The Disturbing Truth About Pat Tillman’s Death 😳
The transcript describes the final moments of Pat Tillman's death in Afghanistan, detailing how friendly fire occurred when his unit was mistakenly targeted by their own forces during a confused firefight.
Summary
This transcript provides a detailed account of the circumstances surrounding Pat Tillman's death by friendly fire in Afghanistan. The incident began when one military unit (Serial 1) spotted what they believed to be enemy forces on high ground to the west and began firing. However, Serial 2 was actually shooting at the same perceived enemy position where Tillman and other friendly forces were located. The confusion escalated when rounds bouncing off rocks created the appearance of additional enemy fire. Following standard military protocol, when machine gunners didn't receive verbal commands, they were trained to shoot where their squad leader was shooting, causing multiple machine guns including a .50 caliber weapon to target the area where Tillman was positioned. After the initial barrage, Tillman and a private survived and attempted to signal their friendly status by standing and waving their arms, shouting that they were friendlies. However, their hearing had been damaged from the nearby gunfire, making communication difficult. When the firing temporarily stopped, Tillman attempted to resolve the situation by throwing a smoke grenade to signal their position, but as he rose to his knees to throw the grenade, a SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) gunner spotted the movement and fired three fatal shots to Tillman's head.
Key Insights
- Serial 1 and Serial 2 were unknowingly shooting at the same enemy position, creating a crossfire situation with friendly forces caught in between
- Machine gunners are trained to shoot where their squad leader shoots when they don't receive verbal commands, which caused multiple weapons to target the same area
- Pat Tillman and the private's hearing was damaged from .50 caliber rounds firing right next to them, making communication difficult during the firefight
- Tillman and the private attempted to signal friendly status by standing up and waving their arms while shouting 'Hey, it's us. It's friendly'
- Pat Tillman was fatally shot three times in the head by a SAW gunner when he rose to his knees to throw a smoke grenade as a way to stop the friendly fire
Topics
Transcript
[0:00] Six guys in serial 1 said they saw enemy up in the high ground to the west. They don't know though. Serial 2 is shooting at the same enemy. Rounds are bouncing off rocks looking like even more fired. When a machine gunner does not get a verbal command, they're trained to shoot where their squad leader shoots. He just shot at the Afghan. So all the machine guns swing around, including the 50 cal. 10 m behind the Afghan is Pat and the private. They begin opening up. These guys are on their back and suddenly the [0:30] firing stops. Pat and the private think the Afghan's down, but they don't know that yet because they didn't see…
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