First African-American female POW is cheered at the Student Veterans of America conference
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Version 0 of 1. “I’ve always had a thing for Marines.” That’s Shoshana Johnson, the first African-American female prisoner of war, speaking to more than 1,200 students, veterans groups and college representatives at the Student Veterans of America (SVA) conference being held Friday in San Antonio. Johnson was an Army cook and part of the 507th Maintenance Company at Fort Bliss in March 2003 when she and members of her unit were ambushed in Nasiriyah, Iraq, by Iraqi troops and paramilitary forces. Johnson, who was shot in the ankles, and five other soldiers, including Jessica Lynch, were held in captivity for 22 days before being rescued by Marines. On Friday, wearing a black dress and red pumps, the 40-year-old retired soldier told a cheering audience that the day she was rescued by Marines – “who came kicking down the door, just like in the movies” — was one of the happiest of her life. But her story doesn’t end there, she told an ebullient audience. She returned home to El Paso, Tex., and used her GI benefits to graduate from culinary school at the community college there. She also wrote the book, “I’m Still Standing: From Captive Soldier to Free Citizen — My Journey Home.” She said she often wondered why she survived. But when she was on campus, giving fellow non-veterans one of her “pep talks,” she realized why. “When I hear non-veteran students thinking the world is coming to an end because they got a bad grade, I can be there to help them through,” she said, as the audience cheered. “I say, ‘My friends have made sacrifices, some with their lives, so quit crying about a damn C.’ ” The conference she’s speaking at is part-networking forum, part-emotional bonding for student veterans. For many, it’s a tricky and isolating transition into academic life, where other students and teachers can often struggle to grasp the experiences they have had abroad. “You are not freshman in life,” Stephen Weber, former president of San Diego State University and a board member of SVA, said in remarks opening the conference. “Your experiences enrich our classrooms.” Johnson was born in Panama. After her family came to the United States, her father joined the Army. To this day, she calls him “drill sergeant,” because he was “always on my back about college.” She has spoken across the country about her experiences as a POW, but she said this conference is close to her heart. “The hardest thing you can do is speak in front of a room full of fellow veterans. When you speak to non-vets, it’s all oohs and ahhs,” she said, to applause. “You can’t B.S. a fellow veteran.” She also said she wants former troops who are coming home and thinking about going to college to be proud, but never intimidated. “It’s not just about the college helping you, you can help them,” she said. “I just want to remind you all of that. We’ve got a lot to give the world.” |