Army investigation into the death of Private LaVena Johnson continues
By Daniel R. Brown
Of the St. Louis American
On Thursday, July 28, the family and friends of Private LaVena Johnson, the first female soldier from Missouri to die while serving in the current war in Iraq, gathered at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery to celebrate a birthday she did not live to experience.
In a heartrending moment, Johnson’s mother, father, two brothers and younger sister together released 20 birthday balloons in memory of her birth just 20 years and one day before. Moments later Johnson’s body was placed in the ground, to be forever surrounded by her comrades who also died in active duty in wars past.
Earlier that day, nearly 500 mourners gathered at the San Francisco Temple Complex Christian Assembly to memorialize and celebrate her many accomplishments. Despite the sadness of the occasion, attendees rejoiced in the departed.
“If the devil only knew what he was doing for us instead of against us, he would leave us alone, because it is the rubbing that brings out the shine,” one mourner testified.
“To see this woman of God and her husband (Private Johnson’s parents) rejoicing makes the devil grind his teeth. When you can shine in spite of the darkness, it is not about us.”
“This young lady was a person of high quality. She was a beautiful person that could warm any heart,” said Pastor Marvin Sanders of Shiloh Temple Church of God in Christ. During his eulogy, Sanders read from the Book of Job to comfort Johnson’s family.
“God restored Job before he left this earth, and God will restore you,” Sanders said. “I say, God will restore you. Give god the praise.”
During the service, a representative of U.S. Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay presented the family with a proclamation which read in part:
“Whereas, today we celebrate the life of a beautiful and gifted young lady, Private First Class LaVena Lynn Johnson; and whereas, I ask everyone to embrace and thank Dr. and Mrs. Johnson for sharing LaVena’s goodness with the rest of us; now, therefore, I, Wm. Lacy Clay, urge all citizens to rise and honor her memory.
“She touched lives, not only in St. Louis, but also internationally in Iraq, where she performed heroically as a member of the United States Army. LaVena worked tirelessly during her short time here on earth and we know that God has taken her to be one of His special angels in heaven.”
In her honor, Clay declared July 28, 2005 to be “Private LaVena Lynn Johnson Day” in the First Congressional District of Missouri.
Johnson’s funeral and burial may have signified a certain grim closure for her loved ones, but many questions about her death remain. On July 19, the day of her death, her family was informed by an Army officer that LaVena had died from a self-inflicted wound that was not suicide and that her death was under investigation.
Although the family has not been given any other information regarding LaVena’s death, her father John Johnson told the American that based on his own inspection of her body he believed “the investigation is a criminal investigation, and I think that there is foul play.”
Asked about her death, Lt. Colonel Burton L. Masters, public affairs officer for the U.S. Army human resources command in St. Louis, told the American, “I can’t comment on specifics of the case until the investigation is concluded and the results are released by the Army,”
He continued, “It can take anywhere from one week to a month. Based on the operational scenario in Iraq and what the commander on the ground is dealing with, it effects the time of the investigation and how long it will take to conclude it.”
Though the Army has not reached any conclusions from its investigation, during the gravesite ceremony LaVena was posthumously awarded the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Good Conduct Medal. Additionally, she received the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War of Terrorism Service Medal, an Army Service Ribbon and a Weapons Qualification Badge.
These awards, along with the flag that had draped her casket, were presented to LaVena’s family by Brigadier General Charles Cartwright during the Army’s traditional funeral ceremony.
Army drill instructors from Fort Leonard Wood who serve on the casualty area command which covers Missouri and Illinois served as pallbearers.
“I have a daughter, and it kills me to see these kids going over there and coming back in a box. It was important for us to be here to pay respect,” said Delores Trokey, who attended the ceremony although she did not personally know the deceased.
“She was out there fighting for our country. We just came here out of respect for the soldier.”
