The bunkers of military secrecy are notoriously impregnable when officials want them to be, and regarding the fate of Cpl. Pat Tillman, the Army wants them shut tight. Even in the faces of Tillman's family. And despite the Army's assurances that it would share what it learned with them.

It is one matter to forbid public scrutiny of the Army's recently completed report on Tillman's death by "friendly fire" in Afghanistan last year. We don't like it, especially since the truth about his tragic fate had to be wrestled from the utterly disingenuous U.S. Army by the media, including The Arizona Republic.

But it is something else entirely - something dismissive, in fact - for the Army to shut out Pat's survivors.

Last November, the Army vowed that it would scrupulously review that terrible day, April 22, 2004, when Tillman, a former ASU and Arizona Cardinals football star, was killed.

But even then the military's cooperation came only in response to the Tillman clan's persistent demands for disclosure.

Last Wednesday, the Army declared that mission accomplished, describing its findings as "huge in the level of detail." But it would release none of those details.

Was the investigation as complete and honest as the Army claims? A military spokesman contends - obliquely - that there was a "degree of satisfaction expressed by the family" when Tillman family members were briefed on the report.

But when Republic reporter Billy House asked if the family was satisfied, Patrick Tillman Sr., would only respond, "No. And I don't want to talk about it."

Since the senior Tillman's comment is the public's sole measure of Army candor in its report, the only reasonable conclusion, then, is that the Army still is hiding the complete truth.

Without a satisfactory report - to somebody - we have no reason to believe the Army has done its job adequately.

As we said last year, we can handle the truth about this fallen hero. Certainly Pat's no-nonsense family can handle it.

We have not seen the truth yet.