3 Bullets To The Head

This is unbelievable stuff (via):

Army medical examiners were suspicious about the close proximity of the three bullet holes in Pat Tillman’s forehead and tried without success to get authorities to investigate whether the former NFL player’s death amounted to a crime, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press.

“The medical evidence did not match up with the, with the scenario as described,” a doctor who examined Tillman’s body after he was killed on the battlefield in Afghanistan in 2004 told investigators.

The doctors - whose names were blacked out - said that the bullet holes were so close together that it appeared the Army Ranger was cut down by an M-16 fired from a mere 10 yards or so away.

This is not dead solid evidence that Tillman was murdered, but it certainly casts some doubt on the "friendly fire" cover story, which was in itself the second story after a "he was attacking Taliban troops" cover story. And there's more to contemplate:

_ In his last words moments before he was killed, Tillman snapped at a panicky comrade under fire to shut up and stop “sniveling.”

_ Army attorneys sent each other congratulatory e-mails for keeping criminal investigators at bay as the Army conducted an internal friendly-fire investigation that resulted in administrative, or non-criminal, punishments.

_ The three-star general who kept the truth about Tillman’s death from his family and the public told investigators some 70 times that he had a bad memory and couldn’t recall details of his actions.

_ No evidence at all of enemy fire was found at the scene - no one was hit by enemy fire, nor was any government equipment struck.

That three-star general is likely to be demoted. But Tillman's death became a nationwide rallying cry for the Army, at the highest levels, including the White House. They're not saying much about what they knew at the time about Tillman's death, citing... wait for it... executive privilege.

This isn't definitive evidence that Tillman was silenced because he was turning against the war. And there's nothing to suggest that any premeditation existed at levels above that of his platoon, though they may have capitalized off of the death.

But the doubt this raises, especially because the first story was proven wrong and the Army has proven themselves willing of a cover-up in the case, is striking. I didn't think I could be shocked anymore.