Does anyone know what a person who is not a constituent of any of the members of the house or senate armed services committee can do to increase pressure for a new investigation into this case? I will certainly forward to folks I know who have senators and representatives on the committee, but the LJ website does not (as far as I can tell) give other suggestions. Thanks. --- On Sun, 6/29/08, Hilde Lindemann <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > From: Hilde Lindemann <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: LaVena Johnson > To: [log in to unmask] > Date: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 9:25 AM > In case you haven't been following this: > > The tragic story of LaVena Johnson > > Salon has published > <http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/03/07/women_in_military/>quite > > a > <http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/05/27/female_ptsd/index.html>bit > > about how American women in the military sometimes face > more danger > from their fellow soldiers than from their enemies, but the > stories > never seem to stop. And all too often, they go largely > ignored by the > media, as with the case of > <http://www.lavenajohnson.com/>Pfc. LaVena Johnson. > > In July 2005, 19-year-old Johnson became the first female > soldier > from Missouri to die in Iraq. She was found with a broken > nose, black > eye and loose teeth, acid burns on her genitals, presumably > to > eliminate DNA evidence of rape, a trail of blood leading > away from > her tent and a bullet hole in her head. Unbelievably, > that's not the > most horrifying part of the story. Here's what is: Army > investigators > ruled her death a suicide. > > Beyond the obvious evidence of abuse, there was no sign of > depression > or suicidal ideation in Johnson's psychological > profile. The bullet > wound was in the wrong place for her to have shot herself > with her > dominant hand, and the exit wound was the wrong size to > have come > from her own M-16, as the Army suggested it did. The > blatant lie the > military has tried to sell Johnson's family is on a par > with the > cover-up surrounding football star > <http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/2005/06/15/tillman2/index.html>Pat > > Tillman's 2004 death in a friendly fire incident. > Unlike Tillman's > widely reported story, however, outside the blogosphere -- > where > writers like > <http://www.waveflux.net/lavena-johnson/>Philip > Barron > have worked tirelessly to keep Johnson's name in the > spotlight -- the > LaVena Johnson case has rarely been noted. And sadly, it is > far from > unique. In a story in the > <http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10518131>New > > Zealand Herald on Wednesday, Tracey Barnett writes, > "[LaVena's > father] John Johnson has discovered far more stories that > have > matched his daughter's than he ever wanted to know. Ten > other > families of 'suicide' female soldiers have > contacted him. The common > thread among them -- rape." > > Regarding the runaround her family got from the military, > Pat > Tillman's mother > <http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/21/politics/21tillman.html?pagewanted=print>said > > to the New York Times in 2006, ""This is how they > treat a family of a > high-profile individual. How are they treating > others?" LaVena > Johnson's story is just one tragic answer to that > question. > > -- Kate Harding > Salon.com > > > > Hilde Lindemann > Philosophy Department > 503 South Kedzie Hall > Michigan State University > East Lansing, MI 48824 > tel: (517) 353-3981 > fax: (517) 432-1320 > [log in to unmask]