Hearing on Tillman, Lynch Incidents: Kevin Tillman’s Opening
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform holds a hearing entitled “Misleading Information from the Battlefield.” The hearing focuses on the death of Army Ranger Specialist Patrick Tillman in Afghanistan and the capture and rescue of Army Private Jessica Lynch in Iraq. The Committee examines why inaccurate accounts of these two incidents were disseminated, the sources and motivations for the accounts, and whether the appropriate Administration officials have been held accountable. Specialist Patrick Tillman’s brother Kevin Tillman gives opening remarks.
Video Transcript
to recognize wanna thank chairman waxman
for holding this hearingen route members the committee for
attending my name is cat's ownertwo days ago marked the third
anniversary and the death of my olderbrother Pat Tillmanspear Afghanistan to our family and
friends there was a devastating lossto the nation it was a moment of
disorientation to the militaryit was a nightmare but the others within
the governmentit appears to have an opportunity April
2004was a was turning into the deadliest
month the dayin the war in Iraq the dual rebellions
in a Japandalusia and the US forces the first
tackle defeatedas american commanders essentially
surrendered pollutionto members about iraq resistance and the
administration were forced to st.to I told the guys demand for January
electionsand and as exchange for assistance in
extricating US forcesfrom its battle with the Mahdi militia a
call about 20,000 additional troops withorderand another twenty thousand troops how
the doors to do the extendedin the myth that this the White House
learn that Christian bronteseymour hersh and other journalists were
about to reveala shocking scandal involving math them
in is this that makedetainee abuse if the silly known as Abu
Grahamthen on April 22nd 2004my brother pat was killed in a firefight
in eastern Afghanistanimmediately after passed out our family
was toldhe was shot in the head by the enemy in
a fierce firefightoutside a narrow canyon in the days
leading up to pass memorial servicemedia accounts based on information
provided by the armyand and the White House worried in a
patriotic glowand became more dramatic in towna terrible tragedy they might have
further undermined supportfor the war in Iraq was transformed into
an inspirational messagethat serve instead to support the
nation's foreign policy warsin Iraq in Afghanistan to further exit
path stuffhe was awarded the Silver Star for valor
the abridged versionbut like this only after steaming gauge
this well-armed enemydid it appear that the enemies by a fire
and a corporalinto the Killzone diminished about that
game in a battlecorporal tell men was heard issuing fire
commandsto take the took the fight to an enemy
on the dominating high groundalways leading from the front corporal
Tom aggressivelymaneuvered his team against the enemy
positionon the steep slope as a result of
corporal Thomaseffort and heroic action the trail
element the platoonwas able to maneuver through the ambush
position relative safety withoutsuffering a single casualty the fight
that ensuedI corporal Thomas position increased in
intensityCourt Hotel unfocused all his efforts on
keeping him and his team sayI'll keep continuing to press the attack
himselfwithout regard for for his own personal
safetyin the face of mortal danger corporal
Tom illustratedthat he would not fail his comrades his
actions are in keeping with the higheststandardsup the United States Army this was an
error that inspired countless Americansas intended there was one small problemwith a narrative however it with other
fictionthe content to multiple investigationsreal series upon traditions the strongly
suggest deliberatein careful misrepresentations we appeal
to this committeebecause we believe is near it was
intended to deceive the familybut more importantly to deceive the
american publicout death was clearly the result a
fratricidalit was due to a series a careless
tackled by several individualin our own place after small harassing
ambush during thisuncontrolled shooting the driver the
vehicle oneself recognize friendliesimmediatelybut kept driving for approximately 400
meterswhile the soldiers in the back in his
truck continued to shoot at the hillsidewhere the US soldiers wereand civilians the vehicle sawarms and hands waving smoke was fine
became gun flaresan Afghan soldier was really a meal
recognizedthey never felt frightened and they
still shut up the villageunprovoked and the vehicle behind
clearly saw the US soldiers on ahillsideand we're calling cease-fire the end
resultsfor the death the pad and the Afghan
soldier as well as two more soldierswounded in the villagethe signs were available but the
decision issuedwas made this was not some fog of warthey simply lost control on according to
sworn statementsstatement on April 26 by the fellow
soldier who was rightnext iPad literally right next to badthanks to quoteI remember watching the family jewish
shooting at us a 50 Cal holed up in yoursitestarted to unload on top us they would
work in burstfifty-caliber 10 to 15 seconds 240 Bravo
10 to 15 secondsback and forth specialist tell me and I
were yellingsees stop stop friendlies families
cease-firebut they cannot hear us telling came up
with the idea to let a smoker agothey stop this stop the family contact
for a few momentsand that's when I realized the AM a
soldier was deadat this time the GMB rolled into a
better position the fire on uswe thought the battle was over though so
we were relievedgetting up stretching out in talking
with one outI heard from 55 stones both on the GMBthey started firing again that's when I
hit the deckspecialist ehlmann at this time was hit
by small arms fireI know this guy hadI know this because I could hear the
pain in his voice as he called outcease-fire friendlies I'm at epping tell
me damn ithe said this over and over again until
he stoppedand quote the fact that this couldcase clearly show in the Afghan soldier
were killed by itfellow members up his platoon as well as
the wounded soldiers on the hillsideand they knew this immediately revealing
that perhaps death was a practice diedwould have been yet another political
disaster during the month alreadyswollen with political disastersand the brutal truth that the american
public when in doubt it will be fineunacceptable to the back soon to be
suppressedan alternative narrative had to be
constructedcrucial evidence was destroyed including
patch uniformequipment a notebook the autopsy was not
on a corner regulationin a field hospital report was falsified
an initial investigation completed witheight to 10 daysbefore testimony could be changed or
manipulated and was hit disturbinglyclose to the markdisappeared into thin air and was
completely replacedby another investigation with more
palatable findingsthis freshly manufactured narrative was
then distributed to the american publicand we believe the strategy had the
intended effectit shifted the focus from the grotesque
torture at Abu gravein a downward spiral up in a legal
active aggressionto a great american who died euros doubtor a month after doubt when it became
clearthere were no longer be possible the
poll of the stuffa few the fax was allowed to the public
into ourgeneral Kensinger was ordered to tell
the american public may 29five weeks later the died a brighter
sidebut with the calculated in the various
twistthe steady quote there was looked it was
no one specific finding faultunquote and that people probably died of
fratricide end quotebut there was a specific fault and there
was nothing probableabout the fact that led to Pat's deaththe most despicable Park with general
Kensinger told the american public20s that quote the results of this
investigationin no way diminish the bravery and
sacrificedisplayed by corporal Tillman and quotethis is an egregious account to
manipulate the publicin that they can anyone would question
the 180 degreeflip and the narrative would be casting
doubt on perhapsbravery and sacrifice such questioning
says nothing aboutat bravery and sacrifice any more the
merrier for Jessicadiminishes her bravery in sacrificeit does however say a lot about the
powers who perpetrated thisupafter the truth have passed that was
partpartially revealed how was no longer
viewsas the sales as that and became strictly
armies problemthey were now left with the task
briefing our family in answering ourquestionswith any luck a family with thing
quietly into our griefin the whole unsavory upin the whole unsavory episode will be
swept under the rughowever they miscalculated our family's
reactionthrough the amazing strength and
perseverancemy mother the most amazing woman on
earth our family I managed to havemultiple investigations conductedhowever police investigation gathered
moreinformation the mountain of evidence
with never used to arrive at an honestor even sensible conclusion the most
recent investigationby the Department of Defense inspector
general in the Criminal InvestigativeDivisionup the army concluded that the killing
of pat was quote an accidentthe handling the situation after the
firefightprescribe is a compilation of quote
misstepsinaccuracies errors in judgment which
created the perceptiona concealment the soldier who shothad admitted in a sworn statement that
just before he delivered the fatal burstfromabout 35 meters away pretty solid target
waiting handsbut he decided to pull the trigger
anyway such an act is not an accidentit's a clear violation of the rules of
engagementwriting up a field hospital court
stating that pat was quote transferredto intensive care unitfor continue CPR after most as had been
taken off by multiple 556 roundis not misleading staying there tonightrectangle bruise covering his chest this
is exactly wherethe armor plate to protect you from
Boyd's is beinglook consistent with powell marks is not
misleadingthese are deliberate and calculated lies
writing a silver star war before asingleI witnessed account is taken is not a
misstep both the buying soldier witnessstatementsforest oberstar is not a misstep these
are intentional falsehoodsthe meet the legal definition for fraud
delivering false information at anationally televised memorial serviceis not an error in judgment discarding
investigationthat is not prepared to preordained
conclusionis not an error in judgment to deliver
it actually just atethis is not deeper stuff ok andthis is concealment has the course not
the only soldierword I'll feel realities reach the
family in the publicin the form of a false narrative first
lieutenant can Ballard I knew Jeff iraqjust one day after patch fratricide went
public his mom karen meredithwith public and was killed by a sniper
our rooftop15 months later she found outhe was killed by unmanned gone from his
own vehiclefirst lieutenant you meanprivate jets the body was still make bit2004 iraq his family was told he was
killed in a vehicle accidenta year later they were Stevie autopsy
reportand they found that he was shot in the
back the army was forced to concede thathe was actually shot by a Polish soldierjust recently outta nowherea lieutenant showed up at the family's
house in 2009 office on his own unitI shot him they're still looking for
answers sergeant Patrick mcafferty waskilled June 22nd 2004for the family was told us calling
ambush by insurgentstwo years later they found out that
those quote insurgencehappen to be the same iraqi troops that
he was trainingbefore his death he told his chain of
command at the same troops he was tryingwe're trying to kill himand his team he was told to keep his
mouth shutabout a year ago I received a phone call
I was at my mom's houseit was an emergency breakthrough from
the operator it happen to be a womannamedgone Helaman from North Carolina so with
two o'clock in the morning her timeher husband Staff Sergeant Brian how a
man was killedin Iraq she was tiredand get receiving new official reasons
why her husband had diedshe was desperate help so she called the
system overthose soldiers deserve better their
families deserve betterour family has relentlessly pursue the
truthon this matter for three years we have
now concluded that our effortsare being actively courted by powers
that are more importantexcuse me they're more interestedin protecting a narrative in getting at
the truth first thing that justice isservedthat is why we ask congress at the Saban
represent have a whole peopleto exercise its power to investigate the
inconsistencies in passed outin the aftermath of into the all the
other soldiersthat were betrayed by this is the wanted
a true that did survive thesemanipulationswas that pat was and still is a greatman he is the most wonderful older
brotherever exist that wanted to leave a
positive legacy based on his actionsneeded gotbut past have at the hands of his
comrades is a terrible tragedybut the fact that the army in what
appears to be others attempted to hijackhis virtue and his legacy is simply
horrificthe least this country can do for him in
returnis done cover who is responsible for his
deathwho live in covered it up and who
instigated those lies in benefited fromthemensure that justice is made it out to
the cobaltpat and these other soldiers volunteer
to put their liveson the line for this country anything
less than the truthis a betrayal those values that all
soldiers
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The Oversight Committee holds a hearing, "The Tillman Fratricide: What the Leadership of the Defense Department Knew." The hearing is part of an ongoing investigation and follows a previous hearing held in April. Witnesses will include former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Former Commander of U.S. Central Command Gen. John P. Abizaid (Retired), Former Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard B. Myers (Retired), Former Commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Gen. Bryan Douglas Brown (Retired). Gen. Kensinger has been served with a subpoena, but has not been able to be located over the past several days and will not appear. Rep. Carolyn Maloney questions witnesses.
Former Army officer Russell Baer chats with me about his good friend Pat Tillman and what Pat would have thought of "The Tillman Story." For more scoop, go to RedCarpetRoxy.com.
August 1, 2007, Congressional Hearing of the death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman, who died due to friendly fire. However, the family of the fallen soldier and the American people were not told this information until a month after. In this clip, Rumsfeld apologizes for the situation being poorly handled.
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform holds a hearing entitled "Misleading Information from the Battlefield." The hearing focuses on the death of Army Ranger Specialist Patrick Tillman in Afghanistan and the capture and rescue of Army Private Jessica Lynch in Iraq. The Committee examines why inaccurate accounts of these two incidents were disseminated, the sources and motivations for the accounts, and whether the appropriate Administration officials have been held accountable. Rep. Dennis Kucinich questions Specialist Patrick Tillman's brother Kevin Tillman about the mysterious destruction of his brother's property.
This ESPN Sports Century biography on Pat Tillman is divided into six parts. I think this aired in 2005. For updated information, read "Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman" by Mary Tillman http://www.amazon.com/Boots-Ground-Dusk-Tribute-Tillman/dp/1594868808 and "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman" by Jon Krakauer http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0385522266/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=1594868808&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1R1ZC333SDPTXNBP09RW
During the April 24, 2007 "battlefield misinformation" hearing held by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Army Specialist Bryan O'Neal describes Pat Tillman's April 2004 death in Afghanistan by "friendly fire."
Pat's Run in San Jose, April 25th 2009. A benefit for Pat Tillman, former NFL Arizona Cardinals. Who died in Afghanistan.The foundation goal & mission is to carry forward Pat's Legacy by inspiring people to make positive changes in themselves and in the world around them. Over 6000 joggers & runners participated in the events.National Anthem by Thia Megia volunteer
The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform holds a hearing entitled "Misleading Information from the Battlefield." The hearing focuses on the death of Army Ranger Specialist Patrick Tillman in Afghanistan and the capture and rescue of Army Private Jessica Lynch in Iraq. The Committee examines why inaccurate accounts of these two incidents were disseminated, the sources and motivations for the accounts, and whether the appropriate Administration officials have been held accountable. Rep. Danny Davis questions Specialist Patrick Tillman's mother Mary Tillman about what senior military officials knew and when they knew it.
