Thursday, July 31, 2008

LaVena Johnson--I respect, and I wonder.



Take a look at the promising young lady above. This is a young woman with a whole lot of strength and patriotism, and her whole life which she is willing to put on the line for her country. And she did. She served. And something terrible happened to this young woman, and I wonder why? Because this was no combat death from the looks of things. And I think there must be something wrong if this young lady can die and the evidence be so suspect of violence, but nothing concrete can be found. I saw this on Democracy Now when it aired meaning to post--but I'll do it now, because I think that some other of our servicemembers might have been similarly disrespected in death in the sense that their deaths weren't explained to their families, and not investigated. It's so for Pat Tillman, and no less so for Private Johnson.







I can not help but be moved by this young lady's mother, with a grief so great her eyes are closed so that she can keep that agony private, or listen to the narrative without feeling frustration myself that things did not seem to proceed honestly in the disclosure of how she passed. But she is not alone. Here's another link:

Honor Them By Remembering

The story of this War on Terror is also a story of women in battle, and how women fight, not just against the enemy, but against stereotype and "friendly" violence. I respect those women who serve, and I hope their stories are told. I hope we learn to do better by our warrior women. I honor their courage and sacrifice.

Though I did not know her, I will remember Private Johnson. There is a site here with petition to have her case reopened so the truth can be known.

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