“For our leaders to exploit the sacrifices of our soldiers in order to mislead the American public is a disgrace to the brave men and women who risk their lives for our country,” Congressman Yarmuth said.

Corporal Tillman’s brother Kevin testified that the inaccuracies released about his brother’s death, were not the result of faulty information, but deliberate attempts to cover up the cause of his death.  Pvt. Lynch, drew no conclusions as to why the military “chose to lie,” except to tell Yarmuth that she felt the military “could have handled situations a lot better.”

One of the most telling moments of the hearing, however, came when Yarmuth questioned Dr. Gene Bolles, the independent contractor who treated Pvt. Lynch in Germany following her release.  Dr. Bolles remained silent when the military falsely reported that she was shot in combat, a claim that ran contrary to his own diagnosis.  While Pvt. Lynch suffered extensive injuries when her vehicle was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade, she did not engage in combat, nor was she shot.

During today’s hearing, Dr. Bolles initially insisted that he was under no constraints, legal or otherwise, to remain silent.  But after further questioning from Yarmuth, Dr. Bolles admitted that he signed a confidentiality agreement at the request of the military shortly before her release, which he had never previously signed for any other patient.

Dr. Bolles’s admission helped confirm the contention that misinformation was deliberately disseminated in order to alter public perception of the war in Iraq.

“Our democratic system depends on the free flow of information to citizens.  It is telling at a time when our government is trying to export democracy around the world that they are undermining it here at home and manipulating the will of the people,” Congressman Yarmuth said.