General Censured in Tillman Death

Chief misled probe after friendly fire cut down ex-NFL star
By Peter Fearon,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 1, 2007 6:26 AM CDT
General Censured in Tillman Death
Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger Jr., center, outgoing commander of U.S. Army Special Operations Command, at Fort Bragg, N.C., kisses his wife, Greta, as U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Schoomaker, right, looks on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005. Kensinger Jr., one of the highest-ranking officers in the Army, personally...   (Associated Press)

A retired three-star general has been censured for a "perfect storm of mistakes, misjudgments and a failure of leadership" following the friendly-fire death of ex-NFL star Pat Tillman, the AP reports. Lt. Gen. Philip Kensinger misled investigators probing Tillman's death, which was initially said to be the result of heroic action in Afghanistan, and may have his rank reduced.

Kensinger also failed to initiate a safety probe and didn't inform Tillman's family when the investigation was launched. He was "captain of that ship and his ship ran aground," said Army Secretary Pete Geren, who opted not to order a court martial. Tillman, 27, walked away from a multimillion-dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals to join the Army Rangers. (More Pat Tillman stories.)

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