The Honor Snatchers

If there is one thing that sums up Pat Tillman and his life, it is that he deserved better than this. From the WP article:

That their son was famous opened up the situation to problems, the Tillmans say, in part because of the devastating public relations loss his death represented for the military. Mary Tillman says the government used her son for weeks after his death, perpetuating an untrue story to capitalize on his altruism -- just as the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was erupting publicly. She said she was particularly offended when President Bush offered a taped memorial message to Tillman at a Cardinals football game shortly before the presidential election last fall. She again felt as though her son was being used, something he never would have wanted.

Yes, it is absurd that Newsweek gets scalded for an honest mistake by the same manipulative con men who concocted this shameful tale. But is anyone also noticing that things tend to go horribly wrong with this administration's ham-handed "hero" campaigns? From mission-not-accomplished, to Jessica Lynch, to Pat Tillman, veracity seems to be in short supply among our political and military leaders when they decide we "need" to hear something. This exposes the cynicism of those who don't believe in the power and truth of their own policies and ideas.

The irony--and the outrage--is that Tillman was a real hero. His life was all about truth. He turned down a pro-football contract worth millions so he could serve in the military, and insisted on being treated like every other soldier. But the military couldn't even honor that one wish, even in death. They used that death as a cheap stunt while Abu Ghraib was breaking during an election year. We'll remember his sacrifice as honorable, despite the best efforts of his superiors.

Based on how the Abu Ghraib inquiry got stomped on before it got near anyone who set policy, demanding that the military yank this one out of its memory hole long enough for an investigation that results in anything is probably futile. But whoever is responsible should be stripped of rank and dishonorably discharged if military, and publicly exposed and shamed if civilian.

One reason the war is off the public's radar screen is because the military prohibits photographs of soldiers' caskets, ostensibly for the privacy and dignity of the families. But when those bodies can still be used for propaganda, privacy and dignity and honor all take a back seat.

Par for the course with this bunch, isn't it?