“YOU ARE NOT ALONE”
by Pauline Boyle, ©2017
(Mar. 12, 2017) —[Editor’s Note: The following account was written by Pauline Boyle, widow of a civilian contractor killed in 2012 in Afghanistan in circumstances that have remained unexplained by the Army and his employer, L-3 Communications/Engility Corp.
Retired Chicago Police Department officer and U.S. Marine veteran Thomas J. Boyle, Jr. was supporting the 303rd Military Police Company out of Jackson, MI in Kandahar Province when the base came under attack by Islamic insurgents on June 19, 2012. However, Mrs. Boyle is convinced that her husband did not die by enemy fire, but rather, by “friendly fire” occurring after one or more Army Reservists mishandled their firearms while attempting to respond to the insurgent attack.
She has received anecdotal communications from eyewitnesses stating that the public explanation provided for his death does not match the facts on the ground that day.
Also killed was an Afghani interpreter stationed in a tent at the time. A number of serious injuries were incurred and reported to the U.S. Department of Labor in accordance with federal law.
While the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force initially informed Mrs. Boyle, in response to FOIA requests, that they possess no documents pertaining to her husband’s death, in January she received a response from the Air Force stating that the documents it possessed are classified and therefore non-releasable per executive order signed by former President Obama.
Mrs. Boyle pointed out to the Air Force’s FOIA officer that it sanctioned exclusive video footage by National Geographic for a documentary aired in 2013 in which the rescue and evacuation of survivors of the FOB Provincial Reserve Kandahar attack were depicted.
In an unexpected turn, shortly after Donald Trump’s inauguration on January 20, the Air Force said it reopened Mrs. Boyle’s FOIA request.
Because the Army produced three different death certificates with as many causes of death for her husband, Mrs. Boyle made the difficult decision to have her husband’s body exhumed for an independent autopsy. At the same time, she reported that she believes her movements were tracked and that she was nearly run off the road by a vehicle with a “U.S. government” license plate.]
President Trump believes his phones were tapped and everyone is denying this could happen. From my own personal experience, I can state, “Yes, it is happening – because my phone was tapped, my emails monitored and my movements watched. Here is but one incident in which I was tracked and listened to….how else did “they”’ know where I was headed? How else did “‘they” know who to call? Yes, we are all being monitored – it’s time to open your eyes.
I had been working with NALC (North American Law Center) for over a year in July of 2014, trying to get to the truth regarding my husband’s death. Our focus was on the military and L-3 Communications at that time. One of the lead investigators from NALC, who was working with me extensively, agreed that we needed to exhume my husband’s body. It had taken me well over six months to find a doctor willing to do so and I had spent 6-8 hours a day trying to find someone to perform the second autopsy. Most doctors, once they found out the government was involved, declined to perform the post mortem examination, but I finally found an expert willing to help. Even the exhumation was difficult, as the county medical examiner where Tom was interred ran into interference. Finally, all fell into place and early one July morning Tom’s body was exhumed and driven over 500 miles for the examination. We were given 24 hours in which to do so and return the body as the grave could not remain open longer than that time frame. I had not told anyone about these plans – only a few knew of the exhumation and none of them lived in close proximity to me.
When we arrived at the hospital with Tom’s body I was met by the doctor who was to perform the examination. He immediately asked me if I had called him earlier that morning, to which I stated I had not. The doctor then stated that he had received a garbled message from what he thought someone identified herself as me asking to call back. When the doctor called the number back he received a recorded message that said, “Boyle residence.” He had thought perhaps I was delayed so he called the number back and left a message with his name but no one returned his call. It was obvious that the phone numbers I had been recently calling were accessed.
Unfortunately, I had to be present for the opening of the casket and set up the camera so that the entire examination would be recorded. The doctor and his assistants were kind enough to help and stated they would insure the recording was done and that there was no need for me to stay during this part. I gladly took their suggestion as I was exhausted and shaken. I walked to the cafeteria to have some coffee and called the NALC investigator and mentioned to him the odd phone message the doctor had thought came from me earlier that day.
Soon after leaving the hospital, the investigator called me to ask if I could obtain the phone number the doctor had called back (the one he thought was me). I contacted the doctor who gave me the number and I forwarded it to the investigator. By the time I returned to my room for the evening there was a message to call the investigator.
It was at that time I was told by the investigator that the number came from a “throw-away” phone. The billing address came up as a vacant lot on a nearby Indian reservation.
And the last sentence I will never forget – he said, “Pauline, you are not alone.”
