The Tainted Eagle
On Nov. 14, 1991, former postal employee, Thomas McIlvane, killed five people, including himself, and wounded five others with a rifle in the Royal Oak Post Office in Michigan. There was already an investigation underway on the management style within the Royal Oak Post Office at the time of the shootings. Oppressive conditions there have been pointed out as a main reason the incident occurred.
This tragedy is an example of an organization allowing a hostile environment to escalate into a dangerous situation. After the killings, higher postal officials said they were not aware of the problems at the Royal Oak Post Office. But official documentation shows otherwise.
This senseless event is the only U.S. postal shooting ever questioned and taken through the grievance procedure. It wasn’t until 12 years later that a combined effort was made to squash any further attempts to reopen the investigation.
The different agencies documented in this book are revealed through correspondence with the author, Charlie Withers. He says their efforts amounted to “a total whitewash,” running through the gamut of the Postal Service, Inspection Service, Justice Department, ATF and others. “Never has there been a book written that shows how carelessly this investigation was conducted and what measure I feel they would take in attempting to stop any legal action that could have been taken against them.”
Author’s Website: http://www.TheTaintedEagle.com
About the Author:
Charlie Withers is a letter carrier for the Royal Oak Post Office and was present during the shootings. He witnessed “the hostile conditions that management created within that office,” adding, “The truth needed to be told that this tragedy was preventable, yet the post office refused to address the situations that were ongoing, which caused this tragedy.” He has documented and researched labor charges, and also interviewed 39 postal inspectors involved in the investigations. Withers was born and raised in Detroit. After serving in the military in Vietnam, he married and has two daughters.
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