Married Lesbian Soldier Killed In Suicide Bomber Attack

[WillParkinson]

AFGHANISTAN: Married Lesbian Soldier Killed In Suicide Bomber Attack

The American Military Partner Association makes a grim announcement on its Facebook page:

In memory of Army Staff Sgt. Donna R. Johnson who gave the ultimate sacrifice to our nation in a suicide bomber attack while on patrol in Afghanistan, on Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. Staff Sgt Johnson is survived by her wife Tracy Dice. In days to come, the American Military Partner Association will be sharing more of the story of Donna & Tracy and their commitment to each other and our nation. We ask for your continued thoughts, prayers, and privacy for Tracy and her family during this difficult time.

The Army Times has published an Associated Press report.

The remains of Sgt. Donna R. Johnson, 29, of Raeford, Sgt. Jeremy F. Hardison, 23, of Browns Summit and Sgt. Thomas J. Butler IV, 25, of Leland, were flown into Dover Air Force Base Tuesday evening. The three died Monday in Khost, Afghanistan, after an insurgent detonated a suicide vest while the guardsmen were on patrol. The soldiers were assigned to the 514th Military Police Company, which is based in Winterville. The bomber struck about 9 a.m., shortly after the troops got out of their vehicles to walk through a market area in Khost, located in the eastern part of the country. The others killed included an Afghan translator working with the American troops, four local police officers and six civilians. Three more American soldiers were wounded, according to a military spokesman. About 60 Afghan civilians were also injured. A Taliban spokesman contacted Western media to claim responsibility shortly after the attack.

The AP notes that both of the other two soldiers killed had wives, but makes no mention of Sgt. Johnson's wife, who also serves in the military.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/10/ap-three-nc-soldiers-killed-afghanistan-100312/

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Even in death we aren't equal.

[RetiredTrotskyite]

2. Sadly You Are Right.

[William769]

5. +1.

[beyurslf]

3. And her widow's fight for equality will just begin, as she is denied benefits and fair treatment

that all military widows/widowers are supposed to get.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. Ask AP

To: [email protected]

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2012/10/ap-three-nc-soldiers-killed-afghanistan-100312/

No mention of Sgt. Johnson's wife? What does the Stylebook say on that? Was this edited from the original AP article by the Army Times? Sgt. Johnson paid the ultimate price. She deserves better.

Thank you for listening.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

6. Followup article mentions her spouse.

Families recall 3 guardsmen killed by Taliban

The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Oct 7, 2012 10:21:45 EDT

....
Hardison joined the National Guard so that he could attend school and then design and build aircraft, his family said in a statement Saturday. Hardison was a driver for a Greensboro trucking company before the 514th left North Carolina for training at Fort Bliss, Texas, in June. The unit departed for Afghanistan in early August.
....

Sgt. Thomas Butler IV of Leland attended Cape Fear Community College and saw education and the National Guard as the way to a career as a law officer, said his wife Holly. The two met when in 2006 when he was a senior at Topsail High School; they married two years later.
....

Johnson was a former state prison guard and a military police officer and had worked in bomb training at Fort Bragg.
....

She “was a reserved and private person who had a close group of friends” and four dogs. She is survived by her spouse, Tracy Dice.