Ralph Kauzlarich

Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Kauzlarich is the U.S. Army commander of the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment of the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. [cite web
url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17321271/
title=Eleven days till Baghdad: Key to Bush's new Iraq strategy, a commander and his troops head into war
first=David
last=Finkel
date=2007-02-25] He was the officer assigned to conduct the first investigation of the circumstances of Pat Tillman's death. [cite web
url=http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=tillmanpart1
title=An Un-American Tragedy
first=Mike
last=Fish
publisher=ESPN.com
accessdate=2007-02-25]

Kauzlarich has made critical statements about the Tillman family based on Tillman's apparent agnosticism. In comments to ESPN, Kauzlarich said:

"These people have a hard time letting it go. It may be because of their religious beliefs" and "When you die, I mean, there is supposedly a better life, right? Well, if you are an atheist and you don’t believe in anything, if you die, what is there to go to? Nothing. You are worm dirt. So for their son to die for nothing and now he is no more... I don't know how an atheist thinks, I can only imagine that would be pretty tough." [ [http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/20060728_worm_dirt/ Truthdig - Reports - Playing the Atheism Card Against Pat Tillman’s Family] ]

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., suggested in an oversight hearing to military officials on April 25, 2007, that Colonel Kauzlarich's remarks should be punished as conduct unbecoming of an officer. [cite web |url=http://www.denverpost.com/ci_5743176 |title=Deceit surrounding death of Tillman spawns disgust |last=Neuman |first=Johanna |publisher="Los Angeles Times" |accessdate=2007-09-16] [cite web |url=http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070517170253.pdf |title=Committee Inquiries on Disciplinary Action |date=May 17, 2007 |accessdate=2007-08-16] The military has yet to take disciplinary action against Kauzlarich.

In 2007, Kauzlarich was charged with taking his battalion into Baghdad with the task of clearing volatile neighborhoods of militia fighters.

Kauzlarich is a 1984 graduate of Grants Pass High School, Grants Pass, Oregon and of the United States Military Academy at West Point.

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