He was Alpha Company's strongest man, the one consistently relied on to carry the extra load, like the second-hand, 70+ lb. radio gear. He was the enlisted men's leader to whom they came to carry their grievances to the officer corps, lifesaving paramedic, and cell phone lender to any depressed soldier in need of an uplifting phone home.
When you see The Tillman Story, you will wonder about cover-ups, public relations campaigns, strange reports, non-reports, and how the murder of an outspoken leader like Patrick Tillman could have happened and been misreported for so long.
When you know more about Patrick McCaffrey, you may wonder the same.
Training the Iraqis up
Around 2004 our news echoed the administration's consistent mantra that they were "Training the Iraqis up, so we can step down." Patrick was an excellent trainer, teaching Iraqi soldiers how to shoot, patrol, explode, and be nice to civilians and kids, which was the only love Patrick had in war.
Lieutenant Andre Tyson and Patrick were also integral parts of Task Force Tacoma, assigned to aggressively break up, arrest terrorists, and guard FortAnaconda from attacks.
Patrick's ardor for serving dissipated quickly in Iraq. Few incidents, however, dissipated his enthusiasm more than when after a mortar attack McCaffrey's unit stopped two Iraqis on a motorcycle, one of whom McCaffrey recognized as a man he had been training earlier in the day at Camp Anaconda. After testing them for explosive residue, both were arrested. It also drove Patrick to argue forcefully with the officers that they were training too many traitor trainees. As Patrick conveyed to his father, "It made them (his fellow guardsmen) all realize that things were not going the way they were supposed to be going. It also made him mad as hell because now they not only had to look in front of them, but they had to look behind as well."
After another six days in a row of late night patrols, Patrick's tented outfit, sleeping fitfully in 100+ degree temperatures, asked Patrick to get them a night of rest. Bold Patrick made another forceful argument to the officers, but was told "Shut up! Go back and do what you're told."
Returning to his tired men, he said, "It'll probably take some of us getting killed before they pay attention."
On that night, he also called his wife.
"Usually when he called he would reassure me," Sylvia says. "But this time he said, 'Babe, I'm just so tired. They don't let us sleep at night. I just wanted to call and say I love you.' "
So, on June 21, 2004, Lieut. Tyson and Sergeant McCaffrey's outfit went out on another draining 4:00 a.m. patrol, culminating in another 48 hours spent mostly on their feet.
For a variety of security reasons, patrols do not generally cover the same area twice. Units are not typically split up. Air support is not called off. Service in this unprepared for trumped-up war was not typical.
On June 21st 2004 Patrick and Lieutenant Tyson were at least murdered and Bruce Himelright knocked and shot unconscious. His mother, no different than mother Mary Tillman, wanted to know exactly what happened.
It wasn't until May 2006, after Senator Boxer made a forceful Senate presentation and badgered the Pentagon, that General Hillman and three officers were dispatched to make a three-hour report to a long dissatisfied Nadia McCaffrey, who was waiting with two attorneys. By 2006, Nadia had heard from several who served beside and admired their Sergeant McCaffrey. They were telling her not to believe the Army's report.
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