Shoshana Johnson
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Shoshana Nyree Johnson (born January 18, 1973) is a Panamanian-born former
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soldier, and the first black female
prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...
in the military history of the United States. Johnson was a Specialist of the
U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...
507th Maintenance Company, 5/52 ADA BN, 11th ADA Brigade. During the Battle of Nasiriyah, she suffered bullet wounds to both of her ankles and was captured by Iraqi forces. She was held prisoner in
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
for 22 days along with five other members of her unit. She was freed in a rescue mission conducted by
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units on April 13, 2003.


Life and career

Johnson, a second-generation U.S. Army veteran, is a native of
Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
. She moved to the
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with her family when she was a child. She is the eldest child of retired Army Sergeant First Class Claude Johnson and wife Eunice. In 1991, Johnson was in the
JROTC The Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC -- commonly pronounced "JAY-rotsee") is a Federal government of the United States, federal program sponsored by the United States Armed Forces in high schools and also in some middle schools acr ...
program at
Andress High School Andress High School is a public high school located on the northeast side of El Paso, Texas. The school serves about 2,000 students in the El Paso Independent School District. It is located in the Sun Valley neighborhood
. Although she did not plan a career in the military, she wanted to attend culinary school, so she joined the Army to save money for tuition. She joined the US Army in September 1998 after dropping out of
University of Texas at El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stud ...
(UTEP). In February 2003, while serving her second military assignment at
Fort Bliss Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Named in honor of LTC William Bliss (1815–1853), a mathematics professor who was the son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor, Ft. Bliss h ...
,
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, Johnson received orders to deploy to Iraq as a
Quartermaster Corps Following is a list of Quartermaster Corps, military units, active and defunct, with logistics duties: * Egyptian Army Quartermaster Corps - see Structure of the Egyptian Army * Hellenic Army Quartermaster Corps (''Σώμα Φροντιστών ...
Food Service Specialist ( MOS 92G) with the 507th Maintenance Company, 5/52 ADA BN, 11th ADA Brigade. Shoshana enlisted with the duty of preparing meals. Her company's duty was to supply mechanics to repair the Patriot missile trucks housed at the post. On March 23, 2003, one month after her arrival to serve as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Johnson was in a convoy that was ambushed and taken captive in the city of Nasiriyah. Iraqi troops ambushed her supply convoy when it took a wrong turn. There had been bitter fighting around Nasiriyah, a vital crossing point of the River Euphrates. Johnson was among a dozen soldiers in the convoy who were captured. She received a bullet wound to her ankles. Iraqi authorities broadcast video of Johnson, shortly after her capture.
CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
described this video as when "Americans were first introduced to Johnson". On April 13, 2003, after subsequent house raids conducted by
United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...
of the
3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion 3d Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion (3D LAR BN) is a fast and mobilized armored terrestrial reconnaissance battalion of the United States Marine Corps. Their primary weapon system is the LAV-25 and they are part of the 1st Marine Divis ...
,
1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is th ...
in the city of Samarra, Johnson was rescued along with six other prisoners of war. They were welcomed as heroes in the United States on April 16 with a cheering crowd of over 3,000 people. The U.S. Army recognized them for courage, valor, and service with several awards. On December 12, 2003, Johnson left the U.S. Army on a Temporary Disability Honorable Discharge. Johnson was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and the Prisoner of War Medal for her service in Iraq and has received numerous awards and recognition for her courage, valor, and service to the United States. On New Year's Eve 2003, Johnson was asked to join
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mayor Michael Bloomberg in activating the
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New Year ball drop to ring in 2004.


Controversy

Critics have accused the military and media of
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...
in that they focused attention on
Jessica Lynch Jessica Dawn Lynch (born April 26, 1983) is an American teacher, actress, and former United States Army soldier who served in the 2003 invasion of Iraq as a private first class. On March 23, 2003, she was serving as a unit supply specialist ...
, a white woman, rather than Johnson, a black woman. CNN reported that "Lynch got a million-dollar book deal and more in disability payments from the military than Johnson. Some said it was a long standing and well documented issue of race in the military. Shoshana Johnson says reports that she and Lynch were at odds aren't true."


Book deal

Johnson signed a book deal with Dafina Books to write her story with Paul T. Brown, titled ''One Wrong Turn'', which was to tell her side of the story and more about her fallen comrades. In 2007, Dafina Books and Johnson parted ways. Johnson signed a deal with Simon & Schuster in 2008. ''I'm Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen — My Journey Home'' was released on February 2, 2010.


Awards and decorations


See also

* Battle of Nasiriyah


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Shoshana 1973 births Living people African-American female military personnel Panamanian emigrants to the United States United States Army personnel of the Iraq War American prisoners of war Iraq War prisoners of war Logistics personnel of the United States military People from El Paso, Texas United States Army soldiers University of Texas at El Paso alumni Women in the Iraq War Women in the United States Army Zonians Prisoners of war held by Iraq 21st-century American women African-American United States Army personnel