There is no such thing as "friendly fire".

[11 Bravo]

The A Shau Valley taught me that every round expended in combat is labeled "To whom it may concern", and that knowledge fucking well better be hard-wired into every grunt who plans to make it home. The crime in the Tillman case is not that Pat was lit up by his own platoon. Rather it is the fact that an elaborate cover-up was concocted after the fact, shitting all over a young man's sacrifice in an attempt to stir up some sort of patriotic fervor induced support for the war.

There is NO punishment too harsh for the unspeakable bastards behind that endeavor.

[BOSSHOG]

1. Well said My Friend

Republicans just love waving that flag don't they, and think that getting others to do so also is all that is required of them.

[tblue]

2. Thank you, Bravo. I have nothing but respect for those who've been there and offer their wisdom.

How long were you in the war zone?

[11 Bravo]

5. The major ops I was on were Operation Texas Star (Aug-Sept. 1970) and

Lam Son 719 (Jan-Mar 1971). Fortunately, not all that time was spent in the bush. A couple of sessions of I&I (intoxication and intercourse) helped to break up the monotony.

[Richard D]

3. I can't help but wonder

if Tillman's death was about trying to create a hero.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

10. No, I doubt that. I'd guess accidental.

He got in the way of a bullet, or was mistaken for an enemy. Either way, it was an accident.

Some kind-hearted officer probably figured "death from enemy action" would be easier on the family, so made a "little white lie". I'm sure this happens more than we'll ever know.

Then some suck-up bought the little lie and decided to put it in a recommendation for silver star. The web got spun out of control.

And the brass would rather award an un-earned silver star than admit the whole thing was made up.

[Monkeyman]

4. Keep Kicking Ass 11B

[niyad]

6. that term has always seemed utterly oxymoronic to me--and you explained it so well.

[underpants]

7. Recommended

[Mandate My Ass]

8. He was their favorite poster boy for this war - and I can see why

But he was about to come home and call Iraq an illegal debacle.

Couldn't have that now, could we? :grr:

P.S. Why'd they burn his diary?

[Aristus]

9. Too true, 11Bang.

My father, who was stationed at the 93rd Evac at Long Binh, has said to me on several occasions: "If it's coming at me, it ain't friendly!"

[earthboundmisfit]

11. Glad I get to send this to the Greatest

So very well said!

[Recursion]

12. Friendly fire isn't

Suppressive fire won't
Tracers work both ways

Three very important things I learned in the Corps

[firefox_fan]

13. Calling it "friendly" is stupid.

[Pacifist Patriot]

14. Agreed in principle, but there wasn't a terribly nefarious reason the phrase was first used.

"Friendly" is another way of saying "allied" and is in direct opposition to "enemy." It was a way of distinguishing between being killed by the enemy or by allied forces. If someone isn't your enemy, they are your friend...so to speak. It was simply chosen as an opposite.

I don't like the term as I think it is sanitizing and misleading, but I also don't like people linking it to neo-con speak like the "clear skies" initiative or "no child left behind."

No fire is friendly, but friendly fire doesn't necessarily assume a crime and a cover up either. We've got the convenient words "murder" and "assessory after the fact" for that.

I'd like to see our language get more precise myself. The phrase "friendly fire" has unfortunately become insulting to the intelligence rather than a bureaucratic designation for an unfortunate accident in the chaos of war.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

15. In a battle, there's the "friendlies" and the "enemies"

The friendly fire is the stuff that's coming from the friendlies.

I don't get why people pretend to be so confused about the term, it's not even a proper oxymoron.

Pat Tillman's cover-up shouldn't be a surprise to any one. These people are professional liars. They lie even when they don't need to.

[11 Bravo]

18. I'm not "pretending to be confused" by the term, I'm providing a grunt's perspective.

But thanks a lot for explaining to me how combat works.

[TX-RAT]

16. Who were you with in the A Shau?

[Spazito]

17. As Pat Tillman's brother said today, in front of the Congressional

hearing, it is fratricide.

The definition of fratricide is:

fratricide (n.) The killing of one's brother or sister.

He was, indeed, killed by his brothers'-in-arms so fratricide is certainly a more accurate term than the euphemistic term "friendly fire", imo.