One of the most difficult paths in life is the death of a family member, especially due to violent events.
The military used to know and understand how to handle such events in the KIA of a soldier when that soldier died under less than heroic circumstances. The last thing a family needs to try and process is their son or daughter was killed in less than favorable circumstances.
No one needs to know their child, spouse or parent was stupid and fell in a sewer ditch and drown. No one needs to know their family member shot themselves in suicide or by accident and no one needs to know their relative was killed from a mistake from friendly fire.
This is the problem of the United States Army in the death of Pat Tillman. It has caused his family great turmoil. His own brother was writing letters in pain as a shill for political reason against President Bush trying to vent the frustration he feels and the nation is dealing with another military problem which should never have occurred.
Pat Tillman even in being awarded a medal for being killed by an enemy is probably going to have to have his family give that medal back as the truth of his death has come out.
There has not been a war ever where some soldier in the heat of battle did not run his sword through his comrade or blown someone's head off by accident. War is a violent place with the intended results of death and sometimes people on the same side end up killing each other.
In times past, such events were noted and not repeated by an understanding in the chain of command that officers dealt with the problem at command quietly.
The last thing a military needs is the thought it's soldiers are incompetent and killing each other or for the horrid burden of a soldier knowing they killed one of their own. That kind of burden is something which does not go away and no human should ever be subjected to that....and yet in the Pat Tillman case that is exactly what "truth tellers" have done to a soldier or soldiers who thought they were only doing their job just like Pat Tillman.
It is an absolute disgrace that the military and the media did not do the right thing in this in simply letting the legend like in The Man shot Liberty Valance create a hero where none existed, because as a journalist said in that movie, "When the legend becomes fact....print the legend".
The Tillman family and the American family should never have been put through any of this ever as much as the person who actually was responsible for Tillman dying. My heart goes out to that squad, because sometimes when it is 20 guys in a fire fight no one knows who pulled the trigger and now an entire unit of 20 good people will be forever haunted with an event which will probably God forbid consume them and kill them.
I am reminded of General Nelson Miles, the greatest military general of the late 1800's, who was at a plains Indian massacre. One of his soldiers still remember Custer's and the death of a good portion of the 7th Cavalry was simply terrified and ended up chasing an Indian woman into the brush and literally murdered her, because he was out of his mind.
Miles found the boy, because that is what he was and the kid was shaking and about out of his mind as it dawned on him what he did. Miles though didn't report the event nor castigate the kid. He simply comforted the young soldier knowing this kid would never do that again and it was an act of the heat of battle and the kid was out of his head.
To have court martialled him would have ruined him and his family as forever by public humiliation carrying a burden which happened in but a moment in time.
The military used to understand this, as much as politicians and media that war is a horrid business and as long as your soldiers are behaving themselves 99 percent of the time as American soldiers always do then one simply prints the legend created by the 99.
Knowing Pat Tillman died by the hand of an American soldier accomplishes nothing, but making those few warped personalities who hate everything American smile in hatred trying to vent the hate they carry for their own self loathing souls.
Someone should have been adult in this in the military and simply closed the book for the sake Pat Tillman, his family, the soldier or soldiers who caused his death, the military and America as this does no good for anyone.
It is utter nonsense to try and hide behind telling the truth when every day every person conceals some fact which protects someone from either their feelings being hurt or actual harm. You don't tell someone their butt looks huge in those pants to save their feelings and you do not tell families that their greatest sacrifice was given because junior fell in a sewer chasing a rat with a stick and drown.
You, as in Americans, simply put he was killed in action and send him home to a grieving family with that precious American flag holding him letting that family believe their junior died a hero, because he really did in volunteering to go into a hell where the enemy meant to murder them and taking all the basic training and all the separation which soldiers deal with.
It doesn't matter if a soldier dies an idiot, a happening of circumstances or is Sgt. York. They were all serving a nation grateful they were there.
So I personally ask every nose poking jerk in the media to grow the hell up next time and not report an event no one needs to know about, because you certainly hid enough about Hillary Clinton thinking Americans didn't need to know and I ask every General to grow up and do their job in closing the books without questions and ask every politician to grow the hell up too and not ask questions that don't need to be asked.
Pat Tillman died an American hero and that is all his family needed to be told, because all Americans who die in service are heroes.
Let the dead rest in peace and let the families live in peace.
Print the legend, The Man who Shot Liberty Tillman as the legend is what comforts the living and the living are who matter now.
