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http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/news/stories/20070429/opinion/170848.shtml
False tales of heroism: Pentagon's lies dishonor service of Lynch, Tillman
It comes down to a question of trust.
For the most part, Americans trust the U.S. military. The question is, why doesn't the military trust us?
Two incidents in our overseas conflicts, and the Pentagon's spin of each, have us wondering.
First came Pfc. Jessica Lynch, the West Virginia soldier rescued from Iraq after she was injured in a 2003 firefight. The story first came out that she went down with guns blazing before she was captured, then heroically rescued.
But after she returned home, Lynch was quick to dispel that tale. She didn't fire on the enemy, and was hurt when the truck she was riding in came under attack. Her hospital rescue, in fact, was delayed so that video could be shot and played back home for maximum effect.
"The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don't need to be told elaborate lies," Lynch told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Tuesday.
The committee also heard the case of Cpl. Pat Tillman, the former NFL star who made headlines when he gave up a lucrative football career to join the Army Rangers. He was killed in Afghanistan in a "friendly fire" incident in 2004.
Some Pentagon officials decided that the real story behind Tillman's death might be bad for the Army's image. The fact that he was killed by his fellow solders' mistake was covered up almost immediately, the truth hidden not only from the public but from Tillman's family as well for nearly two months.
In testimony Tuesday, a Ranger colleague of Tillman's said he had been ordered by his superiors to keep quiet about the incident that took his friend's life. In its place, the Army concocted a story similar to the one used in Lynch's case, that Tillman died in a heroic firefight against the enemy.
The honorable service of soldiers like Tillman and Lynch stands on its own without fictionalized, Rambo-like accounts of heroism. Such deception insults our intelligence and sullies the honor of those who serve. Our soldiers don't need made-up stories to affirm their courage and sacrifice. The fact that they volunteered to be there and face the dangers of war makes them heroes already.
In a time of war, it is important for our government to tell us the truth in an unromanticized manner. Now that the Pentagon has been caught in a web of lies over these incidents, it makes us wonder what else it has lied about. They not only lied to us, but to the soldiers' families and even to the president for whom they are supposed to serve.
"We shouldn't be allowed to have smoke screens thrown in our face," said Mary Tillman, Cpl. Tillman's mother. "You're diminishing their true heroism to write these glorious tales. It's really a disservice to the nation."
Many in the Pentagon have criticized the news media for failing to acknowledge positive stories out of Iraq, claiming they instead focus on areas of the country where violence and unrest continue. In some cases, they have a point. Yet they undermine that argument when they make up stories of heroism that did not occur. Does one distorted picture of war justify another?
The sons and daughters of American families are fighting overseas and we deserve to know what they are up against. We know war is hell. It is ugly and brutal, yet often necessary. Let the truth stand, even when it's unpleasant.
If Americans feel the war is valid, they will support it, regardless of its costs. If not, trumped-up stories of false bravery won't change any minds either way.
Originally published Sunday, April 29, 2007
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/25/earlyshow/main2725423.shtml
False tales of heroism: Pentagon's lies dishonor service of Lynch, Tillman
It comes down to a question of trust.
For the most part, Americans trust the U.S. military. The question is, why doesn't the military trust us?
Two incidents in our overseas conflicts, and the Pentagon's spin of each, have us wondering.
First came Pfc. Jessica Lynch, the West Virginia soldier rescued from Iraq after she was injured in a 2003 firefight. The story first came out that she went down with guns blazing before she was captured, then heroically rescued.
But after she returned home, Lynch was quick to dispel that tale. She didn't fire on the enemy, and was hurt when the truck she was riding in came under attack. Her hospital rescue, in fact, was delayed so that video could be shot and played back home for maximum effect.
"The bottom line is the American people are capable of determining their own ideals of heroes and they don't need to be told elaborate lies," Lynch told the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Tuesday.
The committee also heard the case of Cpl. Pat Tillman, the former NFL star who made headlines when he gave up a lucrative football career to join the Army Rangers. He was killed in Afghanistan in a "friendly fire" incident in 2004.
Some Pentagon officials decided that the real story behind Tillman's death might be bad for the Army's image. The fact that he was killed by his fellow solders' mistake was covered up almost immediately, the truth hidden not only from the public but from Tillman's family as well for nearly two months.
In testimony Tuesday, a Ranger colleague of Tillman's said he had been ordered by his superiors to keep quiet about the incident that took his friend's life. In its place, the Army concocted a story similar to the one used in Lynch's case, that Tillman died in a heroic firefight against the enemy.
The honorable service of soldiers like Tillman and Lynch stands on its own without fictionalized, Rambo-like accounts of heroism. Such deception insults our intelligence and sullies the honor of those who serve. Our soldiers don't need made-up stories to affirm their courage and sacrifice. The fact that they volunteered to be there and face the dangers of war makes them heroes already.
In a time of war, it is important for our government to tell us the truth in an unromanticized manner. Now that the Pentagon has been caught in a web of lies over these incidents, it makes us wonder what else it has lied about. They not only lied to us, but to the soldiers' families and even to the president for whom they are supposed to serve.
"We shouldn't be allowed to have smoke screens thrown in our face," said Mary Tillman, Cpl. Tillman's mother. "You're diminishing their true heroism to write these glorious tales. It's really a disservice to the nation."
Many in the Pentagon have criticized the news media for failing to acknowledge positive stories out of Iraq, claiming they instead focus on areas of the country where violence and unrest continue. In some cases, they have a point. Yet they undermine that argument when they make up stories of heroism that did not occur. Does one distorted picture of war justify another?
The sons and daughters of American families are fighting overseas and we deserve to know what they are up against. We know war is hell. It is ugly and brutal, yet often necessary. Let the truth stand, even when it's unpleasant.
If Americans feel the war is valid, they will support it, regardless of its costs. If not, trumped-up stories of false bravery won't change any minds either way.
Originally published Sunday, April 29, 2007
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/04/25/earlyshow/main2725423.shtml
