1. Shoshana "Shana" Nyree Johnson was born on January 18,1973 and is a Panamanian-born former United States soldier, and the first black female prisoner of war in the military history of the United States.
14 Facts About Shoshana Johnson
1. 2.
Shoshana Johnson was held prisoner in Iraq for 22 days along with five other members of her unit.
3.
Shoshana Johnson was freed in a rescue mission conducted by United States Marine Corps units on April 13,2003.
4.
Shoshana Johnson, a second-generation US Army veteran, is a native of Panama.
5.
Shoshana Johnson moved to the United States with her family when she was a child.
6.
Shoshana Johnson is the eldest child of retired Army Sergeant First Class Claude Johnson and wife Eunice.
7.
In 1991, Shoshana Johnson was in the JROTC program at Andress High School.
8.
Shoshana Johnson joined the US Army in September 1998 after dropping out of University of Texas at El Paso.
9.
On March 23,2003, one month after her arrival to serve as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Shoshana Johnson was in a convoy that was ambushed and taken captive in the city of Nasiriyah.
10.
Shoshana Johnson was among a dozen soldiers in the convoy who were captured.
11.
On December 12,2003, Shoshana Johnson left the US Army on a Temporary Disability Honorable Discharge.
12.
Shoshana 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.
13.
On New Year's Eve 2003, Shoshana Johnson was asked to join New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg in activating the Times Square New Year ball drop to ring in 2004.
14.
Shoshana Johnson says reports that she and Lynch were at odds aren't true.