Pentagon challenged on Lynch and Tillman

Former US private Jessica Lynch condemned on Apr. 24 what she said were Pentagon efforts to turn her into a "little girl Rambo," and accused military chiefs of using "elaborate tales" to try to make her into a hero of the Iraq War. Speaking at a congressional hearing on the use of misleading information, an emotional Lynch described how she suffered horrific injuries when her vehicle was hit by a rocket near the Iraqi town of Nasiriya in March 2003, killing several of her companions. The US military has come under criticism for allegedly spinning stories from Iraq and Afghanistan. The hearing is also looking at the case of the US football star-turned-soldier Pat Tillman, who died in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan in 2004. The hearings were called to examine why "inaccurate accounts of these two incidents" were put out by the Bush administration. The Pentagon initially put out the story that Private Lynch had been wounded by Iraqi gunfire but kept fighting until her ammunition ran out. In fact, her gun had jammed and she did not fire a shot. Lynch has criticized Pentagon efforts to use her for propaganda purposes before. But her appearance before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, chaired by congressman Henry Waxman (D-CA), inevitably will take on a political dimension at a time when the White House is under pressure on Iraq. Lynch criticized the Pentagon, saying: "I'm still confused why they lied and tried to make me into a legend." Initial reports also suggested that Lynch had been abused after she came to in the hospital. She said the reports were lies: she had been treated well and the Iraqis had tried to return her to US forces. "The nurses tried to soothe me and return me," she told the hearing, adding that she objected to the way in which the US military had portrayed her. "American people don't need to be told elaborate tales" about US forces, she said. Also testifying before the committee that day was Pat Tillman's brother, Kevin. Tillman said military and other administration officials created a heroic story about Pat's death to distract attention from setbacks in Iraq and the mistreatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. Tillman said the military knew almost immediately that his brother had been killed accidentally. But officials chose to put a "patriotic glow" on his death, he said. Tillman said the decision to award his brother a Silver Star and to say that he died heroically fighting the enemy was "utter fiction" that was intended to "exploit Pat's death." Tillman's tone was bitter. He described the early accounts of his brother's death as "deliberate and calculated lies" and "deliberate acts of deceit," rather than the result of confusion or innocent error. Within hours of his brother's death, the Army went into information-lockdown mode, cutting off phone and internet connections at a base in Afghanistan, posting guards on a wounded platoon mate, and ordering a sergeant to burn Tillman's uniform. New Army investigative documents describe how the military sealed off information about Tillman's death from all but a small ring of soldiers. The clampdown, and the misinformation issued by the military, lie at the heart of the congressional investigation. It is well known by now that the circumstances of Tillman's Apr. 22, 2004, death were kept from his family and the US public; the Army maintained he was cut down by enemy bullets in an ambush, even though many soldiers knew he was mistakenly killed by his own comrades. The day after Tillman died, Spc. Jade Lane, amid his shock and grief, recovering from gunshot wounds inflicted by the same fellow Rangers who had shot Tillman, noticed guards were posted on him. "I thought it was strange," Lane recalled. Later, he said, he learned the reason for their presence: The news media were sniffing around, and Lane's superiors "did not want anyone talking to us," he said.