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sabang

I came across this case when looking up the latest on the Jamie Leigh Jones/ KBR rape. Until then, I had heard nothing about it- yet, at least on the surface, this is an even more disturbing case. Lavena Johnson dies in Iraq in July 2005, of suicide. Or so the US Army says.


Question At The Funeral Home

Things became suspicious when the military tried to explain what happened.
Writer Elizabeth Higgs says the Army's story gets more implausible as the timeline of the incident progresses. Despite Private Johnson's "massive self-inflicted trauma," Higgs says the Army claims she somehow managed to drag herself into the tent of private military contractor Kellogg Brown & Root and "set the tent ablaze in a failed attempt to cover up her crimes against herself."

Higgs doesn't believe the Army's story. "In reality," she writes, "LaVena Johnson was raped, beaten, and murdered by someone on a military base in Balad, Iraq, and the Army doesn't want you to know about it. Army officers most especially didn't want her parents to know about it, so they concocted the suicide story, informing them that their daughter had shot herself in the head in her barracks."

Johnson's parents didn't believe it either and her father, Dr. John Johnson, became suspicious when he saw his daughter's body in the funeral home. She had a broken nose, a black eye, loose teeth, a gunshot wound and chemical burns on her genitals. If she really wanted to kill herself, how and why would she beat herself up and disfigure herself in the process?

Then there was the question of the gunshot wound. "They said my daughter shot herself in the head. She's right-handed, and the bullet hole was on the left side of her head," Dr. Johnson told a radio show recently. In addition, Private Johnson was only 5'1", and her father questions how she could handle a 40 inch M-16 to kill herself in the manner the military described.

Despite the inconsistencies, the Army resisted the family's efforts for more information about the death, until the family filed a Freedom of Information Act request and got their local member of Congress involved in helping them.
When the Army finally turned over a CD with the information, the family found "horrific photographs from the autopsy that clearly showed the extent of their daughter's injuries," according to Higgs. "It proved that the original black and white photos of LaVena's body originally sent to them had been doctored. Also on the disk were damning sketches of the crime scene that gave her parents further information contradicting the Army's statements."

But why hasn't the media reported this story?

Who killed Private LaVena Johnson? - The Daily Voice - Black America's Daily News Source

Another account-

Private LaVena Johnson's nose was broken, teeth were loose, one eye was concave and there were abrasions over her body. The supposed M-16 hole to the head was far too small for the revolver-sized exit wound, and was on the wrong side of her skull for a right-handed woman to have pulled the trigger. Her genital area showed evidence of acid, perhaps used to destroy DNA evidence. She had white military gloves glued to her burned hands.

Since then, the Army has continued to insist that the LaVena committed suicide by pointing her rifle with her non-dominant hand at the side of her head and set herself on fire, all after she beat herself up and poured acid on her genitals (since their was no apparent investigation into whatever happened there). Oh, and there was a trail of blood leading away from the tent where her body was found.

Her father has been trying for nearly 3 years to get someone — including Congress — to investigate the death of his daughter, which he feels was a cover-up or conspiracy in the manner of Pat Tillman.

LaVena Johnson: Murdered By Her Colleagues, Ignored By The Army

This is the sort of suicide that puts Pattaya to shame . Suicide, my arse- this is a case of rape and murder plus an Army cover-up.

There is a website devoted to the Lavena Johnson case, but it's been over three years since her horrific death now. I wonder if anything will ever be done.
Pfc. LaVena Johnson

__________________
To err is human. To blame someone else is politics.

Butterfly

^ horrible, not surprised at all by the cowardice attitude of the US Army in that regard,

these people are brutal, of course Tex will come to the rescue of the story and accused her of being a fake,

wanderering walter

Wunerfull land of the free!!!! God bless America

pai nai ma

My country tis of thee....sweet land of liberty

Accidental Ajarn

Yawn, yet again, don't you guys ever tire of your anti-american rants?

What is the purpose of posting this?

In an organization as big as the US Army some bad shit will happen from time to time. But why are non-american socialists so concerned about a single incident?

Is this the best you can come up with to expess your hatred of America and its military?

Lame dude, really lame.

A single ancedotal incident is going to "prove" you choice of political viewpoint is correct?

sabang

My purpose was stated in the OP- I have heard all about the Jamie Leigh case, but until yesterday, I had never heard of this one- yet surely murder/rape is even more heinous a crime than rape.

I am an ex-naval officer, I have no hatred of the military. I do not like bad discipline or cover-ups though. Whatever the underlying facts, this one has sucessfully been kept quiet more succesfully than Jamie Leigh- which indeed gets my nose twitching.

Yawwwnn. Perhaps the brutal rape and murder of a serviceman is Lame to you, it is not to me. Particularly not when it is apparently covered up so blatantly. The fact it is a US incident may be problematic to you, but I would be equally interested in the same sort of case in the UK or Oz armed forces- more so in Oz actually, because thats where I served.

Instead of your predictable nonsense, care to add something to the substance of the Thread? Are there credible explanations from the US Army/ DOD?

Or do you just think "Shit happens in warfare, let sleeping dogs lie?".
What are your views of the racial element?

wanderering walter

Not anti American ,not a Socialist either, just wonder why such a big organization would want to sweep this incident under the carpet, if it were Thai Police you would have some rant about it, or is it that it concerns some Phocking Nigger that you are negative, it,s a bit like you, a single American such as you does not mean that all Yanks are Tossers!!!

pai nai ma

I would be interested in more information regarding Ms Johnson's death.

If folks who read this post would add to it I would appreciate it.

Thanks, Sabang for the initial heads up and for your comments in post #6.

I find it surprising that people who are ostensibly "patriotic" arent the more interested in the truth.

Rattanaburi

A lot of Americans are brainwashed to the point that they accuse anyone who says anything about anything a socialist or communist. America has real problems with people thinking like this. It's too bad that people just don't give a shit about anything anymore.

I heard this story on the UStalknetwork when I was listening to online radio.

Accidental Ajarn

"But why hasn't the media reported this story?"

Golly gee, if it is on the internet it must be true!

If there was any meat on the bone, you can be sure there would be a media frenzy.

Carry on, I am sure you can find some more information on the internet to support your hatred.

Critical thinking is not required or expected.

Don't you guys ever get bored with this hobby of yours?

sabang

04/06/2008

A House Armed Services Committee spokeswoman said Tuesday the committee is looking into the death in 2005 of Army Pfc. LaVena Johnson but said no decision has been made regarding a formal investigation....

Christopher Grey, chief of public affairs for the U.S. Criminal Investigative Command, said Tuesday the Johnson case remains closed and that there is nothing new to release.

STLtoday - House panel reviewing death of area soldier

There may yet be a formal investigation.

panama hat

I'm just wondering, AA, why would you even be entering a discussion like this if it just bores you?
As a self-confessed leftie I find your attitude baffling.


Oh yea, the cow's family is just looking for compensation from the glorious army that has never covered any wrongdoings up.

And in an Olympics-year even . . . have they no morals?!!

Accidental Ajarn

^

I have many years experience in the US Armed Forces. It is hardly a perfect organization, but it does have a ton of checks and balances and there is also a culture of honor. Do bad things happen in the US Army? Yes, of course. But I can not see what purpose a cover-up in this case could serve? If members of the Army raped and killed one of their own, 99.9 % of all service members would want justice. Family members of a dead loved one have a tendency to be overly emotional. This happened way back in 2005 and yet no evidence apparently has appeared for the powers to be find anything wrong.

If there was something wrong here, of course we want justice. But just because some anti-american nutjob found this info on the internet does not make it true nor does it prove America=evil.

sabang

Offhand, neither can I. Which makes it more interesting.

Acid poured on the vagina, M16 gunshot wound to the left side of the head from a 5'1" right handed woman, immolation after severe gunshot inflicted facial trauma, blood trail from her tent to the place she was set on fire. And the army stonewalling the case, saying it is 'closed'.

Yeh, nothing there. I guess the House Armed Services Committee are wasting their time- probably Lefties. Thanks Sherlock.

Intriguing snippets from the NZ Herald-

The death was initially taped off as a crime scene but the investigation was shut down by a general's order...

This is no single aberrant case. John Johnson has discovered far more stories that have matched his daughter's than he ever wanted to know. Ten other families of "suicide" female soldiers have contacted him. The common thread among them - rape....

Dr Johnson has told the US Senate the name of one of the men who he believes murdered his daughter. A high-ranking officer was kicked out of Iraq two days after his daughter was found dead. He said: "If this had been a private, they would have thrown him under a bus a long time ago."

Full Article- Tracey Barnett: Women GIs in fear of the enemy in their army - 25 Jun 2008 - NZ Herald: World / International News

I do not want to jump to conclusions, but a formal Investigation is surely warranted by the evidence- including photoes taken of the corpse, which are in the familys possession.

panama hat

All these people are left-wing conspiracy theory nutjobs, sabang. Clearly.

Butterfly

The US Army has a long history of protecting its officers, it's part of a package,

In that regard, the US army is no better than the police force of a third world country like Thailand,

actually the have the same motus operatus, so no surprise here

Accidental Ajarn

Same ole lefties singing the same ole tune, ain't america bad. You guys believe any evidence that supports this fixation of yours and call lies and coverups all evidence that does not.

Obviously, the NZ Herald did not have investigative reporters on the scene and was using hearsay evidence.

Maybe the women was raped and killed by an American officer. Although I think it unlikely, it is not out of the realm of possibilities.

But so what?

Obviously it is a big so what to her family and all members of the US armed forces if this happened. But, if it did happen, it was obvioulsy rogue elements in the Army and not official Army policy. Bad shit happens in the Army, and in schools, and universites, and in all types of organizations around the world. Normally we condemn those doing the bad things and not everyone remotely involved.

Is this is proven to be true, is this the final proof you need to be satisfied that you worldview of America is evil is correct? Or will you still need to spent hundreds of hours of your lives scourning the internet for info to further justify your hatred?

wanderering walter

Think I will stick my head up my arse and talk to the Turds , would get a more intelligent conversation than one with A.A. he,s needs to see a shrink, what a Complex!!! thank Christ he does not represent Americans1

Accidental Ajarn

"Think I will stick my head up my arse and talk to the Turds"

I think this is a splendid idea. Go for it.

lom

Especially on Mondays. I hate Mondays.