AM
May 31, 2004
All-American icon was shot dead in blunder by own platoon
From Roland Watson in Washington
THE former American football player whose death in combat last month turned him into a patriotic icon was killed by friendly fire, the US military has revealed.
Pat Tillman, who walked away from a $3.6 million (£2 million) football contract to join the US Army after the September 11 terrorist attacks, was said initially to have died charging uphill towards the enemy in Afghanistan. An internal report released at the weekend revealed that in fact Corporal Tillman was shot in error by members of his own platoon.
The news came as US forces in Afghanistan suffered one of their worst days since the fall of the Taleban. Four soldiers were killed, taking the US death toll in Afghanistan to 90.
Corporal Tillman died after his unit of US Army Rangers became bedevilled by a series of mishaps. Operating about 100 miles south of Kabul near the Pakistani border, the unit split into two when one of its vehicles broke down. The group in the rear, which included Corporal Tillman, was then ambushed, sparking a 20-minute gunfight. On hearing the shots, the unit’s lead group returned to the scene, where, in poor visibility, the platoon commander mistakenly identified a soldier with the Afghan Milita Force, fighting alongside Corporal Tillman, as an enemy. Other US troops followed their commander’s lead, turning their guns on the Afghan and Corporal Tillman.
Military chiefs said that Corporal Tillman, who received a posthumous Silver Star for combat bravery, remained a hero, despite the amended account of his death. Lieutenant-General Philip Kensinger, said: “The results of this investigation in no way diminish the bravery and sacrifice displayed by Corporal Tillman. Corporal Tillman was shot and killed while responding to enemy fire without regard for his own safety.”
The news hit the United States as the country was engaged in a reflection on the costs of war. Tens of thousands of military veterans poured into Washington on Saturday to attend the official opening of the long-planned Second World War memorial.
President Bush will today mark Memorial Day, when the US remembers its fallen troops, by delivering an address and laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. With his political fortunes tied closely to developments in Iraq, Mr Bush’s supporters used Sunday television talk shows to suggest that the President was turning a corner. They are looking to the emergence of an interim Iraqi government and the promise of Shiabrokered peace in Najaf as developments that could soon start to lift Mr Bush’s approval ratings.
Mr Bush showed how his incumbency, if used astutely, could benefit him in the coming weeks. On television he commanded a television audience of millions as he delivered a stirring homage to the Second World War generation.
John Kerry, his Democratic challenger, used newspaper interviews to insist that he would be as tough as Mr Bush on terrorism, but with different means.
He accused Mr Bush of being “myopic” on Iraq and of ignoring growing threats from North Korea and Iran. He said that the Bush Administration had been “high on ideology and low on actual strategic thinking”.
All-American icon was shot dead in blunder by own platoon
From Roland Watson in Washington
THE former American football player whose death in combat last month turned him into a patriotic icon was killed by friendly fire, the US military has revealed.
Pat Tillman, who walked away from a $3.6 million (£2 million) football contract to join the US Army after the September 11 terrorist attacks, was said initially to have died charging uphill towards the enemy in Afghanistan. An internal report released at the weekend revealed that in fact Corporal Tillman was shot in error by members of his own platoon.
The news came as US forces in Afghanistan suffered one of their worst days since the fall of the Taleban. Four soldiers were killed, taking the US death toll in Afghanistan to 90.
Corporal Tillman died after his unit of US Army Rangers became bedevilled by a series of mishaps. Operating about 100 miles south of Kabul near the Pakistani border, the unit split into two when one of its vehicles broke down. The group in the rear, which included Corporal Tillman, was then ambushed, sparking a 20-minute gunfight. On hearing the shots, the unit’s lead group returned to the scene, where, in poor visibility, the platoon commander mistakenly identified a soldier with the Afghan Milita Force, fighting alongside Corporal Tillman, as an enemy. Other US troops followed their commander’s lead, turning their guns on the Afghan and Corporal Tillman.
Military chiefs said that Corporal Tillman, who received a posthumous Silver Star for combat bravery, remained a hero, despite the amended account of his death. Lieutenant-General Philip Kensinger, said: “The results of this investigation in no way diminish the bravery and sacrifice displayed by Corporal Tillman. Corporal Tillman was shot and killed while responding to enemy fire without regard for his own safety.”
The news hit the United States as the country was engaged in a reflection on the costs of war. Tens of thousands of military veterans poured into Washington on Saturday to attend the official opening of the long-planned Second World War memorial.
President Bush will today mark Memorial Day, when the US remembers its fallen troops, by delivering an address and laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. With his political fortunes tied closely to developments in Iraq, Mr Bush’s supporters used Sunday television talk shows to suggest that the President was turning a corner. They are looking to the emergence of an interim Iraqi government and the promise of Shiabrokered peace in Najaf as developments that could soon start to lift Mr Bush’s approval ratings.
Mr Bush showed how his incumbency, if used astutely, could benefit him in the coming weeks. On television he commanded a television audience of millions as he delivered a stirring homage to the Second World War generation.
John Kerry, his Democratic challenger, used newspaper interviews to insist that he would be as tough as Mr Bush on terrorism, but with different means.
He accused Mr Bush of being “myopic” on Iraq and of ignoring growing threats from North Korea and Iran. He said that the Bush Administration had been “high on ideology and low on actual strategic thinking”.