RESPONSE TO ELI PAINTEDCROW

 

 

May 1, 2011

 

I am saddened to see the letter by Eli PaintedCrow about the use of my book by Columbia’s School of Social Work. I am also saddened that she is distressed. But there is some misinformation here that must be set straight.

Eli PaintedCrow willingly and graciously agreed to let me interview her for my book, The Lonely Soldier, because she wanted to teach the public what women go through in the military and at war. We spent hours talking over many months.

She saw and approved of every word in the book before it was published.

I am sorry to learn that she now finds it painful to be in the book, and I am sorry she is experiencing distress. But she chose to be a public figure years before I ever met her. I originally found her on YouTube, telling some of the same stories she tells in the book.

I wish Eli could feel proud instead of upset. Her story is inspiring and moving people to help and understand veterans better. That is why she told the story and why I wrote the book. Both of us wished to address injustices in the military and in war.

Columbia’s School of Social Work decided to use the book to teach its students how to better help veterans. I had nothing to do with that decision, but I applaud it. I wrote the book to educate others. Eli chose to be in the book to educate others. The school is using the book to educate others.

The school chose to concentrate on Eli's story to teach students some of the issues facing women veterans. This is simply normal teaching practice. You assign a book, and you concentrate on certain chapters in it.

Apparently, a student reached out to Eli to ask for permission to use her photograph in a project. I do not know how that student found her, or who that student is. I never, ever give contact information for anyone in my book without that person’s permission.

When the School of Social Work heard of Eli’s distress, they invited her to come speak, offered to pay her airfare, pay for two nights in a hotel and give her a speaker's fee. They have called her several times, spoken to her, and expressed great concern about her distress. She rejected this offer.

The book has helped to inspire a class action suit against the Pentagon on behalf of service-members who have been sexually assaulted in the military. It is being used to teach mental health professionals to help veterans more effectively. It has helped to expose racism and sexism in the military, and Eli has been a major part of conveying that message.

I will always be deeply grateful to her and the other soldiers in the book for agreeing to help me get the message out to the world that we need to do better by our female troops.

Helen Benedict