Washington, D.C.
The Army last week admitted it mishandled the investigation of the 2004 “friendly fire” death of former pro football player Pat Tillman in Afghanistan, but his family isn’t satisfied. A report on the investigation concluded that officers learned immediately after Cpl. Tillman’s death that he was killed by a member of his own platoon, who mistook him for the enemy. The officers withheld that information from Tillman’s family for more than a month, creating “perceptions of concealment,” the report said. Four generals and five lower-ranking officers face “corrective action,” but no charges, in the matter. The Army also upheld its decision to award Tillman a Silver Star, which is given for heroism under enemy fire. The Tillman family said the report perpetuated a “conspiracy” to conceal the facts of Tillman’s shooting. And by awarding Tillman the Silver Star, it said, the Army was “exploiting the death of our beloved Pat as a recruitment poster.”
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