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Panel Hears About Falsehoods in 2 Wartime Incidents
House Democrats burrowed into the histories of Pfc. Jessica D. Lynch and Cpl. Pat Tillman in a hearing on Tuesday, holding up the episodes as egregious examples of officials twisting the truth for public relations in wartime.They received help in making their case from witnesses who have mostly shied from the spotlight, Ms. Lynch and Corporal Tillmans mother, Mary, and brother, Kevin, who enlisted in the Army along with him after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. I am still confused as to why they chose to lie and tried to make me a legend when the real heroics of my fellow soldiers that day were, in fact, legendary, said Ms. Lynch, speaking softly but firmly into the microphone as more than 12 photographers clicked away in front of her. Accounts from officials of Ms. Lynchs bravery held the nation in thrall in the early stages of the Iraq invasion in 2003 after her maintenance convoy went astray near Nasiriya and she was taken prisoner. After her rescue, which was made into a television movie, she disputed those who said she fought off Iraqi soldiers until she was captured. She never fired a shot, she restated on Tuesday. The story of the little girl Rambo from the hills who went down fighting was untrue, she said. Kevin Tillman was scathing in his assessment of how his brothers death in Afghanistan in 2004, which was later determined to be a result of American fire, was initially portrayed by the military as an act of heroism in the face of enemy fire. A terrible tragedy that might have further undermined support for the war in Iraq was transformed into an inspirational message that served instead to support the nations foreign policy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Mr. Tillman said. Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California and chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, promised to take his quest for answers in the case, which drew most of the questions from lawmakers, to the highest levels of the Bush administration. We dont know what the secretary of defense knew, said Mr. Waxman, who has made himself a thorn in the administrations side since Democrats took over control of the House in January. We dont know what the White House knew. These are questions this committee seeks answers to. Posted by: Dave D. 2007-04-25 |
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