This Veteran's Day I am remembering one of the thousands of women who served.
Pfc. LaVena Johnson was killed on July 19, 2005 in Iraq.
The cause of her death is still being questioned.
Her murder and the lack of information about it touch more than just those of us from her hometown.
As the nation pauses in remembrance this Veteran's Day let us not forget.
In our excitement over the hope inspired by our recent election...may we not lose sight of the questions still in need of answers.
And even in our sleep pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom to us by the awful grace of God.
Aeschylus
For more information about Pfc. Johnson and the investigation into her death visit LavenaJohnson.com.
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Sharkfu, thank you so much for reminding us of Pvc. Jackson and her story, and all women and men who are serving or have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. It's a damn shame that people will still argue that women should not serve in combat roles, while women are out there getting shot and bombed while serving their country. Add to that the very real fear of being attacked by your fellow soldiers, and you've got a lot of women who are owed double combat pay.
Thank you for making me aware of this. We are so careful not to repeat our treatment of soldiers from VietNam, that we tend to overlook things that should be questioned.
THANK YOU for writing this.
Lest we forget...
Thank you for reminding us about Lavena.
Her parents are amazingly strong and STILL waiting and STILL fighting.
http://lavenajohnson.com/about/