Tillman's family tells of military's deceit

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WASHINGTON - The brother of Pat Tillman, the soldier who saw Tillman die and the naval officer who eulogized him told Congress in emotional testimony Tuesday that the military misled the nation and betrayed Tillman's family with false stories about how the former NFL star and San Jose native died.

Kevin Tillman, who served with his brother in an Army Ranger platoon, went further. With his mother, Mary Tillman, at his side and military brass sitting behind him, he accused leaders of "exploiting Pat's death" with "deliberate, calculated lies" that suppressed how other Rangers accidentally killed Tillman in a 2004 "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan.

"This wasn't a misstep or error in judgment," said Kevin Tillman, who was speaking in public for the first time about his brother's death and how news about it was handled by the military. The Army and others, he said, "attempted to hijack his virtue and his legacy."

The purpose of the embellished story, he charged, was to deflect Americans' attention from some unsavory aspects of the war in Iraq, and that it worked - for a while.

The hearing was the first congressional inquiry into problems of notifying families in a timely and truthful manner about their loved ones' deaths on the battlefield, and the perils of distorting events in wartime to cast them in more positive light.

Chairman Henry Waxman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said his panel was looking into other "friendly fire" incidents and how the military handled information and informed families. Mary Tillman agreed the scope of the inquiry should go beyond her noteworthy son: "This really isn't about our family or about Pat. It's about what they did to the nation. They're diminishing true heroism. War is ugly, bloody and painful, and to write these glorious tales is a disservice."

Waxman and his panel also heard from Jessica Lynch, the 19-year-old Army supply clerk captured during the first month of the Iraq war and then rescued by U.S. forces. Lynch testified Tuesday that Pentagon accounts depicting her as a "G.I. Jane" emptying her rifle at Iraqi soldiers before her capture were a public-relations fabrication.

Lynch said she has been battling "misinformation and hype" since she returned from Iraq, badly injured, to discover a media depiction of her as "the little girl Rambo from the hills of West Virginia who went down fighting. It was not true."

The Defense Department's inspector general, Thomas Gimble, defended his investigation into the handling of Tillman's death. He noted that his March report found fault with nine officers - including four generals - and that they face possible punishment.

Tillman's case "was not well handled, but I don't see a cover-up," Gimble said.

Waxman, a Los Angeles Democrat, disagreed. "Even now, there seems to be a cover-up to prevent us from knowing what happened."

Waxman said his committee was just beginning to investigate how the Defense Department handled five different Tillman investigations since 2004, and a committee spokesman said additional hearings are likely.

The committee, known for its extensive investigations, heard from two key witnesses who played important roles in the case: Spc. Bryan O'Neal, who was just yards from Tillman when he was killed, and Senior Chief Stephen White, a Tillman friend who gave a eulogy at the May 2004 memorial service in San Jose.

O'Neal recalled how he and Tillman frantically waved and shouted as other members of the platoon fired on them. He recalled seeing blood everywhere, and seeing Tillman "slumped back on the ground, covered in blood. He was shot in the head. There wasn't much left of him."

Hours later, O'Neal said he was "appalled" when Lt. Col. Jeff Bailey gave him an unusual order: Don't tell Kevin Tillman, who was serving nearby, that his brother was killed by friendly fire.

"He basically said, `Don't let Kevin know, that he's probably in a bad place knowing his brother is dead.' And he made it known I would get in trouble, sir, if I spoke with Kevin on it being fratricide," O'Neal said.

Days later, O'Neal sent a brief report on the shooting for a narrative that led to a Silver Star being awarded posthumously to Tillman. But that narrative was changed substantially, and the citation for the award spoke about Tillman's valor under enemy fire.

Immediately after the hearing, Mary Tillman embraced O'Neal, whom she was meeting for the first time.

Under questioning, Gimble said his investigation was "unable to determine who in the chain of command altered that statement."

White was asked by the Tillman family to speak at the memorial service. He said an officer whose name he can't remember gave him a summary of how Tillman was killed, and White told the large crowd of how Tillman "took the fight to the enemy."

"I'm the guy who told America how he died. That was incorrect," White told the committee. He paused. "That does not sit well with me."

Because Tillman was so well known, his death was a difficult challenge for the military. Gimble's investigation criticized officers for waiting five weeks to tell the family how Tillman died.

There is growing evidence that Tillman's death was a prime topic at the highest levels of the military and Bush administration. When he was killed in April 2004, the White House was dealing with the bloodiest month in Iraq to date and the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.

Six days after Tillman's death, a White House speechwriter, John Currin, contacted the Pentagon to get more information about Tillman and how he enlisted, an e-mail released Tuesday showed. Currin wanted it for a speech by President Bush to the annual White House correspondents dinner.

A day after that e-mail, Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, commander of joint special operations, warned top generals that Tillman's death was likely caused by friendly fire. McChrystal was worried that Bush might include comments about Tillman in a speech.

He warned in the memo that "it was essential that you received this information as soon as we detected it in order to preclude any unknowing statements by our country's leaders which might cause public embarrassment if the circumstances of Cpl. Tillman's death become public."

Bush praised Tillman and his courage at the dinner, but made no specific comments about how he died.

McChrystal and another general, Philip Kensinger - who attended the San Jose memorial but did not tell the family how Tillman died - were severely criticized in Gimble's report, and face punishment under an ongoing review by a four-star general, William Wallace.

Gimble admitted to the House committee that he "did not look into" possible contacts between the Pentagon and White House over the case, and that investigators did not question Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld about what he knew and when.

Instead, Rumsfeld sent a letter to the investigation that he did not know the true nature of Tillman's death for several weeks, Gimble said.

Kevin and Mary Tillman said they found that difficult to believe. Rumsfeld was keenly interested in Tillman's service and had written him a personal letter of thanks after his enlistment.

Mary Tillman said she felt "betrayed and foolish" after she learned how her son died, and urged Waxman's committee to "find out exactly what happened."

Jessica Lynch said she still hears some people say that the stories about her heroism - however false - at least inspired troops and the nation.

She doesn't accept that: "The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals for heroes, and they don't need to be told elaborate lies."