Seeing how Dubya has exploited the bravery of, shall we say, more photogenic soldiers for political gain, I'm glad this story has been getting media play...
AUSTIN, Texas - 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.
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 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.
The article really speaks for itself, but what amazes me is that disability payments, even full payments, amount to about $1000 a month. People with more military experience than me can tell me if it's par for the course.