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Army denies special treatment for Jessica LynchJesse Jackson: Lynch treated better due to media spotlight
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Army denied having a double standard for determining disability benefits Friday after the family of a former prisoner of war in Iraq complained that another rescued soldier was given special treatment. The parents of Spc. Shoshana Johnson, who was captured March 23 near Nasiriya along with Pfc. Jessica Lynch and three other members of the Army's 507th Maintenance Company, told The Washington Post that the military is not treating their daughter fairly The paper says they are accusing the Army of a double standard, insensitivity and racism, and have enlisted the help of activist Jesse Jackson to represent their case in the media. Johnson is black and Lynch is white. Jackson told CNN Friday that the family was upset because Johnson, who is about to be discharged from the Army, will get a 30 percent disability benefit, while the Post reports that Lynch has received an 80 percent disability benefit. The newspaper said the difference amounts to $600-$700 a month in payments. An Army spokesman said disability payments are based on soldiers' medical reviews and that no other factors are considered. The Army will not confirm benefit figures given to either woman. Payments are generally expressed as a percentage of pay. Johnson was shot through both ankles in the ambush that led to the capture of several in her company and was held for 22 days. "She's still struggling physically," Jackson said. "She walks awhile, but she cannot walk long. She then has to put her legs up to take away the stress. She still has playbacks about being in the war under those conditions, so she goes through these highs and lows of stress." Lynch suffered three breaks in her left leg, multiple breaks in her right foot, a fractured disk in her back, a broken right upper arm and lacerations on her head, family spokesman Randy Coleman told CNN in July. She was discharged as a private first class in August. Lynch's disability payment is under a temporary status based on her medical condition, according to an Army spokesman. She will be medically re-evaluated during the coming months, and if she improves, that payment may be reduced, the spokesman said. Johnson's disability payment is permanent, Jackson said. If she gets worse, she can appeal to the Army for a review that could lead to her payments being increased, he added. Jackson said he believed the Army treated Lynch differently because of the media coverage surrounding her rescue. "First of all, Jessica Lynch deserves all the treatment that she is getting," Jackson said. "She was a victim of Iraq, and the Army built around her this caricature of American bravado. They said she was shot and stabbed and shot to the last bullet, and she did not say that, and that did not happen. But they sought to use her as a propaganda tool for American bravado." Lynch was rescued in a nighttime raid by U.S. Special Forces on April 1, and the Pentagon released videotape of the operation. Copyright 2003 CNN. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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