Pat Tillman/Jessica Lynch (Iraq, enemy, accuse, soldiers)

[BlueWillowPlate]

The brother of Pat Tillman bitterly accused the U.S. military Tuesday of deceiving the public and the family of the football-star-turned-Army-ranger to promote a story of heroism that suited its purposes.

Jessica Lynch, an Army private who was captured in Iraq soon after the 2003 invasion, also testified about the early accounts depicting her as a "girl Rambo from the hills of West Virginia" who had emptied her gun as enemy soldiers closed in. In fact, she was captured without firing a shot.

In both cases, the early official accounts have long been challenged as additional facts have come out bit by bit. But the sight of those directly involved, speaking with anger and puzzlement about the inaccuracies of those stories, helped demolish them in a particularly human way.

link

Some "support for our troops."
I hope that all the truth will come out.

[saganista]

Has nothing to do with the troops. Has everything to do with a civilian leadership whose very modus operandi is lying. It's what they do. Time after time. Day in, day out...

[Dd714]

The Tillman death was unfortunite. It appeared there was a coverup in the military - could have been a legitimate honorable attempt to save the familiy some grief, or a less than honorable attempt to keep some soldiers out of trouble. But friendly fire death's occur in every war. The army needs to come clean on it and then the people need to move on.

The Lynch thing, from my understanding, was a press feeding frenzy who wanted a made for TV event, a female rambo. Look at the press and media for blame in that issue. Again, move on.

Saginista - you must really have a miserable life living in this country.

[spunky1]

Really, what exactly is the point/question from the OP?
I do understand and sympathize with the Tilman family that the truth was hidden from them. . . and as far as Ms. Lynch, it just seems like she is riding the wave for her moment in front of the camera. I would think she would be more than greatful that our military risked their lives to save hers . . . again, she chose to enlist. . . if the military tried to paint her as girl rambo. . . well maybe they were trying to make her appear in a better light instead of not defending herself. But again, what is the question and purpose of this thread? Let me guess, could it be to just bash our military and our leaders?

[Mom2Feebs]

Originally Posted by saganista

Has nothing to do with the troops. Has everything to do with a civilian leadership whose very modus operandi is lying. It's what they do. Time after time. Day in, day out...

Oy vey....

Originally Posted by Dd714

The Tillman death was unfortunite. It appeared there was a coverup in the military - could have been a legitimate honorable attempt to save the familiy some grief,

Bingo.

[BlueWillowPlate]

Originally Posted by spunky1

Let me guess, could it be to just bash our military and our leaders?

If you want to call my thread "bashing," be my guest.
I call these manufactured stories lies.
So many lies permeate our leadership.
Don't we the American public deserve to know the truth?
Of course deception happened during Vietnam. Likely it happened centuries ago.
But that doesn't make it okay.
I mean c'mon, *enough* already. This war, this presidency, is depressing enough without this kind of stuff. These lies compound the bitterness of what's happening to our country. No doubt the media plays a part.
But they have plenty of ammunition. (No pun intended.) We were being "sold" a war.
I don't think Lynch necessarily "rode any wave." I think she kind of got taken for a ride, and wants to clear things up.
As she and her fellow 11 soldiers drove through Nassiriya, Iraq, they noticed armed men standing in the streets and on rooftops. Three soldiers were quickly killed when a rocket-propelled grenade slammed into their vehicle, Lynch said...
link

[ontheroad]

Here's another lengthy article at http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/etick...e=tillmanpart1

[ducter]

Now that the internet is here unlike some previous wars, these things can be exposed alot easier to the public. How low can they go but to lie about someone that is already dead. I see in the future that many will not want to be in the army because, as usual, our governments lies and greed will destroy a good thing.

another linke
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/04/...ing/index.html

[Dd714]

Originally Posted by cil

She was distraught to come home and find herself billed as a hero when two of her fellow soldiers had fought bravely until the firefight's end and another had died after picking up soldiers and removing them from harm's way. In the March 23, 2003, attack, Lynch, the Army claimed, was shot and stabbed during a fierce gun battle with Iraqi troops that left 11 of her comrades dead. It was later learned that Lynch never fired a shot during the firefight because her gun was jammed with sand.[/i]
link

I find it so ironic however, the press is making such a big deal of this. I blame only one institution for the Lynch thing - THE MEDIA. They are the ones that picked up and expoded the story about some chick fighting to her last bullet based on one lone reporter's report.

The army never claimed she was shot and stabbed. The quote above is reaching, really reaching. One jarhead, probably at some bar after the reporter bought him a drink, claimed to one reporter that she was shot and stabbed. And reporters being what they are ran with it and evidently made some facts up as they went along.

Now Katie Couric and her like are saying they were deceived when they were the ones that originally failed to check sources, failed to verify facts, and reported what was basically a feel good fluff story just so they can increase there already dismal ratings? Where is media responsibility? Yeah like Rather was deceived about the fake Bush national guard memo. The main stream media never ceases to amaze me with their lack of responsibility.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by Dd7I4

The Tillman death was unfortunite. It appeared there was a coverup in the military - could have been a legitimate honorable attempt to save the familiy some grief, or a less than honorable attempt to keep some soldiers out of trouble. But friendly fire death's occur in every war. The army needs to come clean on it and then the people need to move on.

Out of scattered and unsubstantiated early reports that went to no great lengths to uncover the friendly-fire aspect, the military prepared an initial and quite incomplete preliminary report that the Administration used to spin up another bit of pro-war propaganda. Same as it ever was. All at the family's expense, of course. There's 'family values' for you.

Originally Posted by Dd7I4

The Lynch thing, from my understanding, was a press feeding frenzy who wanted a made for TV event, a female rambo. Look at the press and media for blame in that issue. Again, move on.

Horse-hockey. The entire Jessica Lynch story that you initially heard -- beginning, middle, and end -- was a deliberate fabrication by the Administration. There is and never was any basis for any of it. As has happened so often, their fictional account of the facts was passed on to a credulous media who simply ran the story as it was fed to them.

Originally Posted by Dd7I4

Saginista - you must really have a miserable life living in this country.

Actually, I live something of an idyllic life. Of course, the insights that my work provides into some of the ways in which this Administration corrupts rather than promotes American values is a bit of a downer, but that should all be over soon enough. Then the problem will be what to do about the the remainder of the sadly brainwashed masses who actually bought into all this neocon BS...