Who is Shoshana Nyree Johnson

When I was doing some research on the ball drop at Times Square in New York City, I came across a list of people who assisted in dropping the ball. Well not actually dropping the ball, but pressing a button that signifies the event. Pressing the button actually has nothing to do with the the balls movement and is nothing more than part of the pageantry. The ball drop is done from a control room, synchronized using a government time signal. First held on December 31, 1907, to welcome 1908, the ball drop has been held annually since, except in 1942 and 1943 in observance of wartime blackouts. The continental United States was not exposed to air attack, so the primary reason was  psychological motivation of the civilian population, which saw blackouts as a patriotic duty. Shoshana Nyree Johnson is 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, 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.

On March 23, 2003, one month after her arrival to serve as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Johnson was in a convoy that was ambushed and taken captive in the city of Nasiriyah. Iraqi troops ambushed her supply convoy when it took a wrong turn. Johnson was among a dozen soldiers in the convoy who were captured. Iraqi authorities broadcast video of Johnson, shortly after her capture and CNN describe the content of the video as follows, “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.” Johnson left the U.S. Army on a Temporary 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. Of course no good deed goes unpunished. Critics have accused the military and media of racism in that they focused attention on Jessica 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. Johnson says reports that she and Lynch were at odds over any racist sleights were not true. Johnson signed a deal with Simon & Schuster in 2008, penning a book called “ I’m Still Standing: From Captive U.S. Soldier to Free Citizen, My Journey Home.” It was released on February 2, 2010, to mostly good reviews.