Thread by @Hami1tonn

#thread
Remembering Pat Tillman.

‘McChrystal was the head of Special Operations command in Afghanistan during Army Ranger (& former football star) Pat Tillman’s death. McChrystal was the one who approved paperwork awarding Tillman a Silver Star..’ — awarded based on a cover up.

‘This was once a big embarrassment for the army and, to a lesser extent, McChrystal himself (though he has copped to making an innocent mistake). But when the general was elevated to top spot in Afghanistan this past spring, relatively few publications revisited the affair.’

McChrystal worked with W Bush to hide the disaster. Remember, McChrystal was nominated by W Bush as Director of the Joint Staff in 2008 (W.’s final year). The senate protested the appointment, however after a private meeting with the Senate Armed Forces, he was confirmed.

Interesting read.

npr.org/templates/stor…

‘Within hours or less, the Ranger regiment — officers, high-ranking officers back in the States — were conspiring to cover this up," Krakauer says.
A recommendation to award Tillman with a Silver Star medal, one of the U.S. military's highest honors, immediately became narrative.

"when a soldier is killed in combat, you should put his uniform, his weapon, et — anything that can be considered forensic evidence should be sent back to the States with the body, so the medical examiners could determine the cause of death. W Tillman, none of that happened."

Tillman's uniform & body armor were burned, & his weapon, helmet, even a part of his brain, which fell to the ground after the attack, disappeared. Army officials told the medical examiners that Tillman had been killed by Taliban — and they stuck by this story..
Interconnected

@threadreaderapp unroll
SM / Tillman