Pat Tillman's death by "friendly fire"

The US Army lied about Pat Tillman's death. Tillman, a former Arizona Cardinals professional football player, left behind his $3 million annual salary to join the Army Rangers in Afghanistan. He was killed in the line of duty and was awarded the Silver Star for combat bravery posthumously. Unfortunately, the facts of his death don't quite meet the legend the Army created. In an initial statement, the Army said:

He ordered his team to dismount and then maneuvered the Rangers up a hill near the enemy's location. As they crested the hill, Tillman directed his team into firing positions and personally provided suppressive fire. . . . Tillman's voice was heard issuing commands to take the fight to the enemy forces.

No. The truth is that his platoon split up. Some Rangers disobeyed orders. And then he was killed by fellow Rangers when they started blasting away at an "enemy" they couldn't see. From the Seattle Times:

Smoke drifted from a signal grenade Tillman had detonated minutes before in a desperate bid to show his platoon members they were shooting the wrong men. For a few moments, the firing had stopped. Tillman stood up, chattering in relief. Then the machine gun bursts erupted again.

"I could hear the pain in his voice," recalled the young Ranger who had been near him. Tillman kept calling out that he was a friendly, and he shouted, "I am Pat (expletive) Tillman, damn it!" His comrade recalled: "He said this over and over again until he stopped."

Pat Tillman sacrificed for his country. For that we should be thankful. But he was killed by fellow soldiers, and whether we choose to use euphemisms like "friendly fire" or not, he's just as dead. It besmirches his memory, though, to make his death by Army incompetence into a G.I. Joe action hero story.

Lying is not a Moral Value.