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Shoshana Johnson | |
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 Shoshana Johnson at an NAACP dinner—July 18, 2003 | |
| Nickname | Shana |
| Born | (1973-01-18)18 January 1973 (age 53) Pedro Miguel,Panama |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch | United States Army |
| Service years | 1998–2003 |
| Rank | Specialist |
| Unit | 5th Battalion 52d Air Defense Artillery 507th Maintenance Company |
| Conflicts | Iraq War |
| Awards | |
Shoshana "Shana" Nyree Johnson (born January 18, 1973) is a Panamanian-born formerUnited States Army soldier, and the first black femaleprisoner of war in themilitary history of the United States.[1] Johnson was aspecialist in the507th Maintenance Company. During theBattle of Nasiriyah, she suffered bullet wounds to both of her ankles and was captured by Iraqi forces. She was held prisoner in Iraq for 22 days along with five other members of her unit. She was freed in a rescue mission conducted byUnited States Marine Corps units on April 13, 2003.
Johnson, a second-generation U.S. Army veteran, is a native ofPanama. She moved to the United States with her family when she was a child. She is the eldest child of retiredSergeant First Class Claude Johnson and his wife Eunice. In 1991, Johnson was in theJunior Reserve Officers' Training Corps program atAndress High School. 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 U.S. Army in September 1998 after dropping out ofUniversity of Texas at El Paso.
In February 2003, while serving her second military assignment atFort Bliss, Texas, Johnson received orders to deploy to Iraq as aQuartermaster Corps Food Service Specialist (Military Occupational Specialty 92G) with the 507th Maintenance Company. Shoshana was 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 ofOperation Iraqi Freedom, Johnson was in a convoy that was ambushed and taken captive in the city ofNasiriyah. Iraqi troops ambushed her supply convoy when it took a wrong turn. The 507th Maintenance Company lost 11 soldiers in the ambush, among them Pfc.Lori Piestewa, Johnson's good friend and the first American woman to be killed in the war.[1] There had beenbitter fighting around Nasiriyah, a vital crossing point of theRiver 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.[2][3][4]CNN described this video as when "Americans were first introduced to Johnson".
During the gruff interview, Johnson looked tense, her eyes darting quickly left, then right. Barely an hour before, she'd been shot in both ankles and captured along with five other soldiers, including Pfc.Jessica Lynch, who was badly wounded and was held prisoner at a separate location.
On April 13, 2003, after subsequent house raids conducted byUnited States Marines of the3rd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion,1st Marine Division in the city ofSamarra, 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. Johnson had been held captive for 23 days.[5]
On December 12, 2003, Johnson left the U.S. Army on aTemporary 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 joinNew York City mayorMichael Bloomberg in activating theTimes Square New Yearball drop to ring in 2004.[6]
Critics have accused the military and media ofracism in that they focused attention onJessica Lynch, 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."[7]
Johnson signed a book deal with Dafina Books to write her story with Paul T. Brown, titledOne Wrong Turn, which was to tell her side of the story and more about her fallen comrades.[8]
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.[9]
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| Right Breast | Left Breast | ||||||||
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| Presidential Unit Citation | |||||||||
| Bronze Star | |||||||||
| Purple Heart | Army Commendation Medal | Prisoner of War Medal | |||||||
| Army Good Conduct Medal | National Defense Service Medal | Army Service Ribbon | |||||||
| Marksmanship badge with rifle and pistol component bars | |||||||||
Americans were first introduced to Johnson – a U.S. Army cook with the 507th Maintenance Company out of Fort Bliss, Texas – early in the war when videotape of her interrogation with her Iraqi captors was broadcast worldwide on television.
A video of Shoshana being interrogated by her captors was soon broadcast on ... soldier, Shoshana Johnson, was also wounded and captured in the ambush.
Shortly after their capture, the seven were shown on Iraq's state-run television.
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