Tillman & Lynch: Lies from the Warmongers

Would you buy a used war from this man?

April 25--A sharply divided House brushed aside a veto threat Wednesday and passed legislation that would order President Bush to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq by Oct. 1.


Pat Tillman turned down a $3.6 million NFL contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the Army, along with his brother Kevin, several months after the 9/11 attacks. After taking part in the invasion of Iraq, the brothers were redeployed to Afghanistan. Pat Tillman was killed accidentally in April 2004 by fire from his own unit. The Army lied to his family about the cause of his death. The Bush adminisration quickly moved to cover up the details--and still hasn't told the public the truth.

His outraged brother Kevin, appearing before the House Oversight Committee, 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 tale "inspired countless Americans, as intended," said Kevin Tillman, also a former Ranger. "There was one small problem with this narrative, however: It was utter fiction...intended to deceive not only the family but more importantly the American public."

The 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 the Pentagon's account, depicting her as a "G.I. Jane" emptying her rifle at Iraqi soldiers before her capture, was pure 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."