Shoshana Johnson
| Shoshana Nyree Johnson | |
|---|---|
Shoshana Johnson at an NAACP dinner—July 18, 2003
|
|
| Born |
January 18, 1973 Pedro Miguel, Panama |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army
|
| Years of service | 1998-2003 |
| Rank |
 Specialist (SPC) |
| Unit | 5th Battalion 52d Air Defense Artillery |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards | |
Shoshana Nyree Johnson (born January 18, 1973) is a Panamanian-born former United States soldier, and the first African-American female prisoner of war in the military history of the United States. Johnson was a Specialist of the U.S. Army 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 for 22 days along with five other members of her unit. She was freed in a rescue mission conducted by United States Marine Corps units on April 13, 2003.
Johnson, a second-generation U.S. Army veteran, is a native of Panama. She moved to the United States 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 program at Andress 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 US Army in September 1998 after dropping out of University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP).
In February 2003, while serving her second military assignment at Fort Bliss, Texas, Johnson received orders to deploy to Iraq as a Quartermaster Corps 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.
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