Army reviews find few disparities

? A new review of reports on Army soldiers killed in combat has uncovered none that differ significantly from the information initially given to family members, Army officials said Friday.

The review, which began about a month ago, covers about 500 reports and marks the first step in a new process being ordered by Army Secretary Francis Harvey to ensure that families receive accurate information about how U.S. soldiers died in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We know that out of roughly 2,000 deaths, the error rate is probably under 1 percent, but even if it’s a single case, it’s too many. That is the bottom line,” Col. Patrick Gawkins, chief of the Casualty and Memorial Affairs Operations Center, told The Associated Press on Friday.

He said it was impossible to provide an exact number, partly because Harvey is about to order all Army unit commanders to send a list of their combat deaths to the Casualty Center. There, an officer will review the cases to make sure the conclusions match what families of the deceased have been told.

Gawkins acknowledged that the Army is taking a second look at a few of the cases already reviewed.

The changes come in the wake of several high-profile instances – including the death of Cpl. Pat Tillman, the former Arizona Cardinals NFL star – in which families were given erroneous or old information about the circumstances surrounding the death.

First reported Thursday by the AP, the draft of the new order initially asked units to send the full reports to the center, but officials decided it would be more efficient for them to just send lists. The order is likely to be issued within a week, said Army spokesman Paul Boyce.