U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch and U.S. Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson have been named Glamour Magazine's 2003 Women of the Year and will appear in the December issue of the magazine. AP
Posted on 11/08/2003 6:29:37 AM PST by Stew Padasso
Black POW's treatment sign of double standard
By WILLIAM DOUGLAS Knight Ridder Newspapers
WASHINGTON - On Sunday, NBC will air its made-for-TV movie celebrating Pvt. Jessica Lynch, whose capture and dramatic rescue is the feel-good story of America's war with Iraq.
But some African-Americans don't feel so good about Lynch's story. Instead, they ask: What about Shoshana Johnson?
Johnson, an Army specialist, belonged to the same 507th Maintenance Company as Lynch. Unlike Lynch, Johnson fought to stave off their Iraqi captors. Like Lynch, she sustained serious injuries.
But only Lynch got the headlines, the TV movie, the prime-time television interviews and a biography penned by a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer. Lynch, in short, got the full American celebrity treatment, while Johnson largely got ignored. Many African-Americans think that's simply because she didn't have the right "face."
African-American suspicions of a racial double standard were reinforced last month when it was revealed that Johnson, who was shot in both ankles, will get only 30 percent of her monthly pay in disability benefits. Lynch, who had a head injury and broken bones in her right arm, right leg, thighs and ankle, will get 80 percent disability pay. Lynch's new book, "I Am a Soldier, Too: The Jessica Lynch Story," claims that she also was raped and sodomized by her Iraqi captors.
"Shoshana is getting the shaft, and people are outraged about it," said Mary Mason, a Philadelphia talk-radio host whose show was bombarded with callers complaining about the disparity in treatment. "It's ridiculous, and complete racism."
Johnson and her family in El Paso, Texas, say they have no proof that the issue is rooted in racism, but they've engaged the Rev. Jesse Jackson to press the Army to increase her disability benefits.
Lynch, through a spokesman, stressed that she and Johnson are good friends and expressed hope that "Shoshana gets 100 percent" of what she deserves.
Others think race hovers around the edges of this story. They see Johnson's plight as another chapter in the long struggle of blacks trying to get their due from white society.
"There before you is the American dilemma: We are unfair in treatment and view when it comes to people of color," said William Smith, a Vietnam veteran and media adviser for the National Association for Black Veterans.
Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University, said he doubted that race was the reason that Lynch became a media celebrity. But, he added, with her good looks and compelling story, Lynch looked like a figure from Central Casting at a time when the Pentagon desperately needed one.
And the early version of Lynch's story was good - too good. The Washington Post's initial front-page report said Lynch had suffered knife and bullet wounds while ferociously fighting off her attackers. Pentagon officials later said Lynch was hurt when her Humvee crashed after being hit by a rocket-propelled grenade. Lynch, in an ABC interview to air Tuesday, says her weapon jammed and she never fired a shot. She also criticizes the military for hyping her story.
Army officials say both women's disability benefits are based on the extent of their injuries and how they will affect their employment and lifestyle.
"There is no double standard in the Army," Army officials said in a written release about the controversy. "Every soldier is treated equally when they go before a Physical Evaluation Board and in all situations race is not an issue."
Lynch and Johnson get different benefits because a military Physical Evaluation Board placed them in different categories, the Army said.
Lynch was put on a Temporary Disability List, meaning she can stay in the Army for up to five years and her condition can be re-evaluated periodically. If her condition doesn't improve, she could be medically discharged. Her disability payments could be lowered upon review, Army officials say.
Though Johnson is awaiting a final decision, her injuries were judged to be stable but permanent, and the board recommended that she be discharged from the Army. Johnson plans to appeal the board's recommendation next week, according to Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus who's been working with the Johnson family.
Donna Brazile said she couldn't help seeing the Johnson-Lynch disparities as a black-white issue. The African-American political strategist, who managed Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000, said she wasn't going to watch Lynch's TV movie.
"Jessica's story is a compelling story, but so is Shoshana's," Brazile said. "My reason for not tuning in is simple: I am tired of the double standard."
U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch and U.S. Army Specialist Shoshana Johnson have been named Glamour Magazine's 2003 Women of the Year and will appear in the December issue of the magazine. AP
Of course Donna, that's why you're a racist.
5.56mm
So what are we waiting for? We have a forum. Let's use it if that's what we want.
Also, for those who find a racist under every rock, Pvt. Johnson walked back to friendly lines with others in her unit. Pvt. Lynch was dramatically rescued from a hospital. The media will always pick drama over the routine. It has nothing to do with racism.
Another case of sloppy reporting leading to spurious conclusions.
This reporter makes it sound as if Lynch's injuries differed from Johnson's in mere quantity, not severity -- and he completely neglects to mention the spinal injury.
Lynch may have had a minor head wound, but what was really serious was the injury to her lower spine.
Spinal injuries can cause everything from total paralysis to loss of bowel and bladder control and loss of sensation in the lower extremities. It appears Lynch has suffered both of the latter.
I have nothing to do with determination of disability payments, but if I did, I'd give Lynch a WHOLE LOT MORE for the spinal injury than Johnson for injured ankles.
Cripes, Johnson was able to walk even before she was rescued and treated.
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