Hearing on Tillman, Lynch Incidents: Waxman’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. Chairman Henry Waxman gives opening remarks.
Video Transcript
ranking member then we'll go right to
our witnessesuh... i also want to start off this
hearing by saying something that i thinkhis very clear andalready obviousmy colleagues whether they're democrats
or republicans support our troopswe are all deeply grateful for their
sacrificeswe know that so manymen and women have voluntarilyput their lives on the line to defend
this country and our freedombut is probably just as obvious that the
actions of our governmentare not needing our aspirationswe saw that vividly unforgettable ewhen wehad the hearing and we watcheddisgraceful condition to walter reedwe saw it againwhen our governmentofficials made an intolerable breachby making public the secret and
classified c_i_a_ kennedyof valerieplane wilsonand we're going to see it again this
morningthe bare minimum we'll our soldiers and
their familiesis the truththat didn't happenfor two of the most famous soldiers in
the iraq and this guy and i can't standwarsfor jessica lynch and pat tillmanthe government violated its most basic
responsibilitysensationaldetails and stories were inventedin both casessometimes because of the fog of war the
first reports from the battlefield areinaccuratebut that doesn't seem to explain what
happened herein jessica lynch's case the first
reports were rightit was a follow up stories published ten
days after her capturethat discarded the facts and misled the
countrythe washington post publisher front page
story on april second two thousand threeit was written by vernon loeb and dana
priestand it got the story rightpoint to read the lead paragraphsjessica lance a nineteen-year-old
private first class missing since theambush of an armymaintenance company ten days ago in
southern iraqhas been rescued buysspecial operations forcesdefense officials said yesterdayc_i_a_ operatives in iraq located lynch
in ahospital near not ceriumwhere she was being held because of
multiple woundsofficial said in a helicopter born team
of navy sealsan armyscared herabout midnight local timei was an accurate statement but the next
dayapril three the washington post rananother front page story this one was
written by susan schmidt and vernon loeband the contrast with the april two
story is remarkablehere's what the post reportedp_r_c_ jessica lynch rescued tuesday
from an iraqi hospital five fiercelyand shot several enemy soldiers after
iraqi forces ambush the army's fivehundred seventy ordnance maintenance
company firing her weapon until she ranout of ammunitionu_s_ officials said yesterdayblanchard nineteen-year-old supply kurt
clark continued firingat the iraqis even after she sustained
multiple gunshot wounds and watchedseveral other soldiers in her unit diedaround herand fightingmarch twenty three one official saidpart of this false information come fromjessica lynch was captured on march
twenty threethe washington post published a
completely factual article on a rescueon april secondbut then they went onten days after captureu_s_ officials have become the sourceof our report that riveted the nationbut twisted the troops beyond
recognitionit's four years later and we still don't
know who's responsible or why they diditall we really know as if they did a
great disserviceto jessica lynchand so i want to say the private lynch
in her family who are here todaythis committee is going to do its bestto find out the source of the
fabrications that you had to endurewe want to know whether they were the
result of incompetenceor deliberate strategy to spina compelling story at a critical timeand we'll do our best to find outboot should be held accountableeveryone on this committee is also
familiar with pat thomas caseand we all share our sympathies with his
wifemarine mother maryfather patrick his brother kevin and his
entire familybut his family once more than our
sympathies and apologiesthey want answers they deserve thempat tillman was killed by members of his
own platoon on april twenty two twothousand fourthree years ago this past sundaybut since thenthe family has been unable to learn why
the military told the worldthe corporal tillman had been killed by
the enemy when in fact they knewhe had died from friendly firenews of the factors i flew up the chain
of command within days but the tell myfamilywas kept in the dark for more than a
monthmany military officials said in silenceduring a nationally televisedmemorial ceremonyhighlighting packed elements fight
against the terroristsevidence was destroyedwrist witness statements were drpatel meant family wants to know how all
of this could have happenedand they want to know whether these
actions were alljust accidentsor whether they were deliberatelyand working on this hearingthe committee has learned of many other
cases in which the military fail toothtell thefamilies the truthsergeant eddie ryan was a victim of
friendly fire during his second tour iniraqhe sustained to gunshot wounds to the
headed thankfully still alivebut he didn't find out the truth about
his injuries until five months latereven though this fellow marines knew
immediatelythat his injuries were due to friendly
fireother families like those areperson tennis eric a smallprivate first classlavina johnson and lieutenant allardhave been forced to file freedom of
informationact requestin order to obtain information about the
deaths of their loved onesthese families have to ask the military
repeatedlyfor basic informationbut they have been ignoredor dismiss twistsslow n incomplete answersand this is simply unacceptableone of the things that makes the
afganistan iraq war so different fromprevious warsis the glaring disparity in sacrificefor the overwhelming number of americansthis war has brought no sacrifice and no
inconveniencebut for a small number of americans the
war has demandedincredible and constant sacrificethose soldiers and their families pay
that probably price proudly and withoutcomplaint complaintthat's why jessica mentioned pat tillmanthat's what they did inwhat their families have donebut our government has failed themour government has done notour government has done right by themand i hope in some small but important
waythis hearing can bringto beginthe uh...the thorough bring can begin to write
those wrongsleast we ought to artcourageous men and women who are
fighting for our freedom is the truthand that's what we're going to insist onthis hearing and in our subsequentexaminationand investigationwhen i read
Pat Tillman was a professional football player with the Arizona Cardinals.
In response to the September 11, 2001 incident, he passed up a $3.6 million contract and joined the Army. His sacrifice became made him a symbol of patriotism and a poster child for Army recruiters.
Pat Tillman came to his senses and turned against the wars. Through friends and family, he made contact with anti-war icon Noam Chomsky.
Perhaps Tillman was ready to make a public statement of opposition to the wars, which would have been a public relations catastrophe for the Army. We will never know. Perhaps the Army knew he was going to go public with a statement of opposition. We will never know.
Pat Tillman took three bullets through the head on April 22, 2004. He was shot at close range by his own men while on paatrol in Afghanistan.
A massive coverup followed, in which the public was told that Tillman had been killed by hostile fire. He was awarded the Silver star. The conspiracy to deceive Tillman's grieving family and the public went to the highest levels of the Army, and centered on one Lt. General Stanley McChrystal.
Eventually, the fraud was exposed, and a half-hearted congressional investigation followed.
Pat Tillman is still dead. His mother, Mary Tillman, still grieves. Lt. General Stanley McChrystal was promoted to supreme commander of the Afghan theater.
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. Bruce Braley questions whether edits were made to original reports about the incident that resulted in Tillman's death.
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.
Tiffany, Chrissy and Jack all ran in the 8th annual Pat's Run in Tempe, AZ. Then Bryce and Mason ran their hearts out in the Kid's Run shortly after. After a quick pit stop at home we were back out for some more fun. Bryce and his little league team joined hundreds of other little leaguers as they walked around the field at Chase Field. Then we watched as the Arizona Diamondbacks lost to the Atlanta Braves for the third straight night. And lastly I head to my brother's house for some dinner and fun but find myself in a little trouble.
Day 21 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix8oNJb0n4c
Day 23 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fShQaj58vMA
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Thumbnail courtesy of Sheila Dee at http://OnTheCreativeSide.com: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheila_dee/5646426933
The Bridge at Hoover Dam is an extended photographic essay resulting from a two-year personal project by Jamey Stillings. For more information, see: www.bridgeathooverdam.com
"Only On The Web": Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire cast a shadow on the U.S. military. Katie Couric says Tillman's death is a tragedy made all the more tragic by the military's handling of it. (CBSNews.com)
Professional football player Pat Tillman joined the Army after 9/11 and was killed in Afghanistan by friendly fire during a gun battle. But as Erica Hill reports, the story told by the government was quite different.
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
New Hoover Dam Bridge - Initially, I thought they were building a suspension bridge with the very high towers on both side installed and managing and installing all those expensive high quality cables, but no. In my opinon, they choose the most EXPENSIVE and unnecessary lengthy and WASTAGE way to build this bridge. Surely, it's another way to "skin a cat" - the US Bridge Authority?
Marie Tillman discusses her experience at CGI U and as advocate and founder of the Pat Tillman Foundation, a nonprofit organization that invests in veterans and their families through education and community. In the fall of 2008, she began a major initiative, the Tillman Military Scholars program, which aims to create the next generation of leaders by helping a select group of veterans, active service members, and their dependents fulfill their academic dreams.
Video production courtesy Triton TV /
I Wrote this song for our fighting men and their families.
I do NOT support the wars.
I DO support our Brothers and Sons who fight them!
On this night I dedicated this song to Pat Tillman. At the time I had no idea of the lies that had been told.
We are just starting to learn the truth about what really happened to Pat.
Marie Tillman and Darnell Dockett invite you to help our veterans and their families continue their education and return to work.
Text TILLMAN to 50555 to make a $10 donation to the Tillman Military Scholars program today.
$10 will be added to your phone bill/deducted from your personal account. Message and Data rates may apply. Reply STOP to 50555 to stop. Full terms: mGive.org/t
