Ex-POW's Family Accuses Army Of Double Standard on Benefit
 

Ex-POW's Family Accuses Army Of Double Standard on Benefit

By Lee Hockstader
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 24, 2003; Page A03


AUSTIN, Oct. 23 -- Shot through both legs and held prisoner in Iraq for 22 days, Army Spec. Shoshana Johnson returned home in the spring to a difficult convalescence that lacked the media fury and official hype that attended her friend and comrade in arms, Jessica Lynch.

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-d...433-2003Oct23L

Depressed, scarred, haunted by the trauma of her captivity and at times unable to sleep, Johnson walks with a limp and has difficulty standing for long, according to her parents.

And now that Johnson is on the verge of her discharge from the Army, insult is being added to her injury, they say. While Lynch was discharged as a private first class in August with an 80 percent disability benefit, Johnson, set to leave in the coming days, learned last week that she will receive a 30 percent disability benefit from the Army for her injuries.

The difference, which amounts to $600 or $700 a month in payments, has infuriated Johnson and her family. They have enlisted Jesse L. Jackson's help to make their case to the news media, accusing the Army of a double standard, insensitivity and racism. Lynch is white; Johnson is black.

"Race clearly is a factor," said Jackson, who added that he will take up Johnson's cause with the White House, the Pentagon and members of Congress. "Here's a case of two women, same [unit], same war; everything about their service commitment and their risk is equal. . . . Yet there's an enormous contrast between how the military has handled these two cases."

Calls to the Army press office in Washington were not returned Thursday.

Claude Johnson, Shoshana Johnson's father and himself an Army veteran, said his family and Shoshana do not begrudge Lynch her celebrity or her disability payments. But he said he believes his daughter should also get what she is due. He noted that the Army owes her more than the 30 percent disability benefit, which he said would translate into 30 percent of her base monthly pay of about $1,500, or about $500.

"There is [a double standard]," Claude Johnson said in an interview. "I don't know for sure that it was the Pentagon. All I know for sure is that the news media paid a lot of attention to Jessica."

The parents said Shoshana Johnson -- who is 30, has a 3-year-old daughter, has been living at home and is continuing rehabilitation treatments for her legs -- will not speak publicly about the terms of her discharge. But they said she was stunned and angered when the Army informed her this past Friday of its decision on her disability.

Both parents stressed that their daughter's depression, which Claude Johnson characterized as post-traumatic stress disorder, should have qualified her for a better deal from the Army.

Shoshana Johnson's mother, Eunice, said in a separate interview that her daughter's "spirits are not too well most of the time."

She added: "She gets depressed. She doesn't sleep very well. Her mental state is not what it used to be, and after a day's work, she has to come home every day and take her shoes off and raise her legs. She has a lot of medical appointments."

Shoshana Johnson enlisted in the Army to become a cook, hoping to eventually return to civilian life as a chef, her family has said. About a year after her enlistment, she was sent to Iraq with the Army's 507th Maintenance Company, based at Fort Bliss, in El Paso. Like other members of the 507th, a rear-guard unit, she never expected to be close to fighting.

When the unit blundered into an ambush near the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyah on March 23, 11 of its soldiers were killed. Six, including Lynch and Johnson, were taken prisoner. In a videotape taken shortly after their capture and subsequently released by the Iraqis, Johnson appeared terrified, her eyes darting back and forth among her captors.

Lynch was rescued on April 2. The others were released on April 13. While they were recovering together at Walter Reed Army Medical Center after the war, Johnson and Lynch became friendly. Johnson later visited Lynch at her home in West Virginia, according to Lynch's lawyer, Stephen Goodwin.

"Shoshana is certainly deserving of anything she's entitled to," Goodwin said. "She served her country just as admirably as anybody in that unit, including Jessica Lynch."


© 2003 The Washington Post Company

I remember watching Shoshana Johnson's POW videotape and feeling so much compassion for her and her situation. She looked terrified. I hope that she makes a full recovery and that the Army supports her financially. The men and women who serve in our military deserve the best treatment when they return. I hope that this situation will be quickly rectified.

Why am i not in the least bit surprised by the double standard in this story.:confused:

I heard about this as well, and I can't even shake my head to say that I am the least bit surprised by it all.

I got this in my email a day or two ago
 

FIGHT FOR SHOSHANA JOHNSON By Christine Phillip, BET.com Staff
Writer, October 24, 2003

Army Spec. Shoshana Johnson, the African American woman who was
held prisoner of war in the U.S. invasion of Iraq, was looking
forward to a quiet discharge from the Army in a few days. Battle
scarred and weary, she has said not a word as her fellow POW
comrade in arms Jessica Lynch cashes in with book and movie
deals and a celebrity status in the media. But it is the Army
that is forcing Johnson to break her peace.

A few days ago, military brass informed her that she would
receive a 30 percent disability benefit for her injuries. Lynch,
who is White, was discharged in August and will receive an 80
percent disability benefit. The difference amounts to $600 or
$700 a month in payments, and that is causing Johnson and her
family to speak out. They are so troubled by what they see as a
"double standard," that they have enlisted Rev. Jesse Jackson to
help make their case to the news media. Jackson, who plans to
plead Johnson's cause with the White House, the Pentagon and
members of Congress, says the payment smacks of a double
standard and racism. "Here's a case of two women, same [unit],
same war; everything about their service commitment and their
risk is equal. . . . Yet there's an enormous contrast between
how the military has handled these two cases," Jackson told The
Washington Post.

Johnson's father, Claude Johnson, himself an Army veteran, says
that while neither he nor his family begrudge Lynch her
celebrity or disability payments, he believes that his daughter
should get her due, and it is more than a 30 percent disability
benefit. For its part, the Army, in denying charges of double
standard, said Friday that claims are awarded to soldiers
according to their injuries.

Johnson, 30, the mother of a 3-year-old daughter, was held
captive for 22 days, when her unit stumbled into an ambush in
southern Iraq last March. Eleven soldiers were killed, and six,
including Lynch and Johnson, were taken prisoners. Johnson was
shot in both legs and is still traumatized by her war
experience. In addition to walking with a limp, she suffers from
bouts of depression. So I ask that you forward this email on to
all and inform others of this latest racial attack.

Forget about the destroying of stamps, forget about Kobe, forget
about Michael Jordan getting fired and fight for the rights of
this strong Black Woman!!!

This is a lowdown, dirty shame.

I am :mad: at this. I hope that Spec. Johnson gets the benefits that she is due, and if there is anything we can do to help her, sign me up!

I'm not surprised
 

In a perfect world Ms. Johnson would get her full benefits. In a perfect world she would have also been given a hero's welcome. After all she did fight for the freedom of others just like Ms. Lynch. However, we live in a imperfect world where the color of one's skin sometimes is judged instead of one's achievements!!! I pray that Shoshana Johnson gets everything she's entitled to. I wonder....I there anything that we could to do??? Like a letter writing campaign or something. FYI..there are making a movie about Jessica Lynch and her story. Why no movie about all the brave soldiers fighting in Iraq??!!!

Re: I'm not surprised
 

Good point. I think Lynch is milking this whole thing for all it's worth with the book deal and the movie. And I find it very interesting that she allowed her medical records to be discussed in her book about her "supposed rape" Its really sad that she is using that to promote her book....but as they say, sex sells!!! :D I feel really bad for Shoshana and I'm glad she is doing the right thing despite all the drama surrounding the whole issue.

Blatant Discrimination
 

You all are right on top of things. I was going to post some of the same articles today. Good thing I did a search first to see if the topic was already posted.

Anyway, is it not obvious that Shoshana is being treated so much more differently than Jessica? I started asking myself could it be that Jessica is getting so much more attention because she was the youngest and she was alone as a POW?

Who am I kidding? The ugly face of racial discrimination is showing up once again. It is just plain and clear to me what's happening. I hope that Delta can jump on this bandwagon and fight light we did for Kemba. Not just Delta, but all female organizations for that matter.

Hello all!

For months the most asked question from Essence readers has been "When are you gonna write a story about Shoshana Johnson?!" As most of you know, Shoshana Johnson was captured last March 23 in an ambush of the 507th Maintenance Company in Iraq and held captive for 22 days, becoming the first African-American female prisoner of war. After the POWs were rescued, much was written about Jessica Lynch, a member of her unit who was also captured. Lynch garnered a million dollar book deal, a television movie and countless newspaper and magazine articles. But Shoshana was largely ignored. No one in the press told her story. Until now. Please pick up a copy of the March 2004 issue of Essence, turn to page 166 and read Shoshana's story of courage, faith and survival. It's been a privilege for me to write her inspiring and powerful testimony and to get to know her as a friend. The article is truly one of the highlights of my career.

Please help us get the word out! Forward this email to 10 friends, family members, coworkers, sorority sisters, community leaders or church members. Ask them to send the email to
10 more people. Shoshana's story is an addition to our history as African-Americans in this country. And we must make certain that our stories are told and our contributions in history acknowledged. And please tell us your thoughts! Send any comments to me, our Editor-in-Chief, Diane Weathers, at dweathers@essence.com <mailto:dweathers@essence.com>, or letters@essence.com <mailto:letters@essence.com>.

I subscribe to Essence and I just got March's issue today!! I will surely read it!

For anyone interested, there is also a peice on Ms. Johnson in the May 2004 issue of Glamour. Queen Latifah is also on the cover;)