Feminist Peace Network

October 9th, 2008

Femicide At Ft. Bragg Continues Unabated

Last week, the Associated Press reported on murder of Christina E. Smith, a Ft. Bragg soldier, the 3rd such murder in 4 months. The other women murdered were Spc. Megan Touma and Holey Wimunc.

As horrific as this latest murder spree is, it is only the latest in a continuing epidemic of femicide in the military, including last year’s murder of Maria Lauterbach, who was stationed at Ft. LeJeune. This is also not the first time Ft. Bragg has experienced multiple femicides in a short period of time. In 2002, four army wives were murdered at Ft. Bragg shortly after their husbands returned from Afghanistan.

According to the AP story however, the military does not feel that women in the military are at particular risk,

“Carol Darby, a spokeswoman for the Army’s Special Operations Command, said the Army had no reason to be ‘’overly concerned for (the) personal safety of female soldiers.'’”

Yet just a few weeks ago,according to the AP an Army report found that Megan Touma’s unit “didn’t follow procedures for keeping track of newly arrived personnel.” And Ann Wright has reported, there are significant questions about the cause of death for numerous women soldiers who were sexually assaulted before they died of “non-combat injuries” or “suicide”,

“Specific US Army units and certain US military bases in Iraq have an inordinate number of women soldiers who have died of “non-combat related injuries,” with several identified as “suicides.”

94 US military women in the military have died in Iraq or during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). 12 US Civilian women have been killed in OIF. 13 US military women have been killed in Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). 12 US Civilian women have been killed in Afghanistan.

Of the 94 US military women who died in Iraq or in OIF, the military says 36 died from non-combat related injuries, which included vehicle accidents, illness, death by “natural causes,” and self-inflicted gunshot wounds, or suicide. The military has declared the deaths of the Navy women in Bahrain that were killed by a third sailor, as homicides. 5 deaths have been labeled as suicides, but 15 more deaths occurred under extremely suspicious circumstances.

8 women soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas (six from the Fourth Infantry Division and two from the 1st Armored Cavalry Division) have died of “non-combat related injuries” on the same base, Camp Taji, and three were raped before their deaths. Two were raped immediately before their deaths and another raped prior to arriving in Iraq. Two military women have died of suspicious “non-combat related injuries” on Balad base, and one was raped before she died. Four deaths have been classified as “suicides.”"

As Wright also notes here, since writing that report,

“(T)he deaths of two more U.S. Army women in Iraq and Afghanistan have been listed as suicides—the Sept. 28, 2007, death of 30-year-old Spc. Ciara Durkin and the Feb. 22, 2008, death of 25-year-old Spc. Keisha Morgan. Both “suicides” are disputed by the families of the women.”

Women who sign up to defend our country should be able to do so without being more at risk of being injured or killed by their fellow soldiers than by any enemy. And they deserve far more from the military than a flippant denial of concern.