LaVena Johnson
The tragic story of LaVena Johnson.
In July 2005, 19-year-old Johnson became the first female soldier from Missouri to die in Iraq. She was found with a broken nose, black eye and loose teeth, acid burns on her genitals, presumably to eliminate DNA evidence of rape, a trail of blood leading away from her tent and a bullet hole in her head. Unbelievably, that’s not the most horrifying part of the story. Here’s what is: Army investigators ruled her death a suicide.
How is no one reporting this? Whenever I read a story like this I get more and more frustrated, and this takes the cake. I’m just so blown away by this, and the fact that it’s been three years and still there’s been no investigation. I thought that rape and murder were both considered war crimes now?