Spinning Heroes
In the cloud of combat it is often
unclear exactly what has happened. Nonetheless, there may be an inclination by
the military or political leadership to jump to conclusions, especially when
there is an opportunity -- as we witnessed with a certain Private Lynch not so
long ago -- to find a heroic deed which will captivate the hearts of the
American public (i.e., shore up public support for the war...).
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (MM) -- Just last month the media
was practically gushing
over the death of Pat Tillman, the young NFL football star who had patriotically
left a lucrative career behind to join the Army Rangers against Al Qaeda in
Afghanistan. His combat death on April 22, 2004, in an "enemy assault" was
recognized less than a week later with a Silver Star, a decoration awarded to
persons who demonstrate "gallantry in action against an enemy of the United
States while engaged in military operations involving conflict with an opposing
foreign force...[which has] been performed with marked
distinction."
With the award, the Army presented an account of Tillman's "gallant" actions which merited the medal:
"Tillman's platoon was split into two sections. Tillman was the team leader of the lead section when the trail section began receiving suppressive mortar and small-arms fire. ... [The] cavernous terrain made it extremely difficult to target enemy positions, and there was no room for the trail element to maneuver out of the kill zone.
Even though his element was out of the area that had come under fire, Tillman "ordered his team to dismount and maneuvered his team up a hill toward the enemy's location," the Army said.
During the battle, Tillman issued "fire commands to take the fight to the enemy on the dominating high ground... Only after his team engaged the well-armed enemy did it appear their fires diminished."
Because of Tillman's leadership and his team's efforts, the trail section under fire "was able to maneuver through the ambush to positions of safety without a single casualty," the Army said.
Now, a month later, following an investigation of the incident, a somewhat different story has emerged:
Several newspapers, including The Arizona Republic, report today on an Army report that Tillman was killed by friendly fire. Several members of Congress received the information on Friday and have publicly confirmed the accuracy of the investigation's findings.
"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," according to a statement from the Army Special Operations Command.
The new story is that there was, in fact, no enemy involved in the conflict. Fire was exchanged between the two friendly groups noted in the Army's original report, possibly initiated by the detonation of a mine in the area. The Washington Post reports that an Afghan official told the Associated Press that Tillman had died because of a "misunderstanding" that led to the two groups firing upon each other.
"Nobody knew what it was - a mine, a remote-controlled bomb - or what was going on, or if enemy forces were firing. The situation was very confusing," according to the official. "As the result of this firing, that American was killed and three Afghan soldiers were injured. It was a misunderstanding and afterward they realized that it was a mine that had exploded and there were no enemy forces."
This story is eerily similar to the story of Pfc. Jessical Lynch whose heroic resistance of enemy forces in Baghdad when her convoy was ambushed and her subsequent "rescue" from her captors had all the trimmings of a Hollywood movie. That story has since been discredited leaving the Washington spin-meisters with a bit of mustard on their faces, though it didn't discourage, NBC from buying the rights and producing a movie on the event, "Saving Jessica Lynch."
So, how soon before we see a made-for-television film on the Tillman story? Will it end with Tillman getting to keep his Star? And, who will be the next inspirational character that the Pentagon and the White House will pull out of their hats? With the spiraling situation in Iraq, we can be certain that it will be quite soon...
(Editor's Note: I mean no disrespect for Mr. Tillman. I believe that he served courageously and honorably. I also believe that he and others are dying in a war that is unjust and, in the final analysis, without a mission which can be successfully realized. It is time for Washington to face up to their miscalculations in this war and bring all of our young men and women home -- alive. That would be true heroism.)
With the award, the Army presented an account of Tillman's "gallant" actions which merited the medal:
"Tillman's platoon was split into two sections. Tillman was the team leader of the lead section when the trail section began receiving suppressive mortar and small-arms fire. ... [The] cavernous terrain made it extremely difficult to target enemy positions, and there was no room for the trail element to maneuver out of the kill zone.
Even though his element was out of the area that had come under fire, Tillman "ordered his team to dismount and maneuvered his team up a hill toward the enemy's location," the Army said.
During the battle, Tillman issued "fire commands to take the fight to the enemy on the dominating high ground... Only after his team engaged the well-armed enemy did it appear their fires diminished."
Because of Tillman's leadership and his team's efforts, the trail section under fire "was able to maneuver through the ambush to positions of safety without a single casualty," the Army said.
Now, a month later, following an investigation of the incident, a somewhat different story has emerged:
Several newspapers, including The Arizona Republic, report today on an Army report that Tillman was killed by friendly fire. Several members of Congress received the information on Friday and have publicly confirmed the accuracy of the investigation's findings.
"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," according to a statement from the Army Special Operations Command.
The new story is that there was, in fact, no enemy involved in the conflict. Fire was exchanged between the two friendly groups noted in the Army's original report, possibly initiated by the detonation of a mine in the area. The Washington Post reports that an Afghan official told the Associated Press that Tillman had died because of a "misunderstanding" that led to the two groups firing upon each other.
"Nobody knew what it was - a mine, a remote-controlled bomb - or what was going on, or if enemy forces were firing. The situation was very confusing," according to the official. "As the result of this firing, that American was killed and three Afghan soldiers were injured. It was a misunderstanding and afterward they realized that it was a mine that had exploded and there were no enemy forces."
This story is eerily similar to the story of Pfc. Jessical Lynch whose heroic resistance of enemy forces in Baghdad when her convoy was ambushed and her subsequent "rescue" from her captors had all the trimmings of a Hollywood movie. That story has since been discredited leaving the Washington spin-meisters with a bit of mustard on their faces, though it didn't discourage, NBC from buying the rights and producing a movie on the event, "Saving Jessica Lynch."
So, how soon before we see a made-for-television film on the Tillman story? Will it end with Tillman getting to keep his Star? And, who will be the next inspirational character that the Pentagon and the White House will pull out of their hats? With the spiraling situation in Iraq, we can be certain that it will be quite soon...
(Editor's Note: I mean no disrespect for Mr. Tillman. I believe that he served courageously and honorably. I also believe that he and others are dying in a war that is unjust and, in the final analysis, without a mission which can be successfully realized. It is time for Washington to face up to their miscalculations in this war and bring all of our young men and women home -- alive. That would be true heroism.)
Posted: Sat - May 29, 2004 at 10:01 AM
Quick Links
Calendar
Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
Categories
Archives
XML/RSS Feed
Statistics
Total entries in this blog:
Total entries in this category:
Published On: May 29, 2004 10:44 AM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: May 29, 2004 10:44 AM