LaVena Johnson

Infobox Military Person
name=Laven Johnson
born= birth date|1985|7|27
died= death date and age|2005|7|19|1985|7|27
placeofbirth=Missouri
placeofdeath=Balad, Iraq


caption= Lavena Johnson
nickname=
allegiance= United States of America
branch=United States Army
serviceyears=2003-2005
rank=Private First Class
unit=
battles=
awards= Good Conduct Medal; Army Commendation Medal

LaVena Johnson (July 27, 1985 - July 19, 2005) was a Private First Class in the United States Army whose death, officially ruled a suicide, has attracted international attention amid claims she was raped and murdered. She was the first female soldier from Missouri to die in Iraq.

Biography

Johnson was born and grew up in Florissant, Missouri. The 5'1 African American honor student enrolled in the Army immediately after graduating from high school. She was sent to Iraq and stationed in Balad. She had been there for 8 weeks before her death on July 19th, 2005.cite web|url=http://newpittsburghcourieronline.com/articlelive/articles/40956/1/Who-killed-Private-First-Class-LaVena-L-Johnson/Page1.html|title= Who killed Private First Class LaVena L. Johnson? | author=Jordan, Sandra |publisher =New Pittsburgh Courier |date =June 17, 2008]

Death and Controversy

Johnson's death was officially ruled a suicide by the army. However, her father became suspicious when he saw her body in the funeral home and decided to investigate. The army initially refused to release information, but did so under the Freedom of Information Act after Representative William Lacy Clay, Jr. raised questions about it at the congressional hearings over Pat Tillman's death. [ [http://www.stlamerican.com/articles/2008/06/04/news/local_news/localnews03.txt Documents and photos suggest foul play in death of Private Johnson] . Sandra Jordan. The St. Louis American. June 4, 2008 10:43]

The autopsy report and photographs revealed Johnson had a broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, burns from a corrosive chemical on her genitals, and a gunshot that seemed inconsistent with suicide. Several reporters have suspected that the chemical burns were to destroy DNA evidence of a rape. [ [http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10518131&pnum=0 Women GIs in fear of the enemy in their army] . Tracey Barnett. Wednesday June 25, 2008. The New Zealand Herald.] [ [http://www.stlamerican.com/articles/2008/06/04/news/local_news/localnews03.txt Documents and photos suggest foul play in death of Private Johnson] . Sandra Jordan. The St. Louis American. June 4, 2008 10:43] [ [http://www.salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/06/27/lavena_johnson/index.html?source=refresh The tragic story of LaVena Johnson] Kate Harding. Salon. June 27, 2008]

A spokesman from the House Armed Services Committee said in June 2008 that the committee was looking into Johnson's death, but they were not yet committing to a formal investigation. Christopher Grey, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Criminal Investigative Command for the Army has said that the case remains closed as far as they are concerned. [ [http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/story/96d0bcbf14a84c6d8625745e0010bd63?opendocument House panel reviewing death of area soldier] . By Elizabethe Holland. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. June 4th, 2008.]

Following a February 2007 KMOV news report on Johnson's death, an online petition addressed to the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee was launched. This was followed by the creation of an official LaVena Johnson website dedicated to developments in prompting a new Army investigation of her death. The petition closed on May 24, 2008 with nearly 12,000 signatures; preparations are being made for delivery to the two committees. [ [http://www.kmov.com/sharedcontent/VideoPlayer/videoPlayer.php?vidId=123131 Parents question their daughter's mysterious death in Iraq] . By Matt Sczesny. KMOV-TV. February 21, 2007.] In July 2008, the online Black activist group Color of Change launched an online petition [ [http://colorofchange.org/lavena ColorOfChange.org petition] ColorOfChange.org] calling on Henry Waxman, chair of the House Oversight Committee to conduct a hearing into LaVena Johnson's death and the Army's handling of her case and others like it.

ee also

*Ciara Durkin
*Pat Tillman

References

External links

* [http://www.lavenajohnson.com/ The PFC LaVena Johnson Petition]
* [http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/murderonthebase Murder on the Base? story in ChicagoReader]