President Obama named retired General Stanley McChrystal to co-chair a White House commission on military families this week, but according to perhaps the most prominent military family of the last decade, McChrystal is unfit for that duty. Mary Tillman, mother of Pat Tillman, the former professional football player turned Army Ranger who was tragically killed by friendly fire 7 years ago, is angered by McChrystals appointment, telling ABC News that he was part of the propaganda effort pushing the false tale that Tillman had been killed by the enemy, and keeping the truth from the world - and their family. I was actually pretty shocked to hear it; I dont think its the appropriate choice, Tillman told ABC News. Considering that we have plenty of evidence indicating that McChrystal was involved in the cover-up of Pats death...hes not the right person for that kind of a job. Tillman says the presidents appointment of McChrystal 'makes him look foolish, frankly. She tells ABC News that someone who has a heartfelt desire to help families would not have been involved in the cover-up of a soldiers death, especially one that they used to promote a war. McChrystal - who declined comment to ABC News - was the commander of special operations in Afghanistan when Tillman was killed in April 2004. Soon after McChrystal wrote his commanders an urgent memo that, It is highly possible that Corporal Tillman was killed by friendly fire. Having heard President George W Bush might speak publicly about Tillman, McChrystal wrote to his higher ups to make sure they knew the truth so as to 'preclude any...public embarrassment if the circumstances of Corporal Tillmans death become public. Tillman notes that McChrystal wrote if this becomes public this could be an embarrassment to the administration. He didnt say 'when this becomes public, 'when we tell the family. So there was going to be an effort to cover this up. At the same time McChrystal was sending that confidential memo, he was part of the propaganda effort pushing a false narrative about Tillmans death, the family charges. He signed off on a Silver Star citation that is worded quite misleadingly, noting how Corporal Tillman put himself in the line of devastating enemy fire and in the next sentence referencing how Tillman, (w)hile mortally wounded demonstrated audacious leadership and courageous example under fire... At no point does the Silver Star citation that McChrystal signed even hint that the mortal wounds came from American guns. I would do this differently if I had the chance again - in retrospect they look contradictory, because we sent a silver star that was not well-written, McChrystal testified before the Senate in 2009. And although I went through the process, I will tell you now I didnt review the citation well enough to capture - or I didnt catch that if you read it you could imply that it was not friendly fire. The Pentagon Inspector General recommended disciplinary action against McChrystal, but the army ultimately cleared him of any wrongdoing in 2007. Mary Tillman says McChrystal let her family agonise on a national stage for years for never helping them find out the truth about their sons death. He deliberately helped cover up Pats death and he has never adequately apologised to us for doing that, she says. General McChrystal knew we were actively looking for answers. No one contacted us to try to square with us what had happened. Ive come to learn through this journey that there are many other families that have been lied to by the military about their sons and daughters, she says, and so we feel that what happen to Pat is pertains to other people, not just us. I think its a slap in the face to all soldiers to appoint this man, to be on this committee. Others agree with the Tillmans, including Amir Bar-Lev, the director of the critically-acclaimed documentary The Tillman Story. Putting Stanley McChrystal in charge of a commission on military families is a little like putting Bernie Madoff in charge of a commission on pensions, said Bar-Lev. Jon Krakauer, author of Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman, told ABC News, I think this appointment is an outrage. McChrystal continues to dissemble about the leading role he played in the cover-up. Its shameful. President Obama relieved McChrystal of his command last summer after publication of a Rolling Stone story that featured McChrystal and aides trash-talking members of the administration. But the White House now argues that the president feels strongly that General McChrystal is the right person to help lead this advisory committee on this vital issue. ABC News