It's not that I am not saddened by his death, but I have to wonder if every other solider that died has had the same amount of investigating.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Senior defense officials say a Pentagon investigation will recommend that nine officers, including up to four generals, be held accountable for missteps in the aftermath of the friendly-fire death of Army Ranger Pat Tillman.

The Defense Department inspector general will find that there were a range of errors and inappropriate conduct as the military probed the former football star's death in Afghanistan in 2004, said one defense official.

The official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said it appears that senior military leaders may not have had all the facts or worked hard enough to get the facts of what happened.

The U.S. Army last year launched a criminal investigation into the death of Tillman, who gave up his career with the National Foodball League's Arizona Cardinals to fight terrorism after the 9/11 attacks.

Initial reports after his death said Tillman, 27, was shot and killed by Taliban forces during an ambush on April 22, 2004. An investigation later found that fellow soldiers shot Tillman, thinking he was part of an enemy force firing at them.

Tillman's family demanded to know why his uniform and body armor were burned a day after he was killed and why they were not immediately told he might have been killed by fellow soldiers.

A 2005 report from Brig. Gen. Gary Jones contained sworn statements from soldiers involved in the incident who said they burned the items because they had taken pictures of the scene and knew how Tillman had been killed.

Initially, Tillman's blood-covered uniform and armor were said to have been destroyed because they were considered a biohazard.

Two years before his death, Tillman walked away from a $3.6 million contract with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals to serve in the military. He was posthumously awarded a Silver Star.

Tillman was a member of A Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment based at Fort Lewis, Washington. His brother, Kevin, trained with him and served in the same unit.