Little Known Victims of the War in Iraq

By Leland C. Abraham, Esq.

One group of victims of the War in Iraq seldom talked about is American Women. Not women at home, waiting patiently for their husbands to return from duty, but female soldiers who are fighting alongside of their male counterparts. The reports of military rape are staggering and it is rarely discussed by political analysts.

Like the Vietnam War, America is seeing an increased population of War veterans who are returning home with mental disorders. Because of the lack of funding as a result of the funds spent on the “War on Terror,” the vast majority of the soldiers who come home from Iraq are not given the opportunity to have counseling and treatment and are released back into the general population. Logic would conclude that if the government does not combat the problems that soldiers may have when they come home from Iraq, the government is probably not addressing the problems that are occurring in Iraq.

One case of the government’s inability or refusal to deal with the problem of military rape was that of Private Lavena Johnson. Private Johnson, a black, 20 year old Missouri native, died in Iraq in 2005. The official cause of death was listed as a suicide. When the army contacted Private Johnson’s family, the listed cause of death did not sit right with them. Her father in particular became suspicious of what the army told him. Private Johnson’s family demanded that the Army release the autopsy reports. While the Army may have baulked at the request, the Freedom of Information Act forced the Army to release the records. It was discovered that at the time of Private Johnson’s death, she had a “broken nose, black eye, loose teeth, burns from a corrosive chemical on her genitals, and a gunshot that seemed inconsistent with suicide.” This made Private Johnson’s family all the more suspicious.

Upon further investigation, many of the claims the Army made to the Johnson family have turned out to be inconsistent. The Army reportedly told the Johnson family that Private Johnson was found with a gunshot wound to the head in her barracks. There have been other reports that she was originally found in a contractor’s tent. The mysterious chemicals that were found on her genitals are also theorized to have been put there to cover up DNA evidence of a rape. Private Johnson was right handed. The gunshot wound was reported to be in the left side of her head and her hands tested negative for gunshot residue.

Whatever motive the Army has in sending inconsistent information to the Johnson’s family, the fact remains that there is a problem in Iraq that is rarely reported. In Private Johnson’s case, a concerned father’s questioning has forced the government to “look into” the case further. There are several cases of potential rape, however, that are not fully investigated. In late July, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing on sexual assaults in the military and the way that the government is investigating and prosecuting these matters. Some statisticians state that rape in the military is becoming a serious problem with some 29% of veterans claiming that they have been sexually assaulted during their time of service. If these statistics are correct, women are more likely to be raped by fellow soldiers than killed in battle. The biggest question coming out of the hearings is, if the government won’t protect the Private Johnson’s of the world against rape by fellow soldiers, who will?

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