Posted on 02/05/2010 6:12:09 PM PST by Redcitizen
(AP) Shoshana Johnson survived gunshot wounds to both legs and 22 days as a prisoner of war in Iraq. Life wasn't so easy when she came home, either.
In a new book out this week, the 37-year-old single mother describes mental health problems related to her captivity and tells how it felt to play second fiddle in the media to fellow POW Jessica Lynch, who was captured in the same ambush.
"It was kind of hurtful," the former Army cook said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "If I'd been a petite, cutesy thing, it would've been different."
Sorry for the late reply. I had to leave to do some supermarket stuff. I do not find shopping fun. For me, it is a punishment.
Canal Zonians crop up in the strangest places around the world.
I had erroneously thought she had been born in the U.S.
In Jump School during the Vietnam war we took an oath when our wings were awarded to us and the oath included that “surrender is not in our code” which I understood for Airborne troops, since you enter a battle in the situation that starts out as a surrender situation, (outnumbered, out gunned, behind enemy lines, short on ammo and supplies, cut off from the rest of the army, and so on) but still, I couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t mentioned that before jump school started.
There are units for which surrender are not an option, LRRPs/LSR felt that way during the stand off with the USSR and E. Germany, when confronted with the idea of capture by the GRU and KGB, with them knowing that you had info that needed to be retrieved quickly if it were to be useful, and that you were a type that made lousy, high maintenance prisoners, and plus, you probably had killed a lot of their friends before you were captured.
In most cases though surrender is definitely acceptable, and that maintenance company was in that situation, there was no gain to be made by them simply standing there to be shot down.
I’m glad they are alive and I wish more had survived.
Johnson and Lynch are reportedly friends. Johnson made one comment, but it’s such a small part of the whole story. But, the reactions to that one comment - such as the reaction you had in your post - are illustrating her point.
Personally, I don’t think the issue is about race. It’s more about youth and appearance. But, she’s right on that one point: the media played up the story of the young, vulnerable-looking girl. Meanwhile, the other men and women were being held captive and/or killed, and no one was talking about them.
But, the reporter who wrote this article played up that one angle. Other stories about Johnson play up a different angle. There’s much more to her story, and she seems to be just telling the story as objectively as possible.
Controversy also arose regarding the varying treatment and media coverage of Lynch and Shoshana Johnson, an African-American soldier captured in the same ambush as Lynch, but rescued later. Critics, including Rev. Jesse Jackson, said that Johnson’s race was a major reason that Johnson received little media attention and a smaller disability pension as compared to Lynch.
The former PoW with her daughter Dakota Ann
Dakota Ann is named after Lynch's close friend Pfc. Lori Piestewa, one of 11 soldiers killed in March 2003 when their military convoy was attacked in Iraq.
Two things, Lynch sees Lori Piestewa as the true hero of the ambush over all other participants, and I hope that someone that has read her book can tell us why?
The other thing is, I hope that is a spare room that is used to store memorabilia and stuff from her celebrity and war days, and is not her bedroom, because that would be a little weird.
If you say so?????????
Another Down Payment,
NSNR
Actually not. I was hoping you would straighten me out. You certainly have helped us a lot. Thank you.
Thank you. Now, seeing as how I’ve met my share of former ‘guests’ of the Hanoi Hilton....I can absolutely say that there HAVE been heroes who were POW’s. I’m glad that we agree that POW status, unto itself, does not automatically bestow “hero” status.
First of all, to live in the Canal Zone at the time the Canal Zone was a territory of the United States, one had to be an employee of the Canal Zone. No one else could live there.
In the Canal Zone, if one parent was an American citizen, the baby was automatically an American citizen.
If both parents were not American citizens, but the baby was born in the Canal Zone, the baby could not take on American citizenship. All I can say is that is how the law for the Canal Zone was set up.
In the Canal Zone, the head of household was required to live in the town site nearest ones job. When Shoshana was born, her folks were living in Pedro Miguel, Canal Zone. That was a town site for non U.S. citizen laborers who worked at the locks (Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks). These folks were Panamanians. Most of these Panamanians were of West Indian decent. Hence, this leads me to believe her parents were not Americans because of where they lived. She more than likely was born at Gorgas Hospital, Ancon, Canal Zone, because that was the nearest hospital.
I hope I cleared it up a little bit.
I remember Lori Piestewa, may her soul rest in Peace. In fact, when Dennis Miller was interviewing Johnson about her book (oh, no!) last night, my thoughts first went to PFC Piestewa and the horrible way she died. She was a brave woman, by your account. I was very sad about her death.
And as for Johnson, she should have stayed quiet instead of writing this dumb book.
Does anyone know of a good book that details Miller's story?
Sorry, I’m not aware of any such book. Some of the other posters on this thread may have more information about that.
I remember Lori’s story. She was an American Indian, right?
I remember seeing our guys loading Shoshonna (?) and her fellow hostages on the helicopter and how grateful they were. I guess that wore-off after the press glorified Jessica’s rescue in the hospital (before they unglorified it)l. What do they call this, “capture envy”?
Yes... Hopi. And family members before her had served also.
Her story broke my heart.
Tragic. Did you see the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition that featured her family (her parents and her children)? Ty Pennington and his crew built a beautiful home for them in Flagstaff, AZ.....
I didn’t see it, but I’m so glad they did it. That’s terrific.
Then Major Rhonda Cornum was an Army Flight Surgeon captured in GW I. She suffered severe torture and abuse at the hands of the Iraqis.
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