Tillman likely killed by friendly fire.

[mauldooku]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/05/29/tillma ... index.html

[Darth Wong]

http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/05/29/tillma ... index.html

Tragic, but it's not difficult to see how that could happen in the chaos of an ambush.

[HemlockGrey]

I do wonder though, why guys like the Marine who wiped out 20 insurgents get so little publicity while people like Lynch and Tillman get enormous amounts (although Tillman deserved it much more than Lynch).

[Sarevok]

That is becuase the media is biased. They only publicise stories they think will sell more.

[Tribun]

"Killed by friendly fire".

Would they have known this from the beginning, we most likely would have never heared of it.

[Stofsk]

I do wonder though, why guys like the Marine who wiped out 20 insurgents get so little publicity while people like Lynch and Tillman get enormous amounts (although Tillman deserved it much more than Lynch).

Lynch is a media 'hero', in the way that term gets applied to someone who is victimised and considered a 'hero'. I don't remember the specifics of that particular case, but as I recall it stank of a fiasco (like I read, for instance, that Lynch was actually smuggled out of the hospital by friendly Iraqis, who went to a Coalition checkpoint and were ordered to turn back for some bizarre reason - and I can't remember where I read that, I think it was Time... or maybe somewhere else)

Tillman is a patriotic 'hero', in the way that term gets applied to someone who made the ultimate sacrifice. It's tragic he died, but it's worse that he died by friendly fire. Understandable that it happens, but no less tragic.

While that Marine who took on the insurgents sounds like a real-life action movie, there isn't an element of tragedy to it. It is the odd man out for this reason. Lynch was a victim, and a 'hero'; Tillman was a victim as well, and in doing so became an ultimate 'hero'; the marine just killed some enemy troops. Big deal. (that's the kind of mindset the media has, not my own)

It sounds like bullshit, but for some strange reason it makes sense to me.

[Gil Hamilton]

I do wonder though, why guys like the Marine who wiped out 20 insurgents get so little publicity while people like Lynch and Tillman get enormous amounts (although Tillman deserved it much more than Lynch).

Because Marines kill 20 insurgents all the time, you can't make a news story out of it.

Meanwhile, you've got Jessica Lynch, America's Littlest Blonde GI captured by the Evil Horrible Merciless Iraqis and Pat Tillman, the All-American Football Star who gave it all up to fight for his country and was killed in the line of duty. Both make excellent bits of news propaganda. You can milk those stories for countless five minute television spots and body copy for magazines.

[Elfdart]

"Killed by friendly fire".

Would they have known this from the beginning, we most likely would have never heared of it.

I would think they knew the minute they dug the bullet(s) out of him. But the Pentagon has a PR arm and sat on that part of the story, just as they pimped the story of Pvt Lynch shooting it out until her rifle jammed.

[TrailerParkJawa]

It is sad that he was killed by friendly fire, but does not really change anything.

[Aaron]

I would think they knew the minute they dug the bullet(s) out of him. But the Pentagon has a PR arm and sat on that part of the story, just as they pimped the story of Pvt Lynch shooting it out until her rifle jammed.

Hahaha, the Pentagon needs to re-evaluated it's PR. Jessica Lynch was a coward who instead of fighting, threw down her weapon and prayed. Hyping her supposed story up just made the Pentagon look stupid once the truth came out.

[HemlockGrey]

Because Marines kill 20 insurgents all the time, you can't make a news story out of it.

But I would think the Pentagon would be flogging that sort of story to pieces. What would they rather have? "More Americans die," or "American kicks ass and takes names?"

[Stormbringer]

Because Marines kill 20 insurgents all the time, you can't make a news story out of it.

But I would think the Pentagon would be flogging that sort of story to pieces. What would they rather have? "More Americans die," or "American kicks ass and takes names?"

They're probably trying. But since they were flogging prisoners as well, the good news tends to be drowned out.

And let's face it, gloom and doom seems to sell better.