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?