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McChrystal regrets mistakes in Tillman case

Army Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal was well aware that Cpl. Pat Tillman may have been shot by fellow soldiers when he recommended that the former pro football star and Army Ranger receive the Silver Star.

On Tuesday, the nominee to head NATO and U.S. forces in Afghanistan also told the Senate Armed Services Committee that given the chance, he would have handled the situation differently.

McChrystal said he arrived in Afghanistan the day after Tillman was killed during an April 22, 2004, firefight and was immediately told that friendly fire might have been involved. At the same time, he said that as with any lost soldier, officials look into whether a posthumous award might be warranted.

And, he said, the Army’s intent at the time was to get through that process rapidly so that any such award could be presented to the family at the time of burial.

He said his regret is that the process was too hurried and that the award citation was poorly written. It stated that Tillman died from enemy fire, and McChrystal was cited in a Pentagon Inspector General’s report as being “accountable for the inaccurate and misleading assertions” in the citation.

“If I had to do it all over again … we’ve subsequently changed our policy,” McChrystal told the committee. “What we’ve learned since then is it is better to take your time and make sure you get everything right … and not rush it.”

McChrystal said he had informed his entire chain of command about the concern that friendly fire may have been involved, but after reviewing the circumstances of Tillman’s death, he was “comfortable” in recommending the Silver Star award.

Asked Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., “Do you agree that Cpl. Tillman earned his Silver Star by his actions?”

“Absolutely, I do,” McChrystal replied.

He noted that “a number of famous people in American history have been killed by friendly fire,” including Confederate Civil War Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson.

And, he reminded Sen. James Webb, D-Va., “we were still in combat” as the Tillman process was ongoing. At the time of Tillman’s death, McChrystal, currently director of the Joint Staff at the Pentagon, was the commanding general of Joint Special Operations Command.

But, he added, “We failed the family. And I was part of that, and I apologize for it. ... We didn’t get it right.”

Judging from the tenor of most of the committee’s questions, there is little doubt that McChrystal will be confirmed and given a fourth star, as will Lt. Gen. Douglas Fraser, nominated to lead U.S. Southern Command. He would replace Adm. James Stavridis, slated to head U.S. European Command.

Unlike Fraser and Stavridis, McChrystal was controversially tapped to relieve Army Gen. David McKiernan, at least eight months earlier than expected.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced May 11 that he was cutting short McKiernan’s tour as commander of the International Security Assistance Force and commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, saying that he wanted fresh leadership to coincide with the Obama administration’s release of a new strategy for Afghanistan.