When will Congress stand up for LaVena Johnson?

Posted by Philip Barron at 2:35 PM on April 10, 2007.

From today's Associated Press article on a U.S. House committee's quest for honest answers for two military families:

"After successive failed Department of Defense and Army inquiries, only a comprehensive, unrelenting congressional investigation can do justice to Pat's memory, and restore service members' confidence in their chain of command," said Rep. Mike Honda, a Democrat who represents the Tillman family's San Jose district. "I will not rest until the unvarnished truth - no matter where it leads - is brought to light."

If only Mike Honda represented the family of Pfc. LaVena Johnson.

It has taken the glare of notoriety and the force of public attention to finally bring the cases of Cpl. Pat Tillman and Pfc. Jessica Lynch to the point where Congress has declared its intent to uncover the facts behind the official deceptions in both cases - and even with that, it has taken years to get here. What solace does this give other service families who rightly question what they have been told about their loved ones in uniform? What lesson can be drawn by the parents of LaVena Johnson, whose death under clouded circumstances was written off as suicide by Army officials who have repeatedly refused calls for a reinvestigation of the case?

What does this tell the families of soldiers who aren't famous, whose names aren't known by the Associated Press or the New York Times or CNN?

The declared intent of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to explore the cases of Cpl. Tillman and Pfc. Lynch is both laudable and overdue. The announcement that the House Armed Services Committee is "considering" looking into the Tillman case is welcome news - and, again, overdue. These announcements, belated as they are, show us one thing clearly: it is up to a concerned public to remind Congress of its duty toward other service families, those beyond the media spotlight. You can help to make a start by signing the Pfc. LaVena Johnson petition, and - of equal importance - by directly contacting your Senator or Representative on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

Congress clearly needs your leadership on this.

Tagged as: army, pat tillman, lavena johnson, jessica lynch, congress armed services c

Philip Barron is a St. Louis writer and author of the blog Waveflux.