WEEK 7: The Military Covers Something Up Again

Surprise, surprise, another instance of the military messing up, and nothing comes out of it. Luckily this time someone did not have to pay for the military's "mess up" with their life. It is bad enough being a U.S. marine and having to fight for your life on the front lines, but when you have to worry about your life when you are on your own home turf, that is when things get scary.

David Faye, a Pfc in the marines looked death in the eye for 3 days while he was in ICU because of a reaction to a shot the military gave him. It wasn't a shot from a gun or anyhting like that, but from a syringe. David and his unit were supposedly getting vaccinated, but after the shot, things started going way wrong, and was forced to be put in ICU 3 months later.

When you are in the military and anything happens medically, it is supposed to be documented in their medical records, but after Faye got the shot, there was nothing listed on his medical record on November 28th, which is when it happened. It wasn't until Faye's mother called the U.S. Marine Hospital to ask what the shot was did they put it on his records. When his mother called, they told her that the type of shot was confidential, and that they couldn't tell her what it was. The shot showed up 11 months later on his medical records as a flu vaccine. Is that the best they could come up with? A flu vaccine? Did they have some kind of meeting to figure out what to put on his records and come up with a flu vaccine?

I have heard about the military using people as "guinea pigs" to test certain biological weapons, and using the "it's for the greater good" excuse. They don't use it on prisoners, or maybe people who might be on death row, but on their own service men and women, who have the courage to go and fight for their country. Why would the military dishonor someone who has the honor to die for their country by making them die in such a cowardly way.

To me this is just another instance in thousands of instances where the military keeps things extremely confidential to cover something up that they know is wrong. It seems that the military and the government can get away with whatever they want by just covering it up. I am still convinced that a lot of the events that started the biggest wars in our country's history was the government doing it to make an extra dollar. Call me crazy but the government is about the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and war makes a LOT of money, and also deprives people of a lot of money as well.

Although Lavena Johnson wasn't as lucky as David Faye to still be alive, I still think that the ability the military has to cover anything up is ashamed. Lavena Johnson and David Faye's case are just two of many that show that there is something fishy going on within the military. Our soldiers deserve more dignity than this. Getting raped and calling it a suicide? Getting some kind of weird biological weapon tried on you and calling it a flu vaccine? Come on, give our soldiers some respect; they chose to serve their country, let them get that chance.

WEEK 6: Color of Change on Lavena Johnson

http://lavenajohnson.com/colorofchange/



On Color of Change's website, they have a separate url devoted to the Lavena Johnson case and activism towards it. The Color of Change is a website that was established after the disaster of Katrina, and has been tackling issues affecting the black community ever since.

According to the website, the central idea that the website was focused on for a while was the case of the Jena 6 in Louisiana. The main focus of Color of Change is to get people behind their stance so that they can help change the plights that black people face in America, this "free" country.

Color of Change has sent letters to Congress, the only body of government that can challenge the military, asking for a complete investigation of Lavena Johnson's murder. They know that if Congress actually investigates, justice will be served, because there is ridiculous amounts of evidence that point away from the military's ruling and towards the truth, that she was raped, tortured, and murdered. The murder happened in 2005 and Congress has yet to act on it at all. The family of Lavena Johnson has been trying for 3 year to get Congress to do something, and yet they won't. Why not? A United States soldier lost her life, and the Congress can find out how she actually died, but will not. This goes against all of America's principles about everyone being created "equal." If it was a white woman suspected of being raped I bet this would be a much bigger issue, and get much more broadcasting.

Color of Change asks you to read the letter and send your voice to Representative Waxman and the House Committee so that they will maybe contemplate serving justice to a woman who was serving our country proudly, only to be murdered by one of her own.

WEEK 5: Modern Day Lynchings

To think that we are in the year 2008 and there are some states who do not have laws that outlaw lynching is a travesty, but much to my dismay, it's true. Not only is it true, but modern day lynchings are popping up every so often. James Byrd to Amadou Diallo to Lavena Johnson to Sean Bell, when is it ever going to end.

Whether it be down in the South where Confederate flags still wave proudly, overseas where we fight to wave our country's flag, or in the biggest metropolis in the United States, lynchings are still happening whether we believe it or not.

James Byrd
Black man walks home from a party in his hometown of Jasper, Texas, and accepts a ride from three drunk white men. Little did he know it would be the last ride of his life. After accepting the ride, Byrd was beaten and chained to the back of the males' pick up truck and dragged for 3 miles. Although it wasn't the traditional lynching that they did back in Jim Crow days, this incident was an obvious example of a modern day lynching.

Amadou Diallo
Unarmed black man is walking home from work and "matches the description" of a serial rapist in the area so the cops go after him. He runs because cops are chasing him, he does what any one would do. He reaches in his pocket for his wallet to ID himself, and the cops open fire. One man, four cops, 41 shots. Diallo was shot at 41 times by 4 cops. Hit 19 times. It only takes one bullet to kill a person, why did the officers need to let off 41 bullets. All this and they had the wrong guy. Amadou Diallo did not even have a rap sheet, he was a sidewalk worker that was working to make money to get into college where he was going to study bio chemistry, but did not get to do this because he was another black man "mistaken" for a criminal. Every firing officer was on trial for second-degree murder; every firing officer was acquitted of the charges. Perfect example of a modern day lynching. The Diallo case is looked at as one of the prime examples of modern day lynchings.

Sean Bell
Black man with 3 Latino friends exit a club, and cops approach them after hearing some choice words. Minutes later shots are fired. After the smoke clears one man is dead, and two more are in critical condition after being shot by NYC's finest. Sean Bell was killed on the early morning of his wedding day, after his bachelor party. Bell was unarmed, but the police officers found it necessary to fire 51 shots at the 3 males. There was 3 police officers firing, an extended clip in a 9 mm handgun only has 16 rounds, you do the math. Not only did the cops empty their clips, but someone had to stop and take the time to reload their gun. A little over excessive don't you think? Another black man killed by the police, the people that are supposed to be protecting our citizens. And guess what...all firing officers acquitted of the charges. No one goes to jail. Sound familiar? Bell case brought up reoccurring memories of Amadou Diallo. Almost the same exact situation. Excessive amounts of shots fired by the police says they were obviously shooting to kill.

Lavena Johnson
And of course, the story of Lavena Johnson. Black women in the military is found dead with scratches, bruises, and burn marks by her vaginal area, and is labeled a suicide. Evidence shows an acid type substance, that would burn away any possible DNA evidence, around her vaginal area, and they still call it a suicide...looks like a rape to me. This is happening in our own armed forces; the same forces that are abroad defending our country can't even put aside whatever inner prejudices they have for a little bit to fight for our freedom. They seem to be battling with a bigger enemy, the enemy of race. As the Johnson family still looks for answers, the military leaves out key details and says she shot herself. She was living a good life, enjoyed being in the military, but committs suicide. The pieces do not fit, and yet the case still gets passed over as just another black body dead. And for what, because some white bigot could not contain his inner racist demons. Again, a modern day lynching, in the form of rape and murder, but this time it wasn't by the cops, it wasn't by a bunch of country boys down South. It was by someone who we put our trust in to defend our country and it's beliefs and values. Wake up people! Racism is prevalent, whether the government believes it or not.

WEEK 4: Just Another "Non-Combat" Death

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080801/NEWS/384705178

Another instance of someone of color in our armed forces dieing of a "non combat related incident," but the details seem to be misplaced and aren't released to the public, or her family for that case. Army specialist Seteria Brown died while serving her time in Afghanistan, but no details were released about how or why; just that it wasn't during combat. If it wasn't during combat, and it wasn't something that might cause controversy, why hide the details. Why not give her family the respect of letting them know how she died.

Brown's mother was told that she died from a gunshot wound to the chest, but Army news releases said she died from "injuries sustained in a non combat related incident." Do you think it is just a coincidence that she was a black woman.

Why when people of color or women are killed serving abroad, and the military wants to leave out the details they always say the same thing. It's always either a suicide or from "non-combat related incidents." What are these incidents, how do they happen, and don't you think it's weird we have lost a lot of soldiers, particularly those of color and women, to these certain "instances."

Maybe we should stop doing these certain exercises since so many people are dieing because of them. I know the military is a hazardous line of work, and joining the military at this time is putting your life at immediate risk, but as a soldier one should be able to not only feel safe around their own, but to get the dignity of a proper story told about how and why they died. These soldiers whose stories are getting mistrued are fighting for the same cause that the white man standing next to them on the battle field is, so why do they get details left out when they pass on. Is it cause the military doesn't know? Doubtful...not when it happens so often.

WEEK 3: Is the U.S. Military a Racist Institution?

A question like this, if posed to the government, would probably create huge controversy among civilians, as well as the actual military itself, but I can notice a trend when I see one. The death of Lavena Johnson was just one instance of many that shows our military's true colors. I am proud to be American, and I have the utmost respect for the soldiers that are fighting and dieing overseas so that I may live this "free" life. That is not the issue. The issue is that after all these years and all these wars we have been through as a country, some people would have gotten over this idea that another human, especially one fighting right alongside them, is less of a human than they are.

Lavena Johnson's case is just another case in the history of the military where something bad happens within the confines of the U.S. military, and they do whatever they can, no matter how obvious it is, to cover up their tracks, and it somehow works. I honestly do not know what the military has to do for the government to actually punish someone for once. 1964 was a long time ago, but it seems for some people, it hasn't been long enough.

Racism has been prevalent in the U.S. military since the beginning of our country. Even before we were a country, when we were fighting to become our own nation, soldiers had to worry about it. Slaves who were here at the time of the Revolutionary War were basically forced to fight, and were put into all black regiments. Slaves were basically neutral, and would try to join forces with whoever promised them freedom. The British were the first to jump on this, and many slaves fled to the coast to try and join British forces, thinking they would be granted freedom after the war. The colonies noticed this and had no choice but to offer the same thing, so that they wouldn't lose slaves or be outnumbered by a military who already was a lot more skilled than them.

Many of the slaves who decided to side with the Loyalists, or the British, were not only not granted their freedom, but sold to slavery in the Caribbean, which the British owned the majority of. Some even thought that conditions for slaves was worse in the Caribbean than it was in America. After the American Revolution, blacks were prohibited to enlist in the military until they needed help again in 1862. I think it's weird that we get mistreated like this until help is needed than all of a sudden we are fine to help fight.

Than there was the Civil War, which at first was a battle to save the union, than became a battle to abolish slavery. Slaves who fled the South to side with the North were a key, if not the, reason that the North won this war. There were some issues that arose during the war having to do with racism though. President Lincoln was hesitant to issue the emancipation proclamation during the war because he was afraid that the Union states on the border who still owned slaves would side with the South.

During WWI, Corporal Freddie Stowers, who fought for the 371st Infantry Regiment, gave his life for his regiment, and was nominated to receive the Medal of Honor, only to have his Medal "misplaced." Not until 1991, 73 years after he was killed in battle, did the U.S. award Stowers's family with the award.

During WWII, blacks had a high enlistment number in the Army, but were still constantly mistreated. Only until the Tuskegee Airmen and 761st Tank Battalion proved they deserved it did the government desegregate the armed forces, and this was in 1948. It took 200 years of fighting and dieing for America for blacks to be considered "equal" in the military, and this was just legally.

And then there was the bloody war we are in today, the war in Iraq, and the case of Lavena Johnson. The Iraq War is a war that is one of the most controversial wars that we have fought as a country because of its pointless implications. So many soldiers are dieing overseas for a cause that no one really knows, and some soldiers, such as Lavena Johnson, are getting killed by her own. Not through friendly fire or any accidents, but through rape, assault, and preconceived murder. All evidence points to this, but the military still has to go back and cover up their tracks and call it suicide. The soldiers are supposed to be the courageous, brave men that defend our country. They are not only being cowardly by raping and murdering one of their own, but not owning up to their actions either. Are these the kinds of cowards we want serving us?