The Pfc. LaVena Johnson Petition

Newest feed for LaVena site becomes only feed today

2008-08-10T04:44:00.000-07:00

One week ago, subscribers to the RSS/Atom feeds generated by the LaVena website were advised to plug a new address into their feed readers: http://feeds.feedburner.com/lavena. This new permanent feed, powered by the Feedburner service, will today become the chief valid feed for the website. Changes in the site platform due to take place later today will render those older feeds invalid; adopting the new Feedburner feed will ensure an uninterrupted stream of news from this website.

The address for the new site is lavenajohnson.com.

Status note on Care2 petition for LaVena

2008-08-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

A quick check of the Justice for LaVena Johnson petition authored by activist Danielle Vyas and hosted at the Care2 petition site - addressed to Congress and the President - shows that it is just 45 signatures shy of its goal of 3000! Excellent work, Danielle! If you haven't stopped by to lend your name to the list, please take a couple of minutes to do so.

Update: And now we find that the Vyas petition has already bested its goal by fifteen signatures - so far! Many thanks to Danielle for her activism on behalf of LaVena and her family, and for everyone who signed her petition and helped bring attention to it.

Truthdig on military sexual assault hearing

2008-08-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

Activist and retired Army Colonel Ann Wright has been indispensable to the effort to prompt a renewed investigation of the death in Iraq of Pfc. LaVena Johnson. She has also fought to make known the wider issue of murder and sexual assault of women in the armed forces. Col. Wright attended the recent hearings on sexual assault in the military held by the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, and has written at Truthdig a critical account of the refusal of the Department of Defense to allow a witness to be heard:

Sexual Assault in the Military: A DoD Cover-Up?

There was quite a struggle in Congress this week. The Department of Defense refused to allow the senior civilian in charge of its Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) to testify in Thursday’s hearing on sexual assault in the military. Rep. John Tierney, chair of the House Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, angrily dismissed Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Michael Dominguez from the hearing when Dominguez said that he, the DoD chief of legislative affairs and the chief of public affairs, had ordered Dr. Kaye Whitley, chief of SAPRO, to refuse to honor the subpoena issued by the subcommittee for her appearance.

Full committee Chairman Henry Waxman called the DoD’s decision to prevent Whitley from testifying “ridiculous and indicating DoD is covering something up.” It could also place Whitley in contempt of Congress. Rep. Christopher Shays said the DoD’s decision was “foolish.”

One of the questions that would have been put to Whitley was why DoD had taken three years to name a 15-person civilian task force to look into allegations of sexual assault of military personnel. The panel was finally named early in 2008 but has yet to meet. She would have also been queried on the SAPRO program’s failure to require key information from the military in order to evaluate the effectiveness of sexual assault prevention and response programs.

In addition to LaVena Johnson, Col. Wright references the cases of Army Spc. Suzanne Swift, Army Pfc. Tina Priest, and Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach.

It should be noted that the chairman of the subcommittee's parent, the House Oversight Committee - Representative Henry Waxman - is the named petitionee of a new public appeal for hearings on the LaVena Johnson case. This petition is authored by the advocacy group ColorofChange.

Programming note: New feed for LaVena site

2008-08-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

A brief programming note: Feed subscribers to the LaVena Johnson website should edit their feed reader settings to use the site's new Feedburner feed address (http://feeds.feedburner.com/lavena). This address will provide subscribers with access to all blog posts at the LaVena Johnson website, regardless of changes in the website's platform or even its address.

The website's use of RSS/RSD/Atom feeds will continue for an indeterminate period, but is subject to coming changes at the site. To avoid possible interruptions in service, subscribers are strongly advised to switch to the Feedburner address. Thanks.

LaVena PDF handout available

2008-08-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Kriss Avery of the Gateway Green Alliance in St. Louis created a one-page handout for use by Dr. John Johnson when he spoke at this year’s NOW National Conference about his daughter LaVena. Kriss has been kind enough to make that document available for anyone who wants to help spread the word about LaVena and the effort to prompt a new investigation of her death in Iraq.

Just click the link to directly download the file.

Revised: The previous (and free) download account failed for unknown reasons. I've replaced it with a more straightforward method you see above. Many apologies for the earlier snafu!

LaVena post at Crooks & Liars

2008-07-31T13:31:00.001-07:00

Crooks & Liars returns to the story of PFC LaVena Johnson with a post by Logan Murphy:

Nicole and I have both written posts about the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of PFC LaVena Johnson, and Democracy Now! had a heartbreaking interview with her family last week. LaVena’s family has worked hard to find the truth about her death and have finally had a breakthrough in the case. Unfortunately, the new details they uncovered are so disturbing that they could potentially make the Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch stories pale in comparison. The above video from Cenk of The Young Turks captures my exact feelings about this horrific case. What you’re about to read will sicken and enrage you.

Murphy references a June 2008 article on LaVena from the St. Louis American (last link in the quote), and mentions today's Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs hearing on sexual assault in the military.

Oversight subcommittee hearing on sexual assault in the military

2008-07-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

The parents of PFC LaVena Johnson believe that their daughter was murdered in Iraq - contrary to Army claims of suicide - and suspect that she may have been victim to a sexual assault. The Army has resisted calls for reinvestigation of the matter; public and Congressional attention are required in order to change military minds. Gina at What About Our Daughters? has alerted readers to an opportunity to bring LaVena's case to legislators - a public hearing on sexual assault in the military held by a sub- of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform:

On Thursday, July 31 at 10:00 am, [the Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs] will hold a hearing entitled, “Oversight Hearing on Sexual Assault in the Military.” The hearing will take place in room 2154 of the Rayburn House Office Building and is open to the public.

It should be noted that the chairman of the parent committee - Representative Henry Waxman - is the named petitionee of a new public appeal for hearings on the LaVena Johnson case. This petition is authored by the advocacy group ColorofChange.

The chair of the subcommittee is Rep. John F. Tierney of the Sixth District of Massachusetts. The names of other subcommittee members, and suggestions on trying to put LaVena on their agenda for the day, may be found at the What About Our Daughters? post.

Feministing, BuzzFlash on LaVena

2008-07-29T18:07:00.000-07:00

Apologies for coming late to the July 18 writeup on PFC LaVena Johnson by Ann Friedman of Feministing. The post asks readers to spare just a couple of minutes to sign the Danielle Vyas-authored petition to Congress and President Bush, which has (of this writing) 2374 signatures with a goal of 3000. Friedman references posts on LaVena by a number of feminist writers; some of them have been previously noted here, while others are new to me:

You may have read about LaVena recently on Feministing, or from Cara, Megan at Jezebel, Gina at What About Our Daughters, and Kate at Broadsheet...

I am very happy to add Friedman to the growing list of writers whom I owe thanks for support for a renewed investigation of LaVena's death in Iraq.

Also on that list is Meg White for bringing LaVena's story to the many readers of BuzzFlash in a news analysis piece posted today. It is a capsule of the Johnson family's trials in pushing the Army to revisit the investigation of their daughter's death, and the possibility that she had been the victim of a sexual assault. Like Friedman's entry at Feministing, White touches on the CommonDreams.org article by retired Army colonel Ann Wright on other suspicious deaths of women in service, and references the recently-launched ColorofChange to Rep. Henry Waxman of the House Oversight and Governmental Affairs Committee. Many thanks to White for this entry.

ColorofChange.org launches LaVena petition

2008-07-23T12:27:00.000-07:00

The online grassroots organization ColorofChange.org, a black advocacy group founded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, has lent its support to the family of LaVena Johnson. The group has launched a new petition addressed to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and its chairman, Representative Henry Waxman. From the petition page:

Justice for LaVena Johnson
Tell Congressman Waxman to investigate the Army's cover up of Pfc LaVena Johnson's murder.
While overwhelming evidence shows that LaVena Johnson was raped and murdered while serving in Iraq, the US Army refuses to acknowledge the crime and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Join the Johnson family's call for Congressman Waxman to hold a Congressional hearing that uncovers the truth behind LaVena's tragic death.

ColorofChange.org is perhaps most widely known for its advocacy on behalf of the Jena Six - young African-American men facing racial bias and inflated charges of murder in Jena, LA.

From the organization's "About Us" page:

ColorOfChange.org is comprised of Black folks from every economic class, as well as those of every color who seek to help our voices be heard. Our members are united behind a simple, powerful pledge: we will do all we can to make sure all Americans are represented, served, and protected—regardless of race or class.

I ask everyone to join the voices represented by the ColorofChange petition to Rep. Waxman, and to share the word with others.

LaVena's parents on Democracy Now!

2008-07-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

John and Linda Johnson, parents of PFC LaVena Lynn Johnson, were interviewed on Democracy Now! by host Amy Goodman. Activist and retired Army colonel Ann Wright was also part of the program.

Three years ago, on July 19, 2005, Army Private First Class LaVena Johnson was found dead in Balad, Iraq. Her body was found in a tent belonging to the private military contractor KBR. She had abrasions all over her body, a broken nose, a black eye, burned hands, loose teeth, acid burns on her genitals, and a bullet hole in her head. The Army labeled Johnson’s death a suicide. But her parents never believed that story. They think she was raped and murdered and are now demanding a full congressional investigation into their daughter’s death.

The program is available at the Democracy Now! site for viewing or listening in a number of formats: Real Video stream, Real Audio stream, MP3 download, and others. A partial transcript is up as well; I expect a full version will be made available later.

MySpace write-up on Lavena; credit for connection to ColorofChange

2008-07-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

Kim Brummell, an Army veteran and member of the North Carolina American Civil Liberties Union, has written about PFC LaVena Johnson in a post titled "Deadly Wall of Silence."

How will cases like this affect women signing up for the service and staying in the military? How will it affect the respect citizens have for our soldiers? How could we trust the military to help secure this nation when we may have cold-blooded murderers in a uniform wearing a U.S. flag? I got nothing but love for the military. The service taught me a lot. On the contrary, an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere. Where can you run and hide when your allies become your enemies?

Thanks much to Kim for her perspective as a former soldier and for her expression of concern for the service, for women in uniform, and for the Johnson family.

I also want to thank two people who - through separate efforts at the same time - brought the LaVena effort to the attention of ColorofChange.org. Activist Danielle Vyas contacted the advocacy group even as she launched her own Care2-based petition to Congress and the President. Gemina13, a DailyKos blogger, wrote a diary there about LaVena and also contacted ColorofChange. Their efforts helped to bring about the ColorofChange-sponsored petition to Representative Henry Waxman and the House Oversight Committee which he chairs. Thanks again, very much, to both Danielle and Gemina13.

Support, old and new

2008-07-18T09:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of posts regarding LaVena Johnson came across my desk yesterday. One of them is a reprised article from early in the effort to prompt a renewed investigation of LaVena's death in Iraq; the other is a new entry commenting on the provisional Oversight Committee report released this week.

The revisited post by jurassicpork at Welcome Back to Pottersville:

To die unsung would really bring you down
Although wet eyes would never suit you
Walk through no archetypal suicide
Die young is far too boring these days - “Unsung“, Helmet

With the exception of several administration officials both past and present and every other rabid warhawk in PNAC and the American Enterprise and Cato Institutes, I can’t think of a single American who belongs in Iraq.

And 19 year-old LaVena L. Johnson certainly had no business being there.

The new post by Shark-fu at AngryBlackBitch:

Like many St. Louisans I was deeply touched by the story of Private First Class LaVena Johnson, who died as a result of a non-combat incident near Balad, Iraq. PFC Johnson, who was from Florissant Missouri, died July 19, 2005 and was the first woman from Missouri to die while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan. I will never forget seeing her family interviewed on local television and witnessing their pain and frustration over the lack of information they’d been given concerning their loved one’s death. It was wrenching and emotional…and I was left frustrated that this story had not garnered national media attention like other similar investigations.

Each of these bloggers - like many others unmentioned here, bloggers or no - has put in a lot of time and effort on behalf of LaVena and her family. All of these efforts are greatly appreciated.

Socialist Appeal post on LaVena

2008-07-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Josh Lucker of Socialist Appeal attended the Black & Green Wednesday panel discussion on PFC LaVena Johnson that was held on June 4, and has published an article in support of the effort to re-investigate her death in Iraq.

On June 6th, a panel discussion was held in St. Louis to discuss the death of LaVena Johnson. She was the first Missouri woman killed in Iraq, just eight days shy of her 20th birthday. Today, three years after her death, questions still surround the circumstances of this tragedy. Her father, Dr. John Johnson, and other family members, have dedicated countless hours researching and traveling the country looking for an answer.

Lucker's article references the incidence of sexual assault in the military - the family of PFC Johnson believes that sexual assault was an circumstance in her death - as well as other cases of women soldiers who died from “self-inflicted, noncombat injuries” whose deaths demand vigorous investigation.

Many thanks to Josh and to Socialist Appeal for their article.

LaVena in proposed Oversight Committee report

2008-07-16T11:57:00.000-07:00

The death in Iraq of PFC LaVena Johnson - ruled a suicide by the Army and vigorously disputed by her family - finds a brief mention in a proposed report recently released by the House Oversight and Governmental Reform Committee: Misleading Information from the Battlefield: The Tillman and Lynch Episodes. As the title indicates, the main subjects of the report are the death of Corporal Patrick Tillman in Afghanistan and the capture of Private Jessica Lynch in Iraq. LaVena's case is mentioned in Section IX: Other Cases Brought to the Committee's Attention, as is the suspicious death of Specialist Jesse Buryj of Canton, Ohio.

The Committee’s majority staff was also contacted by the family and friends of Private First Class LaVena Johnson, a weapons supply manager from Florissant, Missouri, who died, family members say, in a suspicious non-combat incident near Balad, Iraq, on July 19, 2005. According to news reports, the Army ruled the death a suicide, and a medical examiner concurred with this finding. But Private Johnson’s family believes Army investigators ignored physical evidence inconsistent with a finding of suicide. They also believe that the Army has additional information about the circumstances of Private Johnson’s death that it has not shared with the family.

While the names of these soldiers are not as well-known as Pat Tillman and Jessica Lynch, their sacrifices were just as great and their families are just as deserving of the truth.

It is to be hoped that this acknowledgment will be followed up by further Congressional action, and renewed and transparent investigations.

The full text of the proposed report is available for download.

DailyKos diary on LaVena

2008-07-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

I learned this weekend that DailyKos blogger Gemina13 posted this June 30 diary: "Justice for Pfc. LaVena Johnson":

Women soldiers in the Iraqi-Afghanistan theaters have mostly been ignored, save when they can be trotted out for the cameras like Pfc. Jessica Lynch. Used by the armed forces in greater numbers, women soldiers are not only serving in ways their predecessors never got to. One in three women who join the military will be raped or sexually assaulted by men in the military. Of the 94 women who have died in Iraqi or in Operation Iraqi Freedom, 36 died from "non-combat related injuries."

One of these was Pfc. LaVena Johnson. [...]

Through FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) and Congressional offices, Dr. and Mrs. Johnson, their family, and their friends relentlessly hounded the Department of the Army for answers about LaVena's death. They requested documents, and every piece of evidence led to yet another piece that had to be demanded and claimed. It took two and a half years before the Johnsons were able to see what had happened to their daughter.

Gemina13 draws on material posted at Shakesville and the LaVena Johnson website, as well as the CommonDreams article written by retired Army Col. Ann Wright.

I had the opportunity to exchange emails with Gemina13, and would like to thank her again for bringing LaVena's story to the wide DailyKos community.

New LaVena petition to Congress and the President

2008-07-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

As you will recall, the original LaVena Johnson petition to the Armed Services Committees of the House and the Senate - asking those bodies to compel the Army to reopen the investigation of LaVena's death in Iraq - closed on May 23. I'm currently arranging with an organization for delivery of the petition to the legislators on those committees.

For the many people who have recently heard of LaVena's story and are looking for ways to help, activist Danielle Vyas has launched a new and separate petition effort on the Care2 network (also noted by Bruce Combs in comments). The Justice for LaVena Johnson petition is addressed to both houses of Congress and President Bush. Danielle's goal is one thousand signatures; after a full day, the count currently stands at 108.

I am very grateful to Danielle for sponsoring this new petition. I'll add my own name to the list today. This effort belongs to no single person; the more voices that can be raised in support of the Johnson family, the better.

Foundation matters re: LaVena

2008-07-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of kind folks asked in correspondence if there was a fund or foundation related to the Johnsons and their fight to reopen the investigation of daughter LaVena’s death in Iraq. LaVena’s father, Dr. John Johnson, informed me yesterday that there are plans in the works for just such an organization. The working title is The LaVena Lynn Johnson Legal Foundation. The purpose will be broader than just LaVena’s case; the foundation will bring attention to other women in the military, women who have been sexually assaulted.

Dr. Johnson and some others are working on the bylaws of the organization, on a purpose/mission statement, on projected budgetary matters. Donations will be welcome when things get to that point. It’s early in the process and there will be more news to come. I will certainly post developments on the LaVena website, and perhaps here as well. If you haven’t done so already, you may want to bookmark the LaVena site or (even better) subscribe to the site’s RSS feed so you don’t miss any announcements. Thanks.

Wikipedia page for LaVena

2008-07-01T09:33:00.001-07:00

In the wake of several online articles on the death in Iraq of PFC LaVena Johnson and her family's efforts to prompt a renewed investigation by the Army, Loren from Chicago saw that there was no Wikipedia entry for LaVena and so created one. There are links to several references and also to the official LaVena website. I am very grateful to Loren for this; it had not occurred to me to create a Wikipedia entry. The efforts and ideas of other people are invaluable and can only help bring greater attention to LaVena's story.

Welcome, Jezebel readers

2008-06-30T12:08:00.000-07:00

An email from a reader at Jezebel alerted me to today's post there on LaVena Johnson.

This is Private First Class LaVena Johnson of Missouri. An honors student who nonetheless didn't quite know what she wanted to do with her life, she enlisted in the Army right out of high school in 2003 and was sent to Iraq, where she died. When the Army returned her mutilated body to her grieving parents as a suicide, her dad, Dr. John Johnson said to himself and the Army coroner, "Somebody murdered my daughter and you picked the wrong person to fuck with." Fucking right.

Megan Carpentier draws on the recent Salon post by Kate Harding, Tracey Barnett's article in the New Zealand Herald, and the June 3rd story at St. Louis-based KMOV-TV.

The Jezebel reader also alerted me to a change in the membership of the House Armed Services Committee. I've looked at the current listing for both committees and found three legislators who are no longer members - John Ensign for the Senate, James Langevin and Marty Meehan for the House. I'll replace their listings on the contact page with current members Roger Wicker in the Senate and Niki Tsongas and Kendrick Meek in the House. (Update: Changes made! Also, the pop-up link for Carol Shea-Porter has been fixed. Please let me know if other things need to be corrected.)

Many thanks indeed to Carpentier and the Jezebel readership!

A reminder...

2008-06-27T12:44:00.001-07:00

Even though the petition to the Armed Services Committees of the Senate and the House closed on May 24, constituents of the members of the two committees can still lend their voices to the effort to prompt a new investigation of LaVena's death by contacting those legislators directly. Reprised below is contact information for those legislators: links to their contact pages, and pop-up links to their numbers and addresses. If any of the information provided is out of date, please reach me via the contact page on my personal website, and I'll correct it. Thanks.

Salon Broadsheet post on LaVena

2008-06-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

Writer Kate Harding - founder of Shapely Prose, contributor to Shakesville and Fatshionista - posts today on Salon's Broadsheet on the tragedy surrounding the death in Iraq of PFC LaVena Johnson.

Salon has published quite a 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 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.

Harding draws parallels between LaVena's little-heard story and the widely-known similar tragedy of Cpl. Pat Tillman's death in Afghanistan. The post also draws upon Tracey Barnett's story on LaVena which appeared this week in the New Zealand Herald.

I can't thank Kate enough for bringing news of LaVena Johnson to the readership of Salon. Every article, every blog post, every mention of the Johnson family's effort to prompt a new investigation of their daughter's death brings us that much closer to some kind of justice.

New Zealand Herald column on LaVena

2008-06-25T08:42:00.000-07:00

The New Zealand Herald has published an article on LaVena Johnson, written by contributing columnist Tracey Barnett who interviewed LaVena’s parents, John and Linda:

“I’m telling you there is no pain like it - there is no pain like it in this world. My daughter, the way they took her and what they did to her - it’s inhuman. I did not believe my daughter was placed among a group of predators. They treated her like an animal … ” Linda Johnson said, then added quietly: “And she was fighting for this country.”

The article looks beyond the particulars of LaVena’s death in Iraq to the wider issue of sexual assault in the military.

This is no single aberrant case. 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.

Meet today’s US military - sign up for the armed services and become almost one in three women who are raped or sexually assaulted by their own colleagues, according to Department of Defence statistics. Not exactly the kind of recruitment slogan that fills empty boots.

Barnett’s article is also posted at her own weblog - currently in the Recent category, and after this week to be categorized under Politics. Many thanks to the columnist for bringing LaVena’s story to the headers of the Herald.

Note: The promised video from the Black & Green panel discussion on Lavena will appear…soon! Having some issues processing it, but I’ll resolve those as quickly as possible.

At the LaVena Johnson event

2008-06-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

I attended Wednesday's panel discussion on LaVena Johnson at Legacy Books & Cafe - the Black & Green Wednesday event sponsored by the Gateway Greens Alliance and the Universal African Peoples Organization - but readers would doubtless be better served by video on the event. That content is on the way; I hope to get the raw footage in a couple of days, and will format a portion to share online. Until then, some brief notes:

Forty-odd people attended, with the diversity you would expect from an intersection of the Greens and the pan-African USOP. There were also members of Veterans for Peace in attendance, including good-guy Chuc Smith who has been so helpful and diligent in his efforts on behalf of LaVena's family.

Michael McPherson, Gulf War I vet and Executive Director of Veterans for Peace, led off the discussion with remarks on the larger issue of sexual harassment and assault in the military. He drew upon sobering statistics from such sources as "The Private War of Women Soldiers," the Helen Benedict article published in Salon in March 2007. He stressed that the military does not exist in a vacuum - that the pathologies of the larger society are mirrored in military life. McPherson - an African-American - also spent some time talking about the problematic ways in men (and Black men in particular) approach violence, power, and relationships with women.

Redditt Hudson, Racial Justice Manager for the ACLU Eastern Division and former police officer, spoke from a personal standpoint. While his organization has not involved itself in the LaVena Johnson matter, Hudson found himself moved to assist LaVena's father, Dr. John Johnson. He struggled at times when describing having viewed the photographs of LaVena's body taken by the Army in its initial investigation, but his emotions lent a force to his words. His demands that legislators take action on behalf of the Johnson family were echoed by everyone in attendance.

Dr. Johnson spoke in conclusion, describing for the audience some of the difficulties he has encountered in trying to bring LaVena's story to official attention, and also describing welcome and vital assistance from such people as activist and retired Army Colonel Ann Wright. It was Col. Wright who helped open doors in Congress for the Johnsons when they recently traveled to Washington, including direct access to Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

The session concluded with some statements and questions from people in attendance. VFP announced that the home page of their website would provide contact information for Rep. Skelton and his assistant, Kyle Wilkins, and implored everyone to contact them to request official action on LaVena's case.

Brief personal note: It was at once both heartening and humbling to see firsthand the way in which people have been moved by LaVena Johnson. The petition to the two Armed Services Committees is a part of the effort, but only one part. There are other people and other forces at work here. Realizing that puts you in your place a little bit. It's also a comfort.

Apologies for the day's delay in putting this post together. I hope to provide some video from the event soon. Many, many thanks to moderator Lionel Nixon of the African Newsletter, to the Gateway Greens and the Universal African Peoples Organization, and to the good folks at Legacy Books & Cafe. As always, thanks for your attention, and your own efforts.

KMOV revisits LaVena Johnson story

2008-06-04T12:28:00.000-07:00

St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV-TV ran a story last night on the case of PFC LaVena Johnson. Reported by Matt Sczesny, the story features new comments by LaVena's father, Dr. John Johnson, as he spoke at a press conference yesterday. Also mentioned is a response from a staffer for the House Armed Services Committee.

This is a good time to mention once more that the Gateway Greens Alliance and the Universal African Peoples Organization are sponsoring a panel discussion on LaVena Johnson tonight at 7 pm at Legacy Books & Cafe, 5249 Delmar (near Union) in St. Louis. Those panelists:

Lionel Nixon, African Newsworld newspaper [moderator]
Dr. John Johnson, father of LaVena Johnson
Redditt Hudson, American Civil Liberties Union
Michael McPhearson, Veterans For Peace

I'll be in attendance, and will write it up on the blog tomorrow. If there's accompanying video, that content might take a little longer to post.

Also: The aforementioned press conference was reported in a story by Elizabethe Holland for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Black & Green Wednesday: LaVena Johnson

2008-06-01T06:46:00.000-07:00

The Gateway Greens Alliance and the Universal African Peoples Organization sponsor a panel discussion on the matter of PFC LaVena Johnson. The event, free and open to the public, takes place on Wednesday, June 4, at 7 pm at Legacy Books & Cafe, 5249 Delmar (near Union) in St. Louis.

The panelists include:

Lionel Nixon, African Newsworld newspaper [moderator]
Dr. John Johnson, father of LaVena Johnson
Redditt Hudson, American Civil Liberties Union
Michael McPhearson, Veterans For Peace

More information is available at the Gateway Greens Alliance website.

Petition closed; other work continues

2008-05-24T06:28:00.000-07:00

As announced four days ago, the name-gathering phase of the LaVena Johnson petition effort has concluded. Attention here now turns to preparing the document for delivery to the Armed Services Committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Please visit this site again - or subscribe to this website's RSS feed - for further developments, and thanks!

The end draws near for signatures

2008-05-20T09:27:00.000-07:00

We've reached the final days of signature-gathering for the LaVena petition to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. I will close out the petition this weekend, sometime Saturday morning (May 24) and add those names I haven't yet incorporated into the final document. Because of the code used by the petition website, I will have to take down the petition altogether rather than leaving the names and comments up for viewing. That is, there's no way to simply remove the text entering fields while leaving the rest of it up. As I mentioned before, only the names and comments of the signatories will be included in the printed document - no states or ZIP codes.

I am working on details of printing and delivery, and will announce word of that as soon as things are finalized.

Incidentally, the end of name-gathering for the petition does not mean the end of this website. The site will continue to serve as a place to read about developments regarding LaVena's case, posted as events warrant.

So: plenty of time for final thanks to all who have so generously lent their support to this effort. More to come.

Congress must investigate crimes against women soldiers

2008-04-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

The effort to prompt a renewed investigation of the suspicious death in Iraq of PFC LaVena Johnson has always had a strong ally in retired Army Colonel Ann Wright. Today, Col. Wright speaks out on LaVena’s case and that of other military women - in-theater and in the US - who have died following sexual assault. The introduction from the article at CommonDreams.org:

The Department of Defense statistics are alarming — one in three women who join the US military will be sexually assaulted or raped by men in the military. The warnings to women should begin above the doors of the military recruiting stations, as that is where assaults on women in the military begins — before they are even recruited.

But, now, even more alarming, are deaths of women soldiers in Iraq, and in the United States, following rape. The military has characterized each of the deaths of women who were first sexually assaulted as deaths from “non-combat related injuries,” and then added “suicide.” Yet, the families of the women whom the military has declared to have committed suicide, strongly dispute the findings and are calling for further investigations into the deaths of their daughters. Specific US Army units and certain US military bases in Iraq have an inordinate number of women soldiers who have died of “non-combat related injuries,” with several identified as “suicides.”

94 US military women in the military have died in Iraq or during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). 12 US Civilian women have been killed in OIF. 13 US military women have been killed in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). 12 US Civilian women have been killed in Afghanistan.

Of the 94 US military women who died in Iraq or in OIF, the military says 36 died from non-combat related injuries, which included vehicle accidents, illness, death by “natural causes,” and self-inflicted gunshot wounds, or suicide. The military has declared the deaths of the Navy women in Bahrain that were killed by a third sailor, as homicides. 5 deaths have been labeled as suicides, but 15 more deaths occurred under extremely suspicious circumstances.

8 women soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas (six from the Fourth Infantry Division and two from the 1st Armored Cavalry Division) have died of “non-combat related injuries” on the same base, Camp Taji, and three were raped before their deaths. Two were raped immediately before their deaths and another raped prior to arriving in Iraq. Two military women have died of suspicious “non-combat related injuries” on Balad base, and one was raped before she died. Four deaths have been classified as “suicides.”

Col. Wright recaps the story of LaVena Johnson in some detail, but also speaks on the “suicides” and “non-combat related injuries” of such personnel as Army Private First Class Tina Priest, PFC Hannah Gunterman McKinney, Major Gloria D. Davis, and others. The prevalence of such deaths and assaults against the women who serve in the military demands earnest investigation by the armed forces - and by Congress, should the services fail in this trust. I highly recommend reading the essay by Col. Wright in its entirety.

The petition is reopened!

2008-04-19T21:56:00.000-07:00

The petition to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees asking the members of those bodies to direct the Army to revisit the investigation of the suspicious death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson is once again open for signatures and supportive comments. This reopening of the petition comes just one day after its announced closing. The reason for the reversal is that LaVena's father, Dr. John Johnson, requested that the petition remain open for a while longer. I am more than happy to oblige him in this.

An earlier goal for this petition effort was ten thousand names; that mark was met and surpassed, and the current count stands at just over twelve thousand signatories. I hope that the additional time given the open period of the petition will result in even more public support for the effort to uncover the truth behind LaVena's death.

No new deadline for the end of the name-gathering phase has set; that info will be posted here and elsewhere as soon as it has been determined.

Thank you, again, for your attention and support.

The petition closes, moves to next phase

2008-04-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

As announced earlier, the name-gathering phase of the LaVena Johnson petition effort has come to an end. The next phase will consist of weeding out duplicate entries, formatting and printing copies of the document, and arranging for their delivery to the members of the two Armed Services Committees.

Information on the status of the petition effort and related news will continue to be posted on on this site.

Many, many thanks to all who have lent their names to this effort. More news to come.

KKFI interview with LaVena Johnson's father

2008-04-12T06:49:00.000-07:00

On a program originally broadcast on August 3, 2007, Tom Klammer - host of Tell Somebody on Kansas City’s KKFI-FM - interviewed LaVena's father, John. Tom has graciously made the interview available for all interested. The interview has been spilt into two parts, each approximately 21 minutes long.

Part one of the interview:

Part two:

As mentioned here earlier, the name gathering for the House and Senate Armed Services petition requesting a re-investigation of LaVena's death comes to a close on Friday, April 18.

LaVena's father goes to Washington

2008-04-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

KMOV in St. Louis reports today that Dr. John Johnson, father of LaVena, will travel to Washington to speak with legislators about his daughter's story.

Johnson will get to tell his story on Wednesday in Washington as congress investigates the war in Iraq.

Johnson will meet with key members and staff of several congressional committees with the help of retired army Colonel Ann Wright who is a 29 year military veteran who is now an anti-war speaker and author.

Wednesday, Johnson will meet some members of congress who will at least listen as he visits Capitol Hill.

Colonel Wright introduced Dr. Johnson when he spoke at the national convention for Veterans for Peace which was held last year in St. Louis.

The article at KMOV also makes note of the petition to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, which closes on Friday, April 18.

Last days of the petition

2008-03-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

The last day of the name-gathering phase of the petition to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees is Friday, April 18. As that day approaches, I'll work on formatting the petition and making arrangements for delivery to the lawmakers on those committees, and will add more names as they appear on the online list.

A note about formatting: The names and comments of the signatories will be included, but ZIP code and state information will not.

I'll post more information about the process in the coming days. Thanks very much for your attention, and for your help in communicating LaVena's story.

Petition note

2008-03-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

My apologies to anyone who tried and failed to access the LaVena petition recently. The yearly membership at the site hosting the petition needed to be renewed. I've done that, and the petition is up and running with no problems. Again, apologies for any inconvenience.

Regarding personal information

2008-01-18T04:47:00.000-08:00

Following the most recent post on the LaVena petition, a correspondent asked for assurance that the names and information of signatories will not be used for other purposes. This is a potential concern that I should have allayed on the day that I launched this petition, and I apologize for not doing so.

To make things clear, then: The names and personal information of petition signatories will not be used for any purpose other than the stated one - appealing to the members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. The petition database will be deleted following the successful delivery of the petition.

Other questions on this matter, or other aspects of the petition effort, are welcome.

Update on the LaVena Johnson petition

2008-01-16T09:44:00.000-08:00

It has been some months since I last wrote on the effort to prompt a reinvestigation of the 2005 death in Iraq of Pfc. LaVena Johnson. Though not much has happened on an official level during that time, the Johnson family continues working to bring the story to the attention of the media and other parties. The petition addressed to the Armed Services Committees of the House and Senate has continued to draw interest and signatures, though at a more moderate pace than earlier; the signature count stands at just shy of eleven thousand names.

As the author of the petition, I’ll be collating the names for hard copy publication and will make sure they get into the hands of the members of both committees. I’ve not set a specific date for this final phase of the petition work, but will announce it with plenty of lead time.

In the interim, I’d like to thank again the many kind folks who have lent their names to the petition and have spread word of it on their own weblogs, via email, and in conversations with others. I think I may also speak for the Johnsons in relaying their thanks as well.

Until the day comes when the list goes to the printer, please take a moment to lend your own name to the effort!

National Guardsman's death in Afghanistan troublingly familiar

2007-10-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

Someone familiar with the story of LaVena Johnson forwarded to me a Boston Globe story by Noah Bierman that is hauntingly familiar:

Mystery surrounds death of soldier

Quincy woman is called a noncombat casualty

The Massachusetts National Guard soldier from Quincy who died in Afghanistan Friday was found with a single bullet in her head lying near her church on a secure military base, her family said yesterday after a briefing from Army officials.
The Department of Defense said in a statement yesterday that Ciara Durkin's injuries came from a "non-combat related incident" that is under investigation. The statement contradicts a Sunday statement from the Massachusetts Army National Guard that said Durkin, an Army specialist, was killed in action. A guard spokesman said the term was meant to imply that Durkin was deployed in Afghanistan at the time of her death.
"We're completely in the dark," said Pierce Durkin, the soldier's 28-year-old brother. "Patience is probably dissipating."
Family members, who are pushing for more information from Army officials, are girding for the possibility that Ciara (pronounced Kee-ra) Durkin was killed by a fellow service member, intentionally or accidentally, at the Bagram Airfield. They said they are confident that she did not commit suicide.

From the death of a female soldier in the relative security of her own base to conflicting statements and clumsy parsing of language by authorities to the certainty of a grieving family that its daughter did not take her own life - we have seen this before.

It is to be hoped that the family of Ciara Durkin meets with a swifter and more transparent response from the military than has the family of LaVena Johnson.

Thanks to an Obama supporter, and a question about Hillary Clinton

2007-09-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

It is a pleasure to note that The Barack Obama Report - a campaign blog independent of the senator's official presidential effort - has written about LaVena Johnson. The post, the concern it evinces for soldiers and their families, and the attention it will bring to LaVena's story, are all greatly appreciated.

However, the blog post does bring a question to mind regarding another presidential contender: Senator Hillary Clinton.

A convergence of circumstances places the junior senator from New York in a unique position. She is one of the most prominent members of the majority party in Congress. She is the leading Democratic presidential contender. She is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee - one of the two legislative bodies to which the LaVena Johnson petition is addressed. These factors make for a compelling argument that Senator Clinton should bring her support to the Johnson family and its efforts to launch a new investigation of the circumstances surrounding LaVena's death in Iraq.

Of all the presidential candidates, Democratic or Republican, only Senator Clinton is in an official position - right now - to bring influence to bear on the Army. Even in purely political terms, the opportunity to demonstrate support for military families and their loved ones in service should be clear to all.

It is to be hoped that the senator from New York has sufficient concern for soldiers that she will lend the Johnsons her support in the name of all service families who have given so much, and whose search for the truth about their daughters, sons, fathers, and mothers is too often lost in the fog of war.

Constituents of Hillary Clinton who share this hope are invited to express their feelings to the senator herself by way of email, or via the addresses (district office recommended) or phone or fax numbers below:

District office
780 Third Ave
Suite 2601
New York, NY 10017
Phone (212) 688-6262
Fax (212) 688-7444

D.C. office
United States Senate
476 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone (202) 224-4451
Fax (202) 228-0282

Elaine Johnson at Veterans for Peace convention

2007-09-01T11:32:00.000-07:00

In the accompanying video, Gold Star Mother Elaine Johnson speaks about the death in Iraq of her son, Spc. Darius T. Jennings, and issues a challenge to President George Bush - and to the Democrats. Her remarks took place in St. Louis at the 22nd national convention of Veterans for Peace. (Elaine is no relation to Dr. John Johnson - father to Pfc. LaVena Johnson - who spoke at the same VFP event.)

Ups and downs, and thanks

2007-08-23T10:07:00.000-07:00

It was clear from the outset of this petition project that this was going to be a long haul endeavor. There are so many stories and events that compete for our interest, and media at large is so predictably sluggish and unresponsive, that it can take a long while for any narrative to gain traction. Also, public attention tends to come in spurts, with long empty stretches in which it seems that no one is paying much heed. All the more reason, then, to be heartened when the attention level is high and responses come fast and furious. That's where we stand today with news of LaVena's story, and I'm grateful for everyone brought here via weblogs, online magazines, message boards, email, and old-fashioned word of mouth.

It's your collective voice that will bring the Johnson family the official help they need.

Thank you.

Dr. John Johnson speaks on LaVena's death at VFP event

2007-08-19T18:32:00.000-07:00

The father of PFC LaVena Lynn Johnson, Dr. John Johnson of Florissant, Missouri.

Dr. Johnson spoke last Friday at the Veterans for Peace speakout on sexual assault in the military outside the Robert A. Young Federal Building in downtown St. Louis. This was just one of many events and workshops comprising the 22nd annual national convention of VFP. More material relating to the convention will be posted here as soon as I can get to it.

In the video embedded here, Dr. Johnson talks about learning of LaVena's death, his suspicions about how she died, and the family's attempts to get the Army to reopen its investigation. He is introduced by antiwar activist and retired Army colonel Ann Wright.

As always, I ask you to help the Johnson family by signing the petition to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, and by directly contacting your Senator or Representative on those legislative bodies. Thank you.

Postings to come on Veterans for Peace events

2007-08-17T11:50:00.000-07:00

Just returned from the Veterans for Peace addresses on sexual assault in the military. I'll be posting on the remarks made by LaVena Johnson's father, Dr. John Johnson - as well as some other material - over the weekend.

Incidentally: Today marked my first face-to-face meeting with Dr. Johnson. We chatted for a brief while before the speeches began. Issues of the day aside, he and the family are doing well. More to come.

Welcome (back), Crooks & Liars readers

2007-08-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Bill Wolfrum, guest-blogging at Crooks & Liars, for including us in his blog roundup. He noted that LaVena's father, Dr. John Johnson, will be speaking Friday at the Veterans for Peace convention in St. Louis (as posted here yesterday).

This is the second time that C&L has brought needed attention to LaVena's story. The support is greatly appreciated.

LaVena Johnson's father to speak at Veterans for Peace national convention

2007-08-14T05:52:00.001-07:00

As part of its 22nd annual national convention taking place in St. Louis, Veterans for Peace will hold a press conference on sexual assault in the military on Friday, August 17, 12:30 - 1:45 pm Central. The event will be held outside the Robert A. Young Federal Building, 1222 Spruce Street. Among the participants will be Dr. John Johnson, father of PFC LaVena Johnson, the area soldier who died under clouded circumstances in Iraq two years ago. Other scheduled participants include:

Sara Rich, mother of Suzanne Swift, victim of rape while in the US military in Iraq
Maricella Guzman, victim of sexual assault while in the US military
Michael McPherson, Executive Director of Veterans for Peace and veteran of the US Army and Gulf War I
Sharon Kufeldt, Veteran of Vietnam War and Vice-President of Veterans for Peace
Ellen Barfield, served in Korea and former Vice-President of Veterans for Peace
Ann Wright, Colonel, Retired, US Army Reserves

From the VFP press release on the press conference:

Sexual assault and rape of women and men in the US military increased so dramatically during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that in 2005 then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld formed a task force on sexual assault.
Nearly one-third of a nationwide sample of women veterans who sought health care through the Veterans Administration said they experience rape or attempted rape during their service. Of that group, 37 percent said they were raped multiple times and 14 percent reported they were gang-raped. Department of Defense has been reluctant to release statistics on sexual assault of men in the military, but anecdotal evidence indicates that the statistics are alarmingly high.

Over the past 10 years, more than 700 US Army Recruiters have been accused of sexual misconduct or rape.

60 years of US military studies and task forces since women began entering the military in larger numbers have not lessened the incidents of assault and rape.

We call on the Department of Defense and the US Military Recruiting Commands and the Military Entrance Processing Stations to formally notify women and men of the statistics on the incidence of the criminal acts of sexual assault and rape of women and men in the military committed by fellow members of the military, many in their chain of command.

Links to additional information on sexual assault in the military may be found at the VFP National Convention media page (scroll down to 'References for Sexual Assault Press Conference').

Thanks to the MeFi community!

2007-08-10T11:33:00.000-07:00

I am very grateful to toma, who brought the story of LaVena Johnson to the great hive mind of MetaFilter. (On a personal note: this was a welcome sight indeed, coming as it did after a lengthy round of oral surgery this morning.) I appeal to new readers here for their signatures on the petition to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, and just a bit more of their time, enough to an email or postal letter or to place a phone call directly to their legislator on those committees.

This is very heartening, especially as it follows a surge of attention and interest generated by Kansas City radio host Tom Klammer's interview of LaVena's father, Dr. John Johnson, on station KKFI FM 90.1.

Readers are invited to visit the MySpace site of Jimi Wilson, who has posted a substantial piece of advocacy on behalf of LaVena, written from the viewpoint of a veteran. I learned of this post just this morning.

Thanks to everyone who has helped to raise LaVena's story to the level of visibiilty it deserves. Your efforts will help ensure that justice will be done in her name, and for her family.

Welcome, Stumblers!

2007-07-30T08:33:00.000-07:00

Many, many thanks to wordylefty who reviewed at StumbleUpon my most recent AlterNet post on LaVena, and thanks also to the many people who have, ah, Stumbled on in. Your support is most appreciated!

Ten thousand birthday wishes

2007-07-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Today, July 27th, marks what should have been a joyous celebration, perhaps including a party filled with family and friends. Today would have been LaVena Lynn Johnson's 22nd birthday.

The month of July also marks another solemn milestone.

Two years ago this month the body of PFC Johnson was returned to her family and laid to rest, but there can be no rest for her family and friends. The military continues to claim that LaVena took her own life while serving in Iraq, despite several indications to the contrary.

The details of LaVena's death have been shrouded in lies and deception - the kind of official obfuscation that surrounds the death of Cpl. Pat Tillman and other fallen soldiers. Let’s honor PFC LaVena Johnson with a push for ten thousand signatures on the petition to reopen the investigation into her death.

LaVena Johnson story reaches the United Kingdom

2007-06-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

The UK-based news and activism site, NewsInkling, has posted a story on the case of Pfc. LaVena Johnson. The story's author, Waterflake, draws on the recent report by the Center for Media and Democracy, "War vs. Democracy: Untold Stories from the Lynch / Tillman Hearing." The piece was co-authored by SP Biloxi of Justice League who has also written about LaVena. Many thanks to the both of them!

By way of comparison

2007-06-05T04:12:00.000-07:00

The petition asking that the Senate and House Armed Services Committees compel the Army to investigate anew the death of Pfc. LaVena Johnson stands at just over 3500 names at the moment. It has taken some three months to reach this point.

The petition to change the logo for the London 2012 Olympics passed 10,000 signatures in less than a day.

"Worth the risk?": How the media chooses between sponsorship and the truth

2007-05-29T14:08:00.000-07:00

The Bullpen of New York University's Department of Journalism provides an illustrative tale for anyone wondering about the lack of coverage of the LaVena Johnson case in the mainstream media. Alexandra Zendrian recounts a sobering story told by Vanessa Bush, executive editor of Essence:

Sometimes conflicts of interest arise when editors plan to run a story that involves an advertiser. Bush shared one such situation with students. The story in question was a wrongful death case involving the U.S. Army. Essence wanted to run an article in their February 2006 issue about Private First Class LaVena Johnson, who the Army said had shot and killed herself. But Johnson’s family was convinced that she had been brutally beaten, and intended to bring a wrongful death case against the Army. Because the Army is one of Essence’s biggest advertisers, the magazine had to consider whether running the article was worth the risk of losing the Army’s valuable advertising dollars.
In the end, they struck a compromise: the Army agreed to continue advertising in Essence and simply pulled their ads from that month’s issue. But it was a close call, Bush said, adding that “advertisers will walk away in a heartbeat.”

It is to the credit of Essence and its editors that the story made its way to print, but the "closeness" of the call is troubling. It is disturbingly easy to imagine other media outlets choosing to look the other way, ignoring LaVena's story in the name of advertising dollars.

"Flags of our daughters"

2007-05-27T06:55:00.000-07:00

Ann McGlynn of the Quad-City Times takes note of LaVena Johnson in a group of profiles of the nine American women soldiers under the age of 20 who have died in Iraq. The material on LaVena is based on an interview with LaVena's parents, John and Linda.

LaVena had been in Iraq for eight weeks when she called and talked to her mother July 17, 2005. They talked for an hour about plans for Christmas and the new job she was going to be starting in Iraq.

“We were talking and making plans and laughing,” Linda Johnson said. “There was no distress or anything like that.”

They told each other “I love you” over and over again.

Two Army officials knocked on the Johnsons’ door 48 hours later to tell them LaVena, 19, had died.

“That was the beginning of our hell,” Linda Johnson said.

The Army told them LaVena committed suicide. The Johnsons believe the evidence shows she was murdered.

New template for petition site

2007-05-27T03:58:00.000-07:00

The layout of this website has been changed for enhanced readability and flexibility. Credit for the new design is posted at the bottom of the page.

Further modifications and additions are in the making and will be announced in due course.

Remember this

2007-05-25T13:53:00.000-07:00

What do you say to the war dead on Memorial Day?

You tell them, perhaps, that you are sorry you never got the chance to know them. Who they were, what they loved and feared, what they hoped for. That opportunity is gone, replaced by mute stone and silent earth.

You tell them that you honor the choice they made in serving, even though that sacrifice goes unhonored by an army unwilling to answer families who want only to know how their loved ones died so far from home.

You vow to keep the unfulfilled promise of the dead in your heart. What they would have valued. What they might have accomplished. Who they would have been, if only.

On Memorial Day, you tell the war dead - you swear to them - that you will not forget.

Radio interviews re: LaVena Johnson

2007-05-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

I will be doing two radio interviews regarding the LaVena Johnson story:

Today, Thursday, May 17, at 5:35 pm Central Time with host Lloyd Sloan on The Sloan Ranger Show. This will air on St. Louis, MO area station WGNU, AM 920. This is a follow-up to my March 9 interview there and will touch on more recent developments in the fight to compel the Army to reopen the investigation into LaVena's death. The show can be heard live over the Web (Windows Media Player); click the "Listen Live" link on the show's homepage.

Friday, May 18, at 5:05 pm Central Time with host Christiane Brown on The Solution Zone. This will air on Reno, NV area station KJFK, AM 1230, an Air America affiliate. The show will also feature Diane Farsetta, senior researcher for the Center on Media and Democracy, who wrote the recent report "War vs. Democracy: Untold Stories from the Lynch / Tillman Hearing." This broadcast cannot be heard over the Web, but I will try to make the interview available in a streaming or podcast format later.

Both of these events came up rather suddenly, so apologies for the rather short lead time.

Center for Media and Democracy notes LaVena Johnson story

2007-05-11T14:03:00.000-07:00

Diane Farsetta, senior researcher for the Center for Media and Democracy, examines the subtexts of the April 24 House Oversight Committee hearing. In today's CMD Report titled "War vs. Democracy: Untold Stories from the Lynch / Tillman Hearing," Farsetta looks beyond the cases of Cpl. Pat Tillman and Pfc. Jessica Lynch to explore the rights and responsibilities of citizens during wartime when faced with military misinformation, embellishment, and deception.

A few things are clear. One is that the secrecy, deception and constraints sought by wartime administrations are anathema to the transparency, accountability and freedom necessary to democracy. As James Madison warned, "Of all the enemies of public liberty, war is perhaps the most to be dreaded, because it comprises and develops the germ of every other."
Another truism is that citizens retain the right to receive information and provide guidance to their government during wartime. The last is that, while security concerns may legitimately restrict what information can be shared when, maintaining civilian oversight of war operations helps ensure that human rights standards are upheld.

Farsetta takes special note of Pfc. LaVena Johnson and other soldiers who died or were wounded under unexplained circumstances in Iraq and elsewhere. The report goes on to focus on the many aspects of the committee hearing that were glossed over or ignored altogether by mainstream press coverage.

Farsetta's report is well worth reading. It is welcome not only for its recognition of LaVena Johnson and other fallen soldiers, but its exposure of a negligent media and its insights into the broader costs to democracy brought about by the war.

(As before, I ask you to sign the LaVena Johnson petition to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, and to contact your legislator on those committees. Thanks.)

LaVena Johnson autopsy results: "inconclusive"

2007-05-04T10:54:00.000-07:00

Last night's KMOV-TV story (including video) on the case of Pfc. LaVena Johnson - an account of her body's exhumation and autopsy - provided little progress in the attempt to clarify the cause of her death in Iraq in 2005. The autopsy team, which included St. Louis chief medical examiner Dr. Michael Graham and St. Louis County medical examiner Dr. Mary Case, reported inconclusive findings after a three-hour examination. The process will now move to include the weapon - an M-16 rifle - which may have fatally wounded LaVena. More findings will be posted as they are made available.

The KMOV report was made notable by the inclusion of a comment by Senator Claire McCaskill:

We've gotta find the truth about what happened to this young lady. Her family deserves that at a minimum, and we need to know in terms of keeping the armed services accountable.

McCaskill's comment marks the first time that the freshman senator from Missouri, and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has spoken publicly on the LaVena Johnson story.

As the autopsy process moves forward, it is more important than ever that citizens continue to encourage Congress to bring its official attention to Lavena's story, and to compel the Army to revisit the investigation of her death. You can help by signing the petition to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees, then directly contacting your legislator on those committees.

LaVena Johnson autopsy findings to air on KMOV

2007-05-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

The Army claimed that Pfc. LaVena Johnson killed herself in Iraq in 2005; LaVena's parents maintain that their daughter was murdered. Last week, the Johnsons had LaVena's body exhumed for autopsy. St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV-TV (channel 4) will air a report on the autopsy findings tonight at 10 pm Central. The promo for the report is available on the station's website. The full report will likely be posted there after the broadcast.

KMOV was the news station whose report on the LaVena Johnson story in February sparked renewed attention to the case.

MichaelMoore.com returns to LaVena's story

2007-04-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

The website of activist and filmmaker Michael Moore has once more brought the attention of its readers to the case of LaVena Johnson with a front page link to the overall story, an audio clip of Representative Wm. Lacy Clay's opening statement on LaVena at the recent House Oversight Committee hearing, and a link to the petition addressed to the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Many thanks to Mike and the website staff for their continued help in bringing public attention to LaVena's story.

FOX 2 in St. Louis links to LaVena Johnson petition, website

2007-04-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

St. Louis-based FOX affiliate KTVI (FOX 2) followed up on the LaVena Johnson story in the wake of Rep. Wm. Lacy Clay's televised statement on the case. The FOX 2 story is available for viewing at the station's website. The story's page also links prominently to both the petition page and the LaVena Johnson website. Many thanks to KTVI and reporter Chris Regnier.

Thanks to Congressman Clay

2007-04-25T09:49:00.000-07:00

Representative William Lacy Clay of Missouri's First District brought LaVena Johnson's story to national attention in his opening statement at yesterday's Pat Tillman/Jessica Lynch hearing of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. If you would like to send him a word of thanks, you may use the information on this contact page. Please note that the email form only allows use by constituents living in Rep. Clay's district. No such limit applies to phone, fax, or postal mail messages, however.

Rep. Clay speaks about LaVena at Tillman/Lynch hearing

2007-04-24T16:53:00.000-07:00

The case of Pfc. LaVena Johnson finally edged into official light today at the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing on Cpl. Pat Tillman and Pvt. Jessica Lynch. Representative William Lacy Clay of Missouri's First District spoke briefly about LaVena's death, the unsatisfactory investigation by Army officials, the refusal by the Army to revisit the case. To my knowledge, it is the first time that any member of any congressional body has spoken LaVena's name before the public and the wider press, and certainly the first time that her family's struggle to force a a new investigation of LaVena's death has been officially linked to the wider topic of deception by the military.

There was some question of when Congress would finally bring any sort of attention to the case of Pfc. Johnson; now we see that the search for justice for one military family just may bring light to others as well. Rep. Clay's remarks, welcome as they are, represent only the barest beginning of the kind of official attention that is required to prompt a reinvestigation of LaVena's death...but it is a beginning nonetheless.

UPDATE: This is the text of the opening statement made by Rep. Clay:

Mr. Chairman, honorable colleagues, good morning.
Throughout history, it has often been said that "the first casualty of war...is the truth."

That has certainly been the case in Iraq and Afghanistan. And this morning's testimony will demonstrate the depth of that problem.

Private Lynch, I want to thank you for being here today. Your courage and dedication to duty, both while under enemy fire and then as a wounded P.O.W. are heroic. And your commitment to making certain that the truth about what happened to you and your unit finally emerged is equally heroic. It honors the memory of your fallen comrades and is in the best tradition of our armed forces.

Mrs. Tillman, as a parent, I want to express my sincere condolences to you on the loss of your brave son, Patrick. And I want to commend you for having the courage to pursue the truth about your son's death, while bearing the terrible burden of losing a child.

We know now that your painful loss was compounded by having had to confront a pattern of deception, misleading information, and in some instances, deliberate misinformation.

And unfortunately, that pattern of misinformation and deception is not limited to just your son's case.

Back in my district in St. Louis, I had a brave young constituent by the name of Private LaVena Johnson. And sadly, in July of 2005, at the age of 19, she became the first female soldier fro Missouri to be killed in Iraq.

Just like Corporal Tillman, Private Johnson was an exceptional young American. She was an honor student, a gifted musician, and very active in her church and community. And just like Corporal Tillman, after 9-11, she was inspired to join the Army to help protect her country.

Private Johnson came from a proud military tradition. Her father, Dr. John Johnson, is an Army veteran and worked for the Department of the Army for 25 years. Her two uncles served in Vietnam. And her grandfather served in World War II.

For almost two years, Dr. and Mrs. Johnson have been trying to get at the truth about what happened to their daughter. And my office has tried to assist them in that effort.

Unfortunately, they have been met by a wall of disrespect, evasion, and a failure to provide them with the answers that the parents of any fallen soldier deserve.

I am thankful that this committee is taking action to get them the information they have requested.

Private LaVena Johnson gave her life for her country. And her country has a responsibility to tell her family the whole truth about how she died.

Thank you.

The specific information of which Rep. Clay spoke - particular documents relating to the investigation of LaVena's death - was requested on behalf of the Johnsons by Chairman Henry A. Waxman and Representative Clay in his capacity as chair of the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Affairs. Their letter, addressed to Acting Secretary of the Army Pete Geren, is available for download.

Remember to contact your legislator on the Armed Services Committee

2007-04-18T12:38:00.000-07:00

I'd like to emphasize once more the importance of contacting your senator or representative who serves on the Senate or House Armed Services Committees. Signing the petition is a first step, but it's important that legislators hear directly from you about LaVena and her family.

I have reposted here the membership of both the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. The legislators' names are links to their contact pages, as before. For your convenience, I have added pop-up links to their telephone numbers and office addresses as well. If you choose to send a postal letter, it is highly recommended that you send it to a district office rather than the D.C. office, as delivery there may be delayed by weeks. No such problem with emails, or with phone calls or faxes to either office.

Whether you send a postal letter or an email to your senator or representative, remember to include your address with ZIP code. Generally speaking, legislators only pay attention to correspondence from their own constituents and do not read letters from other citizens, even if they do sit on committees. (A handy guide to writing a legislator is available at About.com.)

UPDATE: The House ASC membership with complete contact info has been added to this post.

Petition page back up

2007-04-14T21:26:00.000-07:00

~~The petition page has been inaccessible during the late hours tonight (it was last accessed at 9:40 pm Central). I will post here when it comes back up (or afterwards if it returns while I'm asleep).~~

The petiton page is once more accessible (2:45 am Central) with no apparent problems.

Thank you to Fired Up! Missouri

2007-04-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

Political strategist Roy Temple was kind enough to promote yesterday's piece on LaVena to the front page of Fired Up! Missouri. Many thanks to Roy and the readers of Fired Up!

Thanks to Facebook users!

2007-04-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

As before - following the Crooks & Liars post on LaVena Johnson - the Facebook community is responding today with many visits to the petition page. My thanks to all of you!

Also: Don't forget to write!

Support from SuzanneSwift.org

2007-04-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

In her first tour of duty in Iraq, Army Spc. Suzanne Swift was subjected to sexual harassment from one superior officer and coercion by another into a sexual affair. Rather than face that kind of degradation again, Spc. Swift refused to return for a second deployment to Iraq. The response from a military that should have moved to protect her was an arrest on AWOL charges, followed by a court-martial and being stripped of rank.

Suzanne's trials made an activist of her mother, Sara Rich, who has spoken widely on sexual harassment, abuse, and rape in the military in a way that her soldier daughter could not. She established a website dedicated to her daughter's struggle with a hostile military bureacracy, SuzanneSwift.org.

Sara came across the petition for LaVena Johnson and volunteered to help by writing about it on Suzanne's website. She said also that Suzanne knew of LaVena's story and wanted to do something to help.

Sara and Suzanne have been gracious beyond words in embracing LaVena and her family in this way. To the extent that I can speak for LaVena's parents, I would like to convey their thanks.

When will Congress stand up for LaVena Johnson?

2007-04-11T05:56:00.000-07:00

From today's Associated Press article on a U.S. House committee's quest for honest answers for two military families:

"After successive failed Department of Defense and Army inquiries, only a comprehensive, unrelenting congressional investigation can do justice to Pat's memory, and restore service members' confidence in their chain of command," said Rep. Mike Honda, a Democrat who represents the Tillman family's San Jose district. "I will not rest until the unvarnished truth - no matter where it leads - is brought to light."

If only Mike Honda represented the family of Pfc. LaVena Johnson.

It has taken the glare of notoriety and the force of public attention to finally bring the cases of Cpl. Pat Tillman and Pfc. Jessica Lynch to the point where Congress has declared its intent to uncover the facts behind the official deceptions in both cases - and even with that, it has taken years to get here. What solace does this give other service families who rightly question what they have been told about their loved ones in uniform? What lesson can be drawn by the parents of LaVena Johnson, whose death under clouded circumstances was written off as suicide by Army officials who have repeatedly refused calls for a reinvestigation of the case?

What does this tell the families of soldiers who aren't famous, whose names aren't known by the Associated Press or the New York Times or CNN?

The declared intent of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to explore the cases of Cpl. Tillman and Pfc. Lynch is both laudable and overdue. The announcement that the House Armed Services Committee is "considering" looking into the Tillman case is welcome news - and, again, overdue. These announcements, belated as they are, show us one thing clearly: it is up to a concerned public to remind Congress of its duty toward other service families, those beyond the media spotlight. You can help to make a start by signing the Pfc. LaVena Johnson petition, and - of equal importance - by directly contacting your Senator or Representative on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

Congress clearly needs your leadership on this.

Website address change

2007-04-08T17:10:00.000-07:00

This website is now located at a more streamlined URL - www.lavenajohnson.com. Anyone who has bookmarked or shared the original address need not worry, however; the URL www.lavenajohnson.blogspot.com will continue to work.

Make Hip Hop, Not War Concert tonight in St. Louis

2007-04-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

Chuc Smith of the St. Louis chapter of Veterans for Peace will be handing out flyers regarding the case of LaVena Johnson at today's Make Hip Hop, Not War concert. The music event is one of a series making its way around the country.

Make Hip Hop, Not War Concert Arrives in St. Louis
Free Concert Featuring DJ Chela
Thursday, April 5
4-6 PM
Gateway Classic Sports Complex
20th St. and Martin Luther King Dr.
Sponsored by the Hip Hop Caucus, Military Families Speak Out, Veterans
for Peace and the Instead of War Coalition.

Vet Net, "Unsung," and 2000 signatures

2007-03-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Chuc Smith of Veterans for Peace, who co-hosted the airing of Vet Net (station KDHX) in which I was a guest, is pleased to report that the show is now available in streaming audio. It can also be downloaded as a podcast. Our show on LaVena Johnson is the first one available. Get it here!

Last weekend, many visitors came to the petition site by way of an impassioned piece on the LaVena Johnson case posted at Welcome to Pottersville. It was heartening to read, and a fine example of the writing and advocacy many others are doing on behalf of LaVena's family.

LaVena’s death just eight days shy of her 20th birthday would be an excellent counter recruiting commercial as to why you should do everything in your power to keep your daughter from enlisting. The straight A student, who wasn’t ready for college right out of high school, wanted to travel, earn money for college for later. She was seduced by the siren call of a recruiter at Hazelwood High School who told her only what he wanted her to hear, what she wanted to hear. After her funeral, her father went through her drawer and found a recruiting brochure that said, “Earn $25,000 toward college.” [...]
Gone now are the pie in the sky promises of college and $25,000 for it. Now, her usefulness at an end, the Army cannot and will not even tell her family the truth about her death. Here’s what they will talk about: When LeKesha Johnson, the youngest of the five Johnson kids and the sole surviving daughter, became a senior, the Army began calling the family. When the Johnsons finally told them that they’d already lost a daughter in Iraq and that no one else would be enlisting, the calls kept coming, anyway. Back then, the Johnsons didn’t know they could opt out and prevent the DoD from using No Child Left Behind to get their contact information. Now they know but only too late.

I recommend everyone to read the post in its entirety. Heartfelt thanks to the author, who goes by the non de plume "jurassicpork." I will gratefully post his actual name here should he grant his permission.

Last night the number of signatures on the LaVena Johnson petition passed the threshold of two thousand. Each name on this list, every concerned person, is valued and important.

Message to the Missouri delegation in Congress

2007-03-26T12:28:00.001-07:00

We are informed that members of Senate and House committees like hearing from real people.

This is fortunate for you members of the Missouri delegation to Congress, as there are some real people - the family of Pfc. LaVena Johnson - who would like to talk to you.

In particular:

Senator Claire McCaskill, member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Senator Kit Bond, vice-chair of the Senate Select Intelligence Committee.

Representative Ike Skelton, chair of the House Armed Services Committee.

Representative Todd Akin, member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Representative William Lacy Clay, who has already expressed an interest in the matter of LaVena Johnson's death and its subsequent investigation.

We hope that you will act on behalf of a grieving Missouri family, a service family that has lost its daughter, and compel the Army to reopen the investigation into this young woman's death.

(Readers who are constituents of any of the representatives above are asked to contact them with your concerns regarding Pfc. LaVena Johnson. All Missouri citizens reading this are asked to contact the two senators listed above. Thank you.)

The word continues to spread

2007-03-26T08:43:00.000-07:00

I tried last week to tally up all of the blogs, sites, and forums that have made a point of discussing the LaVena Johnson story or have linked to the petition website, but I soon realized that I'd never have time to count them all. The response to the story has been greatly encouraging, and the best I can manage for most of these kind souls is a blanket-yet-heartfelt thank you.

I would like to express particular thanks, however, to those people that have written about LaVena in direct response to a request. Oliver Willis was not only good enough to write about LaVena last week, but made that topic the first featured after his blog's redesign. Steve Benes of Salon's The Blog Report literally put the LaVena Johnson story on the radar today by linking to this weekend's AlterNet piece. Many thanks to them both.

Security measure added to petition page

2007-03-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Password authorization has been added to the petition page in order to reduce computer-generated spamming. An image containing a short password is visible on the page; visitors must type those letters and numbers into the password field before clicking the "Submit" button.

The password will be updated periodically.

Authorization is always an inconvenience; I hope it's a minor one in this case. Thank you for your patience.

Two soldiers, two families, and justice for one

2007-03-24T09:13:00.000-07:00

For service families searching for the truth of how loved ones died overseas, not even the seeming advantage of fame can push the military into a timely and decent response. It has taken the family of Army Ranger and former pro football player Cpl. Pat Tillman some three years to get to this point: the Associated Press reports that the Pentagon will soon fault a number of officers - ranking as high as generals - for errors in the handling and disclosure of the young soldier's death by fratricide.

In the meantime, the family of Pfc. LaVena Johnson - a soldier not famous, unremarked, unsung - is still rebuffed by an Army that refuses to reexamine her death or revisit its claim of suicide despite disturbing indications of foul play and sexual assault.

One year ago, I drew the too-clear parallel between the cases of Cpl.Tillman and Pfc. Johnson, but everything said can be pared down to the pointed observation once made by Tillman's mother:

"This is how they treat a family of a high-profile individual," she said. "How are they treating others?"

It's time to level the field. Full as much as the Tillmans, the Johnson family deserves an honest accounting of their soldier's death and the honor and respect due every service family.

Thanks to Vet Net for show on LaVena Johnson

2007-03-23T08:29:00.000-07:00

Many, many thanks to Charles Clyde and Chuc Smith for hosting me on Vet Net yesterday (Thursday) for a taped show on the LaVena Johnson story. Charles is the regular host of the show, broadcast on KDHX; Chuc is president of the St. Louis chapter of Veterans for Peace. This was a follow up to their March 12 show on the death of Pfc. Johnson. The show taped yesterday will be aired at 5:30 a.m. Central on Monday, March 26. (Not the 25th, as I posted earlier.) The show can be heard at that time via the Internet (RealPlayer format for download); just click on the "Listen Online" link at the top of the show's home page. (Streaming capability may come soon to Vet Net ; I'll alert folks here when it happens.)

It was a good conversation. Chuc and Charles are quite familiar with LaVena's story; additionally, Chuc and his organization, VFP, have been in touch with the Johnson family and are working to bring the story to the attention of such vital officials as Claire McCaskill, newly-elected Missouri senator and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Charles and Chuc (and Chuc's wife Denise, whom I had the pleasure of meeting) were gracious in their thanks for the petition effort, which is only made worthwhile by each citizen who has lent their name to the effort. Thanks again to all of you.

From Teresa in Michigan to Senator Carl Levin

2007-03-21T11:40:00.000-07:00

Early on in the drive to prompt public officials to come to the aid of the Johnson family, Teresa shared with me a letter she wrote to Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, chair of the Armed Service Committee. With her kind permission, that letter is posted here.

Dear Senator Levin,
I am pleased that you are head of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

I understand that you are extremely busy with seeing to issues with the Armed Services that have been sorely neglected for many years.

I would like to draw your attention to the case of Pfc. LaVena Johnson.

Pfc LaVena Johnson was killed in Iraq. Her death as been listed as "died of self-inflicted, noncombat injuries" yet there is evidence to the contrary.

Indications of physical abuse that went unremarked by the autopsy.
The absence of psychological indicators of suicidal thoughts; testimony that LaVena was happy and healthy prior to her death.
Indications, via residue tests, that LaVena may not even have handled the weapon that killed her.
A blood trail outside the tent where LaVena's body was found.
Indications that someone attempted to set LaVena's body on fire.

Truth has been in very short supply these last 7 years. I have the greatest hope that you being a person of principle and honesty will rectify that problem.

I draw your attention to Pfc LaVena Johnson's death because the truth of her death is needed.

Like Cpl. Pat Tilman's death, LaVena Johnson's death requires further investigation. Both they and their families have earned the truth.

Please I ask that you do your best for Pfc LaVena Johnson and her family. They have paid a high price.

We can not bring Pfc. Johnson back to life but you can help bring out the truth. Both she and her family have earned the truth.

"Please do your best for LaVena and her family." It's not so much to ask, is it?

Many thanks to Teresa and to everyone who has duplicated her efforts many times over.

Fourteen hundred

2007-03-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

As of this writing, the number of signatories to the LaVena Johnson petition stands at just over fourteen hundred. Everyone who has written about this effort or shared this story with someone else, whether in person or via email or blog post, deserves very much to be named here and thanked individually. I ask forgiveness for not being able to do so.

Also: I can be heard talking about LaVena and the petition effort with Chuc Smith on the KDHX-FM program Vet Net next Monday (March 25 26) at the early hour of 5:30 a.m. Chuc is the president of the St. Louis chapter of Veterans For Peace and has worked to bring official attention and aid to the Johnson family's efforts to have the death of their daughter reinvestigated. The program is not archived, but may be heard over the Internet as it is broadcast. (RealPlayer format; click the "Listen Online" link at the top of the page at the show's webpage.)

Petition status and other items

2007-03-15T10:32:00.000-07:00

The current count of the petition to the two Armed Services Committees stands at a hair under twelve hundred signatures. The Johnson family again expresses its gratitude for everyone who has taken the time not only to sign on, but also to send word about LaVena Johnson to individual legislators, media outlets, and friends and family.

I'd like to add a special thanks to the many people who have spread word of the petition and this site by way of LiveJournal and MySpace blogs. This followed closely on the heels of the story posted at Crooks & Liars, and the surge of interest was gratifying.

I'll be talking about LaVena's story on an upcoming airing of Vet Net hosted by Chuc Smith at radio station KDHX. It's tentatively slated for March 25; the show runs from 5:30 am to 6 pm. I'll post final information soon.

More information related to this story and the petition will be posted here as soon as it becomes available. Again, thanks so much.

Guest Post: 1000 Signatures! It’s A Good Start, But…

2007-03-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

As I write this, the count of signatures on the web petition to reopen
the PFC LaVena Johnson investigation has just reached 1000. That is a
very nice figure, especially since just three days ago it was barely
over 200. Truly, the word is starting to get around.

It is a great start. But it is not enough. I hope for many, many more
signatures. I know there are thousands upon thousands of folks across
the nation who will sign on just as soon as they hear the facts of this
case. So that is what has to happen. You are reading this now because
someone led you here. Perhaps it was a news story, a radio interview,
an email from a friend, or a posting on an internet site. No matter how
it happened, I am glad you are here and I hope you lead others here
too. I also deeply hope you sign the petition to demand that the Army
reopen the PFC LaVena Johnson investigation.

But I also hope that is not the last thing you do about this. I hope
you leave this web site after signing the petition and that you begin
immediately to write letters to your congressperson and your two
senators. I hope you then fax or email them to those elected officials.
I hope you follow up by phoning those offices or even by visiting them
in person. The message can be short and simple. Ask your representative
and senators to demand that the Army reopen it’s investigation of the
death of PFC LaVena Johnson. To get email addresses and phone numbers
go to http://www.house.gov and http://www.senate.gov.

I hope everyone does this, but let me especially appeal to military
veterans. Do it for the family of our sister-in-arms, PFC LaVena
Johnson. Then, if you happen to belong to a veterans’ organization
(VFW, American Legion, AMVETS, Veterans For Peace, IVAW, DAV, VVAW,
etc.) spread the word among your members. Further, ask your
organization to issue a public statement. Her family deserves nothing
less than the truth. I am sure that as veterans, we would want nothing
less for ourselves and our loved ones.

As the prophet said, “Let justice roll down like waters….” Amos 5:24

Charles T. (Chuc) Smith
President The Don Connors Chapter of Veterans For Peace, St. Louis, MO

Radio report; petition signature count

2007-03-11T10:59:00.000-07:00

For anyone who missed my Friday interview regarding Pfc. LaVena Johnson on The Sloan Ranger Show, the audio archive is available via this link.

Also: Charles Smith, president of the St. Louis chapter of Veterans for Peace, will talk about LaVena on Vet Net on St. Louis radio station KDHX-FM 88.1 tomorrow morning (March 12); the half-hour program starts at 5:30 am. For those not in the St. Louis metro, the program can be heard live online in RealPlayer format (click the "Listen Online" link at the top of the page) and ~~call-ins are welcome~~ . (My mistake; apologies! Call-ins would be welcome except that the program is previously recorded.)

As of this writing, the number of signatures on the LaVena Johnson petition to the two Armed Services Committees stands just seven names shy of one thousand.

Thank you to The Sloan Ranger Show and Crooks & Liars

2007-03-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

Many thanks to Lloyd Sloan, host of The Sloan Ranger Show, for having me on to discuss the case of LaVena Johnson and the related petition. Lloyd was an engaged host who facilitated a comfortable and - I trust - informative interview.

Thanks also to John Amato and Nicole Belle of Crooks & Liars for covering LaVena's story and linking to the petition news site.

In the space of a single evening - from 6:10 pm Central, the start of the radio interview, until about 10:30 at night - the LaVena Johnson petition gained as many signatures as it had in the previous nine days, bringing the count to 681 names.

The count as of this writing, this morning: 761 signatures. Thanks much to everyone who has participated thus far - and thanks for the comments left here. This site is checked several times a day, every day, and no comment goes unread.

Private wars

2007-03-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I spoke extensively by phone with John Johnson, father of Pfc. LaVena Johnson whose suspicious death in Iraq demands reinvestigation by the Army. The Johnson family has waged a private battle for nearly two years to have Army officials reexamine its ruling that LeVena died by her own hand, citing evidence that points to death by foul play.

Mr. Johnson said that up to this point, their struggle had been a solitary one. "We felt totally alone out there," he said. Knowledge that LaVena's story is becoming known to more people every day is heartening to the family. Everyone who has taken action on the Johnsons' behalf - whether by signing the petition to the two Armed Services Committees, writing emails to individual legislators or media about LaVena, or simply sharing the story with friends or family - should know that the family is aware of their efforts, and is grateful.

In the telephone conversation, Mr. Johnson described in some detail those aspects of documents and photographs received from the Army which lead the family to believe that a sexual assault lies at the heart of LaVena's death. It is a grim conclusion that doesn't bear thinking about - and it is a fact of theater service in Iraq for women soldiers in Iraq, according to Helen Benedict, author of yesterday's Salon article, "The Private War of Women Soldiers." Viewing the article requires watching a brief advertisement (click "Enter Salon" near the top of the page), but the piece is necessary reading:

I have talked to more than 20 female veterans of the Iraq war in the past few months, interviewing them for up to 10 hours each for a book I am writing on the topic, and every one of them said the danger of rape by other soldiers is so widely recognized in Iraq that their officers routinely told them not to go to the latrines or showers without another woman for protection.
The female soldiers who were at Camp Arifjan in Kuwait, for example, where U.S. troops go to demobilize, told me they were warned not to go out at night alone.

"They call Camp Arifjan 'generator city' because it's so loud with generators that even if a woman screams she can't be heard," said Abbie Pickett, 24, a specialist with the 229th Combat Support Engineering Company who spent 15 months in Iraq from 2004-05. Yet, she points out, this is a base, where soldiers are supposed to be safe.

Spc. Mickiela Montoya, 21, who was in Iraq with the National Guard in 2005, took to carrying a knife with her at all times. "The knife wasn't for the Iraqis," she told me. "It was for the guys on my own side."

Only an official reinvestigation of the death of Pfc. Johnson can reveal the facts behond her death, but the testimony of women soldiers in the Benedict article demonstrates that the possibility of a sexual assault in LaVena's case cannot and must not be dismissed.

A reminder: I will speak about the LaVena Johnson matter tomorrow (March 9) at 6:10 p.m. Central (was originally 6:15) on The Sloan Ranger Show with host Lloyd Sloan. The show can be heard via the Internet (or in the St. Louis area on WGNU), and call-ins are welcome.

Friday (March 9) radio interview on LaVena Johnson

2007-03-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

I will be interviewed on The Sloan Ranger Show with host Lloyd Sloan regarding Pfc. LaVena Johnson and the drive to have the Army reinvestigate her suspicious death in Iraq. The interview is scheduled for Friday, March 9; the interview is slated for 6:10 pm Central (was originally 6:15). The overall show runs from 5 pm to 7 pm. Locally, that's AM920, WGNU.

The show can be heard over the Web; you're invited not only to listen in (the “listen live” link is on the top right side of the masthead), but to call in with questions or comments. I'll answer as best I can.

Local callers: 314-454-0400
Toll free: 1-877-920-WGNU (9468)

Don't forget to sign the petition! Thanks much.

Item of interest

2007-03-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

This weblog has been visited at least 14 times today by staffers at the House of Representatives.

This is a sign that someone in the House is at least familiar with the matter of LaVena Johnson.

It is to be hoped that this familiarity will be followed up with action on behalf of the Johnson family.

Thank you

2007-03-06T18:49:00.000-08:00

Thank you for signing the petition

...and for helping the parents of LaVena Johnson to learn the facts about their daughter's death in Iraq. We hope you will please take a moment to share this petition with others.

Signing the petition is important in uncovering the truth, but it is equally important to directly contact the members of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. These legislators rely on such contact in guiding their actions, and frankly need that guidance soon. Please don't wait for the petition! Check the roster of Senate and House ASC members; if you have a Senator or Representative on that list, please contact them regarding LaVena Johnson.

For additional ways that you can help raise public awareness of the Johnson's family's efforts to uncover the truth of what happened to their daughter, please read this list of action items. Each person and every effort is valuable.

Thank you again for your signature and your concern.

Contact info for members of the two Armed Services Committees

2007-03-06T18:46:00.000-08:00

For those who want to help push the Army to reopen the investigation of Pfc. LaVena Johnson's death: I urge concerned readers to contact their own Senator or Representative who serve on the Senate Armed Services Committee or the House Armed Services Committee. These bodies are charged with legislative oversight of the armed forces; with enough will, their members can compel the Army to respond to LaVena's family. Help these legislators find that will by asking them to act in their capacity as members of these committees.

Also: Don't forget to mention that you are in fact a constituent of the legislator you're writing. The inclusion of your ZIP code in your message will help a lot.

(If you're uncertain of who your Representative is - there are several per state, after all - use the Write Your Representative form to identify your House rep, then check that name against the list below.)

Action items re: LaVena Johnson

2007-03-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

As the blogosphere awakens to the story of Pfc. LaVena Johnson's death, it's important to remember that this story is much larger than Blogville. Weblogs obviously have their importance in comminicating this story, but you don't have to be a blogger to be concerned over the anguish of LaVena's family and the inflexibility of the Army in refusing to reopen its investigation of her death. And you don't have to be a blogger to act on that concern.

Petition! The first step you can take is to sign this web-based petition to the Armed Services Committees, both Senate and House. The second step is to share the petition with others. (Contact info for individual committee members listed below.)

One very important and helpful act: commend the reporter and television station that brought this new information about LaVena to light: Matt Sczesny (pronounced says-nee) of KMOV-TV in St. Louis. Please contact the KMOV newsroom at news@kmov.com. It would be helpful to mention the name of LaVena Johnson in the subject header. If you'd rather contact KMOV another way, here's the info:

KMOV-TV
One Memorial Drive
St. Louis, Missouri 63102
Main Switchboard: 314-621-4444 (8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m., Monday - Friday)
News: 314-444-6333

Other steps you can take involve:

The media close at hand. LaVena's story is no more a local concern than the war in Iraq or the concern that families have for their loved ones overseas. Share that concern in the letters column of your newspaper, or on open line discussion on that radio talk show you listen to.

The media far away. LaVena's story won't enter the minds of the professional opinion-makers unless it is brought to their attention. It could be a national-level print columnist (a Nick Kristoff, possibly), a television personality (a Keith Olbermann, perhaps), a talk show host (an Oprah Winfrey, maybe). If you feel that a particular media personality would be sympathetic to the story of Pfc. Johnson and her family, please share that story with him or her.

Those who have written or talked about LaVena before. Our attention span is narrow; we have to work to remember things, even important things. There are news outlets that have mentioned LaVena's death once and then moved on because that's the way of the world. Find out who they are (Google, Lexis Nexis, and the like). Help them remember. Remind them of LaVena.

Friends, family, plain old people. I look at the links that are bringing people to the posts on LaVena and see that several originated from emails. People are sharing the story. It takes just a moment to spread the word via your address book. Or over dinner.

Politicians. Elsewhere on this blog is a list of direct contact links for each member of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. While the petition to each of those legislative bodies is a valuable first step, contacting individual members can help to bring home the message. Keep in mind that Congressmen really only want to hear from their own constituents, so make sure that the committee member you email really does represent you.

Those who have served. I saved soldiers for last here when they might easily have been first; I did so because I believe it's important to go away from this thinking primarily about the men and women who have served us in dangerous places. Our thoughts are with them and for them and their families, regardless of personal feelings about the current war. If you have a loved one or a friend who is is serving now or has served, share LaVena's story with that soldier.

The only thing I'd add right now is that even though feelings on this subject will run hot, it's important to be decent in your communications with people from whom you are asking help. After all, you're acting not in your name alone, but in someone else's.

Any suggestions that can be added here would be welcome.

Thanks very much for your attention, and your help.

The cover-up of a soldier's death?

2007-03-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time lived a young woman from a St. Louis suburb. She was an honor roll student, she played the violin, she donated blood and volunteered for American Heart Association walks. She elected to put off college for a while and joined the Army once out of school. At Fort Campbell, KY, she was assigned as a weapons supply manager to the 129th Corps Support Battalion.

She was LaVena Johnson, private first class, and she died near Balad, Iraq, on July 19, 2005, just eight days shy of her twentieth birthday. She was the first woman soldier from Missouri to die while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The tragedy of her story begins there.

An Army representative initially told LaVena's father, Dr. John Johnson, that his daughter died of "died of self-inflicted, noncombat injuries," but initially added that it was not a suicide. The subsequent Army investigation reversed this finding and declared LaVena's death a suicide, a finding refuted by the soldier's family. In an article in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Dr. Johnson pointed to indications that his daughter had endured a physical struggle before she died - two loose front teeth, a "busted lip" that had to be reconstructed by the funeral home - suggesting that "someone might have punched her in the mouth."

A promise by the office of Representative William Lacy Clay to look into the matter produced nothing. The military said that the matter was closed.

Little more on LaVena's death was said until St. Louis CBS affiliate KMOV aired a story last night which disclosed troubling details not previously made public - details which belie the Army's assertion that the young Florissant native died by her own hand. The video of the report is available on the KMOV website.

Reporter Matt Sczesny spoke with LaVena's father and examined documents and photos sent by Army investigators. So far from supporting the claim that LaVena died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the documents provided elements of another scenario altogether:

Indications of physical abuse that went unremarked by the autopsy
The absence of psychological indicators of suicidal thoughts; indeed, testimony that LaVena was happy and healthy prior to her death
Indications, via residue tests, that LaVena may not even have handled the weapon that killed her
A blood trail outside the tent where Lavena's body was found
Indications that someone attenpted to set LaVena's body on fire

The Army has resisted calls by Dr. Johnson and by KMOV to reopen its investigation.

We have seen in other military deaths, most infamously that of Army Ranger and former professional football player Cpl. Pat Tillman, that the Army has engaged in an insulting game of deny and delay when it comes to uncovering embarrassing facts. Only when public and official attention is brought to bear on the matter - as happened, eventually and with great effort, with the case of Cpl. Tillman - do unpleasant truths come to light.

Astonishing as it seems, it takes that level of outrage to compel the Army to find the truth and tell it, to honor its own soldiers. No such groundswell has yet emerged in the case of LaVena; not enough voices have demanded that someone in the military, anyone, speak for her. At first glance, the contrast between the cases of Pat Tillman and LaVena Johnson seems vast, but at the core the situations are the same. In each case, the death of a young soldier in a dangerous place and time was not explained to the families they left behind, the families that gave them up so that they could serve us. An honest accounting of their passing is all the dead ask of us.

The mother of Pat Tillman put the matter in stark and honest terms:

"This is how they treat a family of a high-profile individual," she said. "How are they treating others?"

In the case of Private First Class Johnson, we know the answer.