Washington – President Bush hopes someone is held responsible for the U.S. military’s mishandling of information about the death of former football star Pat Tillman in Afghanistan, the White House said Wednesday.
Bush did not learn about the unusual circumstances of the Army Ranger’s death until after the soldier’s memorial service on May 3, 2004, said deputy press secretary Dana Perino.
Military officers at first said Tillman had died in an ambush when, in fact, he was accidentally killed by fellow U.S. troops.
“I think that he feels deeply sorry for the family and all that they’ve gone through,” Perino said of the president. “And he’s pleased that the Department of Defense has taken it upon themselves to investigate it. And he hopes that people are held to account.”
Bush asked for updates about Tuesday’s hearing by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which was held to learn whether and when top Defense officials and the White House knew that Tillman’s death resulted from friendly fire.
“It’s not clear – people don’t remember – if he (Bush) heard it from media reports, or if he heard it from the Pentagon, but it was sometime after the funeral,” Perino said.
