Pat Tillman Death Inquiry Surprises

We all know the story of Pat Tillman by now. The former Arizona Cardinals star joined the elite Army Rangers to fight the war on terror. He served two terms, and was killed in Afghanistan.

The President and the Republicans used his death as a way to boost their approval ratings -- we all fell for it. Initially. Then word came out that it wasn't enemy combatants that killed Tillman -- instead, it was friendly fire.

And an investigation into the matter? Shunted. But things are starting to leak from the investigation now.

From the AP:

They walked the landscape with surviving witnesses. They found a rock stained with the blood of the victim. They re-enacted the killings - here the U.S. Army Rangers swept through the canyon in their Humvee, blasting away; here the doomed man waved his arms, pleading for recognition as a friend, not an enemy.

"Cease fire, friendlies, I am Pat (expletive) Tillman, damn it!" he shouted, again and again.

The latest inquiry into Tillman's death by friendly fire should end next month; authorities have said they intend to release to the public only a synopsis of their report. But The Associated Press has combed through the results of 2 1/4 years of investigations - reviewed thousands of pages of internal Army documents, interviewed dozens of people familiar with the case - and uncovered some startling findings.

More startling than the fact that Tillman was screaming at them "I'm Pat (expletive) Tillman!" while being shot to death by his own troops?

Yes.

One of the four shooters, Staff Sgt. Trevor Alders, had recently had PRK laser eye surgery. Although he could see two sets of hands "straight up," his vision was "hazy," he said. In the absence of "friendly identifying signals," he assumed Tillman and an allied Afghan who also was killed were enemy.

Another, Spc. Steve Elliott, said he was "excited" by the sight of rifles, muzzle flashes and "shapes." A third, Spc. Stephen Ashpole, said he saw two figures, and just aimed where everyone else was shooting.

Squad leader Sgt. Greg Baker had 20-20 eyesight, but claimed he had "tunnel vision." Amid the chaos and pumping adrenaline, Baker said he hammered what he thought was the enemy but was actually the allied Afghan fighter next to Tillman who was trying to give the Americans cover: "I zoned in on him because I could see the AK-47. I focused only on him."

All four failed to identify their targets before firing, a direct violation of the fire discipline techniques drilled into every soldier.

Remember, this is an elite force, the Army Rangers.

They didn't have enough food or water to stay alert, according to the AP.

Tillman's platoon had nearly run out of vital supplies, according to one of the shooters. They were down to the water in their Camelbak drinking pouches, and were forced to buy a goat from a local vendor. Delayed supply flights contributed to the hunger, fatigue and possibly misjudgments by platoon members.

I'm not sure if they were down because they were out for so long or because this was messed up from higher up.

I recommend reading the entire article, it is a very good one.

Any comments on this?

Update ABC News poses some questions in the killing

Are the Rangers who fired at Tillman and their other fellow soldiers guilty of criminal wrongdoing? Why did the Army glorify Tillman's actions on the battlefield during the firefight in which he was killed? Did the Army purposely conceal that Tillman had been killed by friendly fire? If so, why? And did the Army consciously puff up the Tillman story by awarding the dead soldier a Silver Star, its third-highest distinction for combat valor, to go along with his Purple Heart and a posthumous promotion from specialist to corporal?

Not particularly relevant, but I find it odd that many of the "key documents" obtained by ABC News were actually given to ESPN.com. Not exactly your first choice for hard news.