Justice for Pvt. Ms. LaVena Johnson
UPDATE: We have met our goal for the Care2 Justice for LaVena Johnson petition with 3007 signatures. Arranging a meeting with Congresswoman Shelley Berkley. Please go to Color of Change and sign their petition for LaVena UPDATE
Thanks to my rss subscription to the Electronic Village, the creation of my good friend Wayne Hicks and fellow net-activist, I learned for the first time about Ms. LaVena Johnson. This 19 year old honor student upon graduating from high school enrolled into the army. In 2005, she was the first soldier to die from Missouri, though her death was non-combative.
This is “old” news but when Wayne saw it for the first time, he had to share with his readers the horrendous tragedy that her family has had to endure and the obvious evidence contrary to the military ruling her death as self-inflicted. When I read her story I felt a surge of energy overtake me. I submitted the article to the Care2 network of activists and added it to stumble, and digg in an attempt to broaden the audience.
I then did some research myself and found Philip Baron creator of www.waveflux.net, an independent activist who dedicated a site for educating others of LaVena Johnson’s murder and created a petition that will soon be delivered to the Armed Services Committee of both the Senate and House. The petition was signed by 11,840 persons and is set for delivery very soon, I’ll keep you updated.
Then I felt compelled to create my very first petition. I have signed thousands myself, but this is the first one I authored.
I will share the entire text and I urge you to not only add your powerful voice but to share it among your blog readers and social on and off line.
Overview:
Justice for LaVena Johnson
Target:
Both Branches of the United States Congress and President G.W. Bush
Sponsored by:
In July 2005, Ms. Johnson was found dead in a military army base in Iraq. The military ruled her death as a suicide. There was evidence found on her body however of a physical struggle consisting of two loose front teeth and a bruised lip which had to be corrected at the funeral home.
Despite her father, Dr. John Johnson’s inquires into her body’s physical condition, the army responded that the case was closed.
More evidence that did not support the military’s ruling of Ms. Johnson’s death was a suicide was revealed by a local Missouri news network. Ms. Johnson’s mental state was quite stable according to reports before her death, there was a trail of blood leading to the barracks where her body was found as well as evidence that a perpetrator attempted to set her body on fire.
Despite years of Mr. John Johnson’s dedicated efforts to have the army reopen the case, they continue to refuse.
Philip Barron, an independent activist, dedicated his effort toward military justice and full disclosure with the website http://www.lavenajohnson.com/ and also started a petition that has recently expired which targeted the Armed Services Committees of the Senate and the House.
There is a renewed interest surrounding the call for justice for LaVena Johnson with more and more people becoming educated of the facts.
Let us utilize this renewed interest and demand our Congress to call for investigations, and full disclosure of the events surrounding the death of such a beautiful soul.
Ms. LaVena Johnson, following her family’s military tradition, joined the Army immediately after finishing high school as an honor roll student.
In July 2005, Ms. Johnson was found dead in a military army base in Iraq. The military ruled her death as a suicide. There was evidence found on her body however of a physical struggle consisting of two loose front teeth and a bruised lip which had to be corrected at the funeral home.
Despite her father, Dr. John Johnson’s inquires into her body’s physical condition, the army responded that the case was closed.
More evidence that did not support the military’s ruling of Ms. Johnson’s death was a suicide was revealed by a local Missouri news network. Ms. Johnson’s mental state was quite stable according to reports before her death, there was a trail of blood leading to the barracks where her body was found as well as evidence that a perpetrator attempted to set her body on fire.
Despite years of Mr. John Johnson’s dedicated efforts to have the army reopen the case, they continue to refuse.
Philip Barron, an independent activist, dedicated his effort toward military justice and full disclosure with the website http://www.lavenajohnson.com/ and also started a petition that has recently expired which targeted the Armed Services Committees of the Senate and the House.
There is a renewed interest surrounding the call for justice for LaVena Johnson with more and more people becoming educated of the facts.
Let us utilize this renewed interest and demand our Congress to call for investigations, and full disclosure of the events surrounding the death of such a beautiful soul.
Letter:
We the undersigned, urge you to reopen an investigation on the death of Ms. LaVena Johnson. Ms. Johnson, a 19 year old private stationed in Iraq died in July of 2005. Upon her death, the army declared that Ms. Johnson’s death was self inflicted.
Due to the dedicated investigation of Dr. J. Johnson, further evidence has been found from the autopsy of Ms. Johnson’s body and from the barracks where her body was found.
This evidence includes a blood trail leading toward where her body was found, signs that a perpetrator attempted to burn both the barracks and her body, signs of physical struggle in the form of two loose front teeth as well as a bruised lip which had to be reconstructed by the funeral home which attended to her body.
When Dr. J. Johnson presented this new evidence the response he received from the military is that the case is closed.
We urge you, in the name of democracy, in the name of justice, in the name of civic honor to reopen the investigation of Ms. Johnson’s death and fully disclose all findings.
Ms. Johnson was an honor roll student, who straight from high school enlisted herself voluntarily into the army. If her sacrifice is to be honored in action, her death must be thoroughly investigated and if it is found that Ms. Johnson was murdered that the perpetrator be punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Rebuilding the morale of our military, of our citizens and our country demands real answers.
We thank you, in advance, for your focused consideration and commitment to justice.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/56/justice-for-lavena-johnson
on Jul 10th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
Excellent petition, Danielle. And a great idea. Glad to sign it. Like you say, it may be old news but injustice is never untimely.
Keith’s last blog post..Smoky, funky, dirty, unsafe, stank Detroit bars and why I love them so
on Jul 11th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
[...] Johnson from the Electronic Village and was compelled to do something. Please take the time to read this post and sign my petition. I have signed thousands of petitions in my short activist life but this is the first one I have [...]
on Jul 11th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
[...] Johnson from the Electronic Village and was compelled to do something. Please take the time to read this post and sign my petition. I have signed thousands of petitions in my short activist life but this is the [...]
on Jul 31st, 2008 at 8:50 pm
LaVena Johnson (In Memorial)
Just when you think you’ve heard it all,
Another name is slammed into a brick wall,
LaVena Johnson an Army Private First Class,
Is she the first? Certainly this PFC isn’t the last.
Is it any wonder Osama Bin Laden can’t be found?
With a criminal loose in our camp running around,
Destroying evidence, burning bodies, again & again,
Calling themselves soldiers, claiming they are men.
What a shame when the real enemy is on the same side,
Behind the color of camaraderie these cowards hide,
Punched in the face, loose teeth, she was only 5 feet 1,
The Army claims its suicide, that’s all, over and done.
How many before shooting themselves bust their own lip,
Severe enough to the point it needs more than one stitch,
Surprisingly they didn’t say she tried to saw herself in half,
Which lie would be easier to swallow? You do the math.
So, how did that chemical burn get on her private parts?
Oh yeah, maybe a tattoo, some kind of new wave art,
Why would someone waste time getting rid of DNA?
Just maybe without detection they’re free to get away.
The U.S. Army actually tried lying, hooray for her dad,
He gave that crap the smell test and oh did it smell bad,
7/19/05 her dead body found in a contractor’s tent, HBR,
Broken nose, black eye, shot in the head and body scars.
Military personnel or civilians aren’t we on the same side?
Who is the American Government protecting, why that lie?
Had to be someone with pull to get her alone, you’d think,
I don’t have to be standing next to skunk to know it stinks.
Where’s Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, the infamous NAACP?
She could not have been more violated, do you not agree?
A 19-year-old honor student should be shown more respect,
But, this is how she’s being treated. Hey! What the heck?
Can’t call it racial because all women are treated the same,
Even academies and bases in the states there is this claim,
We are truly near the end of days soon God will work it out,
Vengeance will certainly be more than a punch in the mouth.
The Uniform Code Of Military Justice aka the U.C.M.J.,
But, where is this promise for LaVena, her assailant got away,
Judging by the condition of her remains, she put up a fight,
Now John and Linda Johnson are paving the road to right.
Funny thing though, seems they have a roadblock in Iraq,
It’s from the U.S. Army, who supposedly has their back,
The saying, “with friends like these who needs enemies?”
Guess the Army thinks first the perpetrator said, “please?”
Here’s a little something to me that is simply down right scary,
The hole in her head was from a pistol, which she did not carry,
Oh yeah, if you think that’s something how does this fact sound?
The fatal bullet that went through her head was never even found.
If there ever was this kind of incompetence in World War II,
Adolph Hitler or his off spring would be telling us what to do,
Oops, I don’t mean us because there’d be no Blacks or Jews,
And only if the Furor liked Mexican food maybe a Hispanic or 2.
Whomever, wherever, whatever, an injustice did occur,
We can’t make it right for others without justice for her,
Hey, White House, the most powerful office in the world,
Do you have the gonads to speak out for this Johnson girl?
A petition was signed that is over twelve thousand strong,
The Army closed the case anyway saying nothing’s wrong,
Nothing like U.S. Intelligence, it’s the reason for the attack,
If they hadn’t been storing WMD’s we wouldn’t be in Iraq.
Poems By Luke Easter
on Jul 31st, 2008 at 9:03 pm
Luke, Luke, Luke,
You said it, STRONG. Please may I post your Poem in it’s Entirety. I am going to spread this wide. You get the power of the rasa or essence of words.
I am blessed to be found by you.
Eagerly awaiting your word.
on Aug 1st, 2008 at 6:44 am
Yes! You most certainly may. Action is 3 years over due. And what I actually get is a creative writing gift from the Lord of heaven and earth. Amen!
on Aug 5th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
[...] of LaVena Johnson has not received answers regarding the circumstances surrounding her death. Danielle at Modern Musings has more information; please digg, stumble, link on del.icio.us, and propagate her post and this petition as far and [...]
on Aug 5th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
[...] - Please read about the case of LaVena Johnson, whose death was ruled a suicide a few years ago but had suspicious marks on her body that may have [...]
on Aug 6th, 2008 at 12:31 am
[...] of LaVena Johnson has not received answers regarding the circumstances surrounding her death. Danielle at Modern Musings has more information; please digg, stumble, link on del.icio.us, and propagate her post and this petition as far and [...]