"I believe the buck stops with Gen. Kensinger," Geren said.Tillman, 27, was killed in Afghanistan in April 2004. At first, the Army said he had been killed by enemy forces and awarded him a Silver Star for bravery at a nationally televised ceremony. Five weeks after his death, Tillman's family was told that he died by friendly fire. The Army said the delay was because of procedural mistakes.
Several investigations had determined the Army had not intended to deceive Tillman's family, Geren said at a Pentagon news conference. He blamed the delay on a "perfect storm of mistakes" among Army leaders.The investigations found, Geren said, that Tillman died from friendly fire, that there was no cover-up and that Tillman deserved his Silver Star, the Army's third-highest commendation. He called Tillman's death a tragedy and an accident.Although several other officers were criticized for their actions after Tillman's death, Geren laid the blame squarely on Kensinger. He said the general had deceived investigators about what he knew and when he knew it, failed to inform Tillman's family in a timely way and failed to appoint a safety board to investigate his death."Your failings compounded the grief suffered by the Tillman family, resulted in the dissemination of erroneous information and caused lasting damage to the reputation and credibility of the U.S. Army," Geren wrote in his letter. "You are accountable and responsible for the failures of your command."
