When she joined the Army, Shoshana Johnson figured that she’d “save some money, lose some weight, and come back home.”  It didn’t work out as planned: in her first month in Iraq, working as a cook in a maintenance unit, her convoy took a wrong turn and she was wounded and captured, becoming the first Black American woman to be held as a POW.  But her captivity was only the beginning.

For more powerful memories from veterans, visitthe PBS series, American Veteran, where you can also watch the television series and digital short films. 

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