What can one say when the first thing that should have been done is the last thing?
There are ten thousand microcosm stories that demonstrate the futility and incompetence of our country's Middle Eastern policy under the Bush administration. This one, however, is at the top of the list.
So much has already been written about this, there is little of value I can add. I am truly amazed, however, that Pat Tillman, beyond all question a heroic and dedicated soldier who left behind the dream life of a star athlete, would have been so ill-served by the country he swore to defend. Yesterday, nearly two years after his April 2004 death, we learned that the Army will begin its fifth investigation into the incident--this one, looking for evidence of negligent homicide.
The Army said Saturday it will launch a criminal investigation into the April 2004 death of Pat Tillman, the former professional football player who was shot to death by fellow soldiers in Afghanistan in what previous Army reviews had concluded was an accidental shooting.
Col. Joseph Curtin, an Army spokesman, said the Defense Department office of inspector general had reviewed the matter at the Army's request and concluded that a criminal probe was warranted.
In the absence of anything else, I'm sure we all accepted the initial version of events. War is dangerous, after all, and if we are going to lose a national hero, there is at least cold comfort, especially for the family, that he was killed by the enemy, defending himself and his troops.
Except that's not what happened. The story began to unravel. It went from enemy fire, to friendly fire, and now maybe homicidal fire. All along, we had questions, but especially the family.
Members of the Tillman family were notified on Friday, Curtin said. In the past, Tillman's father, Patrick Tillman, and other family members have criticized the Army and its investigations.
"We are obligated to answer the family's questions, as we are with all grieving families," Curtin said.
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A Pentagon official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the new investigation has not been formally begun, said it would focus on possible charges of negligent homicide.
That obligation to the family didn't just arise yesterday, and while it may be SOP for the Army to release "tough" news on a weekend, I'm guessing it would be SOP for law enforcement, under the circumstances and given the high profile of this soldier, to have begun with this step while evidence, memories, and leads were fresh, in order to rule out homicide if nothing else.
The family understands what's going on:
Tillman's mother, Mary, told the Washington Post Saturday that the criminal investigation should have been launched at the onset. "The military has had every opportunity to do the right thing and they haven't," she said. "They knew all along that something was seriously wrong and they just wanted to cover it up."
His father, Patrick Tillman Sr., told the Post that he questioned whether another investigation would provide any more answers.
"I think it's another step," he said. "But if you send investigators to reinvestigate an investigation that was falsified in the first place, what do you think you're going to get?"
Of course, there was every political and PR motivation not to have handled this matter the way any semi-competent police force would have handled it.
Pat Tillman, Abu Ghraib, Jessica Lynch, "buying" favorable news coverage ... yes, truth is indeed the first casualty in war.
Desert Storm, the first major combat that used extensively computerized remote weaponry was also referred to as "The Nintendo War." Invading Afghanistan after 9/11 was the right thing to do, but after our now obviously baseless invasion of Iraq Afghanistan became "The Forgotten War." Overall, our nation's sorry attempt at empire building turned this whole mess into "The PR War."
That last one is a tough one to win when all the facts are against you. There is only some reassurance for us all that when it comes to the manipulation of reality, even a power as great as the Presidency of the United States and the U.S. federal government has its limits.