[quote=“jdsmith”][quote=“Namahottie”]Should Blacks be in the Military? Should Women be in the Military? Should Gays/Lesbians be in the Military?
God, it’s the same question over and over. Should anyone who isn’t white, heto, and male be allowed because we think they can’t fight? As if a bullet knows the difference and when you’re in that trench does it really make a difference?[/quote]
No blacks = no military.
The fact that blacks are not publicly given the credit they deserve for serving their country is disgusting. Now that I think of it…pretty much all veterans are ignored. :raspberry:
That does it. I’m buying the first veteran I see in NY a beer, whether he/she fucking wants it or not.
And Jesus on the cross woman…who the hell fights in “trenches” anymore?? 
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Well my father served but never taught me the formal vocab, so be nice,pls:oops: I think blacks now are given credit,unless you are thinking about Shoshanna Johnson who got pushed aside to the sidelines because of Pvt. Jessica Lynch,a nice little blond from a good family , who wasn’t at much risk as Shoshanna was.
[quote]
Jessica Lynch and Shoshanna Johnson underwent nearly identical ordeals in Iraq. But only the white soldier’s story made the cover of Time magazine.
More stories by Farai Chideya
What do you call a black war hero? A nigger.
In the crudest of senses, this twist on the old joke about black PhDs sums up the political backdrop of Calvin Baker’s lyrical novel “Once Two Heroes.” Set in the European battlefields of World War II, in black Los Angeles and in the white South, the book ranges masterfully across geography, race and point of view. The novel follows the struggles and glories of two war heroes, one black, one white, and their divergent and fatally convergent life paths. Although it is a period piece, its echoes are very much present day.
Take the case of Shoshanna Johnson.
Johnson is a single mother of a young daughter. She enlisted in the Army in hopes it would help her become a chef. Instead, the Army specialist was deployed to Iraq, shot through both legs and held prisoner for 22 days. (She was captured in the same ambush as Jessica Lynch, but remained in captivity longer.) Her slow and painful recovery was not charted by the media with the same zeal as her friend Lynch. In fact, there was hardly any coverage of her journey at all.
Today Johnson remains partially disabled, unable to stand for long periods (which clearly impacts her desired career), and haunted by flashbacks to her ordeal. But the U.S. Army, so buoyed by the publicity around the Lynch case, has now dealt Johnson and her family a severe blow. While Jessica Lynch is being discharged from the army with an 80-percent disability benefit, Johnson is being discharged on only 30-percent disability. The difference will mean a loss of nearly $700 per month for Johnson and her child.
Reluctantly, the Johnson family began to turn to the media that had spurned them, speaking out about her plight. Her father, Claude Johnson, told reporter Lee Hockstader of the Washington Post that there was a double standard.
“I don’t know for sure that it was the Pentagon,” he said. “All I know for sure is that the news media paid a lot of attention to Jessica.”
The family has enlisted the help of Rev. Jesse Jackson. Although his help is bound to be effective, it is necessary only because of the tiresome dance of race in America, where whites are seen as the default models for society, and black achievements are looked at with puzzlement.
Jessica Lynch’s face graces the cover of Time magazine; her interviews and excerpts of her book have been scattered across national television. Now, only because of a small but growing outcry, Shoshanna Johnson may get her due as well. [/quote]
http://www.alternet.org/story/17189/
Why is Jessica Lynch getting all the attention
I have to admit with this situation, I do play the race card. It deeply hurt me as a black woman, that another black woman who was serving in the line of duty,not on the front lines but serving nonetheless, was given virtually no press, where as Jessica was given loads of press and a hero’s welcome home but her role wasn’t as major as Shoshanna . Shoshanna was in a far more dangerous situation than Jessica.
It just brought home to me, at least IMO, impressed me with the idea that I could serve my country but still not be ‘good’ enough for it. Many Black vets felt that when they came home from Vietnam. In case anyone questions that, read the book “The Brothers’ Vietnam War: Black Power, Manhood, and the Military Experience Gainesville” by Herman Graham.
