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First Female Black POW Speaks Out in Book
cbs ^ | WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2010 | unknown

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."


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: iraq; jessicalynch; military; militarywomen; nasiriyah; oifveterans; piestewa; pow; shoshanajohnson
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To: No Surrender No Retreat

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.


121 posted on 02/06/2010 8:59:30 AM PST by Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)
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To: firep0w3r

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.


122 posted on 02/06/2010 9:44:42 AM PST by ansel12 (anti SoCon. Earl Warren's court 1953-1969, libertarian hero, anti social conservative loser.)
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To: No Surrender No Retreat

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.


123 posted on 02/06/2010 12:21:49 PM PST by Tired of Taxes (Dad, I will always think of you.)
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To: Redcitizen

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.


124 posted on 02/06/2010 12:38:09 PM PST by kcvl
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To: Redcitizen

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.

125 posted on 02/06/2010 12:45:10 PM PST by kcvl
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To: kcvl

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.


126 posted on 02/06/2010 1:23:25 PM PST by ansel12 (anti SoCon. Earl Warren's court 1953-1969, libertarian hero, anti social conservative loser.)
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To: Tired of Taxes

If you say so?????????

Another Down Payment,
NSNR


127 posted on 02/06/2010 2:32:00 PM PST by No Surrender No Retreat
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To: Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)

Actually not. I was hoping you would straighten me out. You certainly have helped us a lot. Thank you.


128 posted on 02/06/2010 4:10:12 PM PST by OldEagle
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To: firep0w3r

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.


129 posted on 02/06/2010 4:21:08 PM PST by RightOnline
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To: OldEagle

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 one’s 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.


130 posted on 02/07/2010 5:12:55 AM PST by Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)
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To: Redcitizen
Anyone remember Lori Piestewa?

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.

131 posted on 02/10/2010 12:08:03 PM PST by La Enchiladita (wise gringa)
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To: LucyJo
"Where Men Win Glory" by Jon Krakauer has a section on the fabrication of Jessica Lynch hero story. I have not finished reading it.

Does anyone know of a good book that details Miller's story?

132 posted on 02/10/2010 12:27:36 PM PST by apocalypto
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To: apocalypto

Sorry, I’m not aware of any such book. Some of the other posters on this thread may have more information about that.


133 posted on 02/10/2010 2:40:26 PM PST by LucyJo (http://www.housetohouse.com/)
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To: Redcitizen

I remember Lori’s story. She was an American Indian, right?


134 posted on 02/10/2010 2:42:36 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: RightOnline

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”?


135 posted on 02/10/2010 2:47:19 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Deb

Yes... Hopi. And family members before her had served also.


136 posted on 02/10/2010 2:50:22 PM PST by La Enchiladita (wise gringa)
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To: La Enchiladita

Her story broke my heart.


137 posted on 02/10/2010 2:51:20 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Deb

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.....


138 posted on 02/10/2010 2:54:34 PM PST by La Enchiladita (wise gringa)
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To: La Enchiladita

I didn’t see it, but I’m so glad they did it. That’s terrific.


139 posted on 02/10/2010 2:57:40 PM PST by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
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To: Redcitizen

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.

140 posted on 02/10/2010 3:04:31 PM PST by CholeraJoe (Any man over 35 with washboard abds is either gay or a narcissist.)
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