Pfc. LaVena Johnson » Remarks

A day for veterans

Philip Barron — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:38:46 +0000

Thinking about soldiers makes my heart hurt, a little.

For the past three years, anything and everything having to do with the American military – especially the US Army – has been influenced by my understanding of the events surrounding the death in Iraq of Pfc. LaVena Johnson of Florissant, Missouri. The ruling of suicide as the cause of her death, as determined by military investigators; the anguish and anger of her father and mother as their pleas to renew the investigation of the case have met with stony silence and resistance from authorities. Interest from legislators ebbs and flows – mostly ebbs – and progress has come slowly indeed. Three years is a long time in which to see little change, and so LaVena’s fate has come to color everything – for me – when it comes to military service.

There is more involved, however.

My father served in the Air Force for twenty years. His duty carried him to far countries, and we – my mother, my brother, and myself – saw little of him for long periods of time. We finally came together as a family for the last two years of his stint, when we moved from South Carolina to live together at Whiteman Air Force Base, then home of the Minuteman missile. Dad ended his service as a technical sergeant. After that, we moved back to South Carolina.

My father died of cancer a few years afterwards.

I never felt that I knew him – he had been gone so often, and for so long – and I think it is fair to say that he did not know me. Military service came to mean absence. It was just a consequence of wearing the uniform. I was always proud of my father’s uniform. Never knew the man, not really, but I was proud that he had served.

The tension between absence and pride is not meant to be reconciled, and yet everyone with a loved one in uniform must find a way to balance the two. The necessity of doing so is why we always make the distinction, whether or not we realize it or admit it, between citizens and soldiers. On a basic level, though, the distinction does not exist: the sacrifice made by the soldier in answering a call to arms is mirrored by the sacrifice made by those who have to let them go.

So when the death of a soldier goes unanswered by those in charge, it is an insult to the soldier’s sacrifice, and to ours.

This is a day for veterans, a day in which to give them the honor they deserve for having subordinated themselves to something greater than the individual. That does not obviate the injustice of the unanswered death of soldiers such as LaVena Johnson; rather, it underscores the necessity of doing justice by her, and by her family, in the name of their sacrifice.

Though I did not know my father well, I believe that he would agree.

“Army Strong”

Philip Barron — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:51:07 +0000

You are doubtless familiar with the marketing slogan first announced by the United States Army in 2006: “There’s strong, and then there’s Army Strong.”

In its battle to win the hearts and minds of recruiting-age Americans, the Army is replacing its main ad slogan — “An Army of One” — with one it hopes will pack more punch: “Army Strong.”

The new approach, the fruit of a $200 million-a-year contract with a major advertising agency, was announced Monday by Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey. He said “Army Strong” will be the centerpiece of a multimedia ad campaign to be launched Nov. 9, timed to coincide with Veterans Day weekend.

Army Secretary Harvey dispatched a message to “the Army family” extolling the concept:

Army Strong stands for a big idea. It speaks to the truth about the U.S. Army – that Soldiers develop mental, emotional and physical strength forged through shared values, teamwork, experience and training… that by making the decision to join the Army, an individual is choosing to recognize potential strength within him or herself and develop it further… that an individual Soldier is choosing to take charge of his or her future and career… that Soldiers actively choose to make a difference in their lives, their families, their communities and for their nation.

It is a big idea, echoed in television, radio, and online advertising, including the GoArmy.com website. The focus here is on the personal development of the individual soldier and the fostering of a very special kind of strength – that only the Army can provide – to aid in that development. Buried here, however, is the question: Strength for what?

An army is a collective, and its value lies in its collective force. Any soldier will acknowledge the crucial importance of teamwork, the blending of strengths in a common task. One of the most crucial common goals is support for fellow troops: taking care of the man – or woman – at your side, and leaving no soldier behind. “Army Strong” should mean that much if it means anything at all – and, again, it is hard to imagine that any soldier would find fault with that.

When the Army fails to take care of one soldier, then the Army’s strength has failed.

I began blogging about LaVena Johnson and launched the original petition to the two Armed Services Committees because of the Army’s blunt dismissal of the concerns of LaVena’s family over the investigation of her death. The service’s bureaucratic refusal to answer the Johnsons’ questions about how LaVena died and how Army investigators arrived at their conclusion of suicide was evidence of a failure to care about family – one military family in particular and by extension everyone in what former Secretary Harvey called “the Army family.”

In the absence of this fundamental support from upper echelons, it is up to each individual soldier on the ground – the men and women who served with LaVena – to provide the last act of caring possible now, to step forward and speak on her behalf. That would be an act of strength.

Though I am a civilian – I have never served in the military – I want very much to believe in an Army that cares for its own and fosters individual strength for noble common purpose. But when I see or hear those “Army Strong” advertisements, all I can think of is LaVena.

A reminder…

Philip Barron — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:44:00 +0000

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, and I’ll correct it. Thanks.

When will Congress stand up for LaVena Johnson?

Philip Barron — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 12:56:00 +0000

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.

The word continues to spread

Philip Barron — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:43:00 +0000

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.

Two soldiers, two families, and justice for one

Philip Barron — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 16:13:00 +0000

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.

Fourteen hundred

Philip Barron — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 00:27:00 +0000

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

Philip Barron — Thu, 15 Mar 2007 17:32:00 +0000

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.

Thank you

Philip Barron — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 02:49:00 +0000

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.

The cover-up of a soldier’s death?

Philip Barron — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 02:31:00 +0000

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.