Former U.S. soldier says his friendly-fire shots might have killed Tillman
Source: Reuters
Former U.S. soldier says his friendly-fire shots might have killed Tillman
Source: Reuters - Sun, 20 Apr 2014 04:44 AM
April 19 (Reuters) - A former U.S. Army Ranger who was in the same platoon as ex-NFL player Pat Tillman has stated in a television interview that he believes he might have fired the shots that killed Tillman in a 2004 friendly-fire incident in Afghanistan.
Steven Elliott, 33, told ESPN program "Outside the Lines" in an interview scheduled to air on Sunday that he regrets joining other soldiers in firing on the spot where Tillman had taken position during a chaotic incident in a mountainous area.
"It is possible, in my mind, that I hit him," Elliott said.
Tillman gave up a multimillion dollar career as a defensive back with the Arizona Cardinals football team to enlist in the military in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and served in the U.S. Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, becoming one of the U.S. military's most high-profile service members.
The U.S. military initially said he was shot by enemy fighters in an ambush, but a subsequent investigation determined he was killed by friendly fire.
Read more: http://www.trust.org/item/20140420041939-8o9la/
Hulk
(6,699 posts)Vietnam, August 1969, our platoon was setting up a night time position in front of our fire base at CuChi, when we were hit by mortar fire from the sides. We returned fire and called in air support; and within minutes, OUR fire base opened fire on US, and ended up killing 8 of our 20+ man platoon.
It happens. We lost our medic, machine gunner, radio man, our lieutenant (8 days in country), and others. War is hell...fucking hell.
Jesus Malverde
(10,274 posts)war is hell.
ballyhoo
(2,060 posts)made it back. Personally, I think Tillman was fragged for something that he saw happen and his story would have caused some problems. And that's all I'll say about Vietnam today. But here's an article of interest. Were you here during this?
http://www.historynet.com/tet-1969-at-cu-chi.htm
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)I certainly remember Tet '68 and the aftermath. I was in the 1st Cav, pulling guard duty that night at LZ Uplift in the Nui Mieu Mtns hear the sea coast at Bong Son. Uplift wasn't badly hit, but I could see four firefights breaking out, one after another, in little villages in the valley below. People in the villages were shooting off fireworks in celebration, and then the fireworks were replaced by red & white tracers. (Ours were red, theirs were white.)
ballyhoo
(2,060 posts)time ago...but really yesterday. Going to Renaissance fair in Southern Cal today once my daughter gets here. Always a lot of Vietnam Vets there. Some even wear what's left of their uniforms. Have a nice Easter.
Steviehh
(115 posts)Soldiers blame themselves. Rumsfeld, afraid this was a bad incident, lied, got caught and is proud.
YOU ARE NOT TO BLAME, SOLDIER. RUMSFELD IS!!!!
Botany
(70,614 posts)..... he fought to the very end and gave up his life to save the others in his outfit, and why
the pentagon produced an animated video showing that Pat got killed from mistaken
fire from US long range "big guns" from a road through the valley when it turned out
he was killed by friendly fire.
P. Tillman had 3 rounds to his forehead (1 burst from 10 meters).
My is that Pat was killed on orders from up high because he was about to
come out against the Iraq War. I very well might be wrong but please remember
these guys lied to start a war, blew off over 50 pre 9/11 warnings, and kept the White
House by two dirty elections.
GoneFishin
(5,217 posts)against bad PR regarding a friendly fire incident, burning his journals is irrational because he could not possibly have written anything about it in his journals. Obviously he wrote something else which they did not want the public, or even his own mother to know.
and a very logical pronouncement.
Sadly, in the twisted reasoning of Americans (many on DU) that is what makes us "conspiracy theorists."
Actually it is very provable.
There had to be a conspiracy to burn those private journals (no "lone gunman" .
Obviously the journals were deemed harmful to TPTB, they destroyed them.
Theory? nope, it is a fact that his journal disappeared as did Tillman himself.
The PTB created an elaborate lie(s) to cover their asses..yes that involved a conspiracy also. One person could not have done it alone.
So these are proven not to be theories, just facts.
Even though we will probably never know (transparency?) all of the facts, it has been so crucial that the Tillman family
did not believe the "official story" (lies) and refused to let this die with Mr. Tillman.
If more people were truth-seekers (like the Tillmans) TPTB would not have such a stranglehold on America.
They would be exposed for the lying traitors they are.
Jackpine Radical
(45,274 posts)LiberalLovinLug
(14,178 posts)Many, even on here, refuse to believe that the word "conspiracy" is even in the dictionary. It is a fabled word that has no meaning. It is impossible for two or more powerful people to get together to initiate a covert operation for their own benefit. And if you suggest it you are CAR-RAZY. (Chris Christie is innocent donchaknow).
elzenmahn
(904 posts)It was Mike Ruppert's From The Wilderness.
Rest in Peace, Mr. Ruppert and Mr. Tillman. You are both heroes, in my book.
Botany
(70,614 posts)but i will always remember the animated film* that the pentagon made that they knew
was false, showing an American tank or mounted gun driving along the valley road
and it showed it shooting up into the mountains and that was supposed to be "the
friendly fire" that killed Pat Tillman .... but he was killed by 3 rounds to his forehead
from 10 meters** by a M-14
* Rummy was huge on pushing that piece of crap but when it turned out to be a fake
he had no idea when and how that faux movie was made.
** that is just about the distance from the 11 yard line to the goal line on a football
field.
I am a big Ohio State fan and I first learned about Pat Tillman before the 1997 Rose
Bowl game (OSU v Arizona State) and that both sides were trash talking but Mr.
Tillman would have no part of that stuff.
NickB79
(19,276 posts)An M-14 fires 7.62x51mm rounds; a single round at close range is enough to practically take someone's head off.
How did they determine it was a 3-round burst? I can't imagine there was much left to autopsy above the shoulders.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Shooting blindly at any targets buildings, people, whatever.
Our military, (Tillman's direct Commanding Officer) probably got rid of his stuff when they tried to cover-up his death. The entire war was the 'high-up' criminal conspiracy
Botany
(70,614 posts)I know a good friend's son who served two tours in Afghanistan and our military was not
running wild killing everybody they saw. Whoever shot Pat was very close to him and he
had to be face to face w/him too.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)The many, many 'for profit' contractors too.
Botany
(70,614 posts)He was killed in Afghanistan in April 2004 .... The battle for Fallujah was in Iraq in November
and December 2004
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Wonder if this soldier, (in this story) was one of the group in Tillmans platoon who got rid of some of his uniform and were removed from the Army Rangers.
blm
(113,112 posts).
L0oniX
(31,493 posts)sofa king
(10,857 posts)Whoever killed Pat Tillman sure as hell knows it, because Tillman was killed by a shoulder-fired three round burst into the face, meaning the shooter was basically staring into Tillman's eyes.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2007/08/10/how-pat-tillman-died/
From the moment the incident happened, investigators have bent over backwards to confuse the issue, and to continually extend the engagement distance out to 200 yards (from 30 feet, originally).
So now we have a guy sheepishly say, "I might have done it." But that's bullshit. No matter what else happened in that confusing incident, someone took deliberate aim at Tillman's head and executed him.
It's coverup for a murder, a murder which the Bush Administration turned into a propaganda issue.
So SOMEONE needs to put that story to bed before a certain other Bush runs for office in 2016.
Otherwise, one might start asking who ordered the cover-up for the murder... for which there might not be a statute of limitations....
See now why Jeb Bush is going to destroy everyone who keeps him from getting close enough to steal it in 2016? He's got to keep his brother out of life imprisonment.
Response to Judi Lynn (Original post)
Name removed Message auto-removed
armodem08
(203 posts)Tillman was killed by Trevor Alders, and it wasn't with an M-16 at close range. It was with a SAW (squad automatic weapon) from a distance, which uses the same ammo. The guys in a distant Hummer saw Tillman and an Afghan soldier, and mistook them for Taliban, but kept shooting like idiots.
If you've haven't read "Where Men win Glory" it's highly recommended. Equal parts history of Pat Tillman, the Bush Adminstration and the Iraq war, and Afghanistan.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/030738604X?pc_redir=1397816750&robot_redir=1
LuckyLib
(6,821 posts)HelenWheels
(2,284 posts)Pat was against the war and made no secret of it. My belief is he was killed to shut him up, thus the destruction of his journals.
EX500rider
(10,881 posts)He was against the war he left the NFL to fight in? Very unlikely.
riderinthestorm
(23,272 posts)He initially supported the war and left the NFL to join but was quickly disillusioned and made no bones about how wrong he felt it was. At the time of his death, many feared he was about to go public about that.
Cue the conspiracy that he was fragged.
Chemisse
(30,817 posts)whether he fired the deadly shot or not. It must have hounded him.
Although if the conspiracy theory is correct, maybe his announcement was meant to be a decoy for those seeking the truth behind the murder.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)He was with a large group and they all must have fired hundreds, thousands? of rounds. Our military tore those towns to pieces. My heart goes out to this brave man, may he find peace in his soul someday.
Agony
(2,605 posts)Is worth watching and an interesting look into the Tillman family, Pat's mother Mary and his siblings are in this documentary.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1568334/
Agony
rocktivity
(44,580 posts)Last edited Wed Apr 23, 2014, 03:20 PM - Edit history (4)
It's when you cover it up that it becomes scandalous and criminal.
rocktivity