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Justice for Pfc. LaVena Johnson?
Posted: 05/31/2013 5:45 pm
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Video, Cilla McCain, John Grisham, Kimberly Stahlman, Matthew McConaughey, PFC Lavena Johnson, Lavena Johnson, Lavena Johnson Death, Lavena Johnson Suicide, Military Families For Justice, Rape, Movie a Time To Kill, Politics News
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2013-05-29-pfclavenajohnson.jpg
PFC LaVena Johnson
It's not easy to shock me anymore, but during a recent a conversation with a former female Marine about military rape, I received the shock of my life when she adamantly stated: "Military rapes are few and far between, and most of these bitches are filing false charges."
Whoa. It's not that I don't believe false charges are sometimes levied. But to say that rapes are few and far between demonstrates the deep-seated denial currently in place. As her words sank in, I suddenly felt my face grow hot, and the distinct image of Pfc. LaVena Johnson's raped and bloodied body surfaced in my mind.
Pfc. Johnson had been in Iraq for six weeks when her dead body was found inside of her tent in July 2005. The autopsy report received by the family from Army CID raised more questions than answers, so her parents, Dr. John Johnson and his wife Linda requested photographs of the death scene. Their suspicions were confirmed when the photos revealed severe injuries such as a broken nose, blackened eye, loose teeth, burns from a corrosive chemical on her genitals, and a gunshot wound to the head. Despite the strange array of injuries, the Army has remained steadfast in its determination that Johnson committed suicide.
Since that time, the Johnson's have attempted to move heaven and earth to get her death reinvestigated by the Army. When that didn't work, they put together their own team of experts. And guess what? It is their opinion that before Pfc. Johnson was murdered, she was raped.
I've known about PFC Johnson's case for a long time. When I started the organization Military Families for Justice along with retired Lt. Colonel Tracy Shue, widow of Colonel Philip Shue USAF, and Kimberly Stahlman, widow of Colonel Michael Stahlman USMC, LaVena's was the first case we featured on our website. Over the years, we have witnessed people turn a blind-eye to the story. So much so, that we've often wondered if LaVena's case would be taken seriously if she were not African-American.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cilla-...b_3351968.html
Posted: 05/31/2013 5:45 pm
Follow
Video, Cilla McCain, John Grisham, Kimberly Stahlman, Matthew McConaughey, PFC Lavena Johnson, Lavena Johnson, Lavena Johnson Death, Lavena Johnson Suicide, Military Families For Justice, Rape, Movie a Time To Kill, Politics News
260
41
14
15
GET POLITICS NEWSLETTERS:
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2013-05-29-pfclavenajohnson.jpg
PFC LaVena Johnson
It's not easy to shock me anymore, but during a recent a conversation with a former female Marine about military rape, I received the shock of my life when she adamantly stated: "Military rapes are few and far between, and most of these bitches are filing false charges."
Whoa. It's not that I don't believe false charges are sometimes levied. But to say that rapes are few and far between demonstrates the deep-seated denial currently in place. As her words sank in, I suddenly felt my face grow hot, and the distinct image of Pfc. LaVena Johnson's raped and bloodied body surfaced in my mind.
Pfc. Johnson had been in Iraq for six weeks when her dead body was found inside of her tent in July 2005. The autopsy report received by the family from Army CID raised more questions than answers, so her parents, Dr. John Johnson and his wife Linda requested photographs of the death scene. Their suspicions were confirmed when the photos revealed severe injuries such as a broken nose, blackened eye, loose teeth, burns from a corrosive chemical on her genitals, and a gunshot wound to the head. Despite the strange array of injuries, the Army has remained steadfast in its determination that Johnson committed suicide.
Since that time, the Johnson's have attempted to move heaven and earth to get her death reinvestigated by the Army. When that didn't work, they put together their own team of experts. And guess what? It is their opinion that before Pfc. Johnson was murdered, she was raped.
I've known about PFC Johnson's case for a long time. When I started the organization Military Families for Justice along with retired Lt. Colonel Tracy Shue, widow of Colonel Philip Shue USAF, and Kimberly Stahlman, widow of Colonel Michael Stahlman USMC, LaVena's was the first case we featured on our website. Over the years, we have witnessed people turn a blind-eye to the story. So much so, that we've often wondered if LaVena's case would be taken seriously if she were not African-American.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cilla-...b_3351968.html