Former POW ends service in Army

EL PASO, Texas -- Shoshana Johnson, who spent 22 days as a prisoner of war in Iraq after being shot during an ambush, was discharged from the Army on Friday. Johnson was a cook for the 507th Maintenance Company when it was ambushed in March. She was shot in both ankles and captured with five other soldiers, including Jessica Lynch. Nine soldiers died in the ambush.

"To my fallen comrades and their families, my utmost respect, and gratitude for their sacrifices," Johnson said. "Their memory has made me a better person and they will not be forgotten."

Army officials said Friday that Johnson was being discharged. Calls to the Johnson family and Army officials seeking further comment on her status were not returned Friday.

Johnson, who served for five years, has said the decision to leave was tough. She had planned to spend 20 years in the military like her father, who served in the Gulf War and retired from the Army in 1999.

Johnson was awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and the Prisoner of War Medal for her service in Iraq.

In October, her father accused the Army of unfair treatment after a medical board offered her a smaller disability paycheck than Lynch. Claude Johnson said the financial support Lynch is getting should be provided equally to all soldiers injured in the line of duty.

Family members confirmed that Lynch, snatched from her Iraqi captors on April 1 in a special forces rescue, is receiving an 80 percent disability. Shoshana Johnson, released April 13 with four other American POWs, has been offered 30 percent, Claude Johnson said.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson, who consulted the Johnson family, said in October that race was playing a part in Army's decision. Lynch is white; Johnson is black.

Army officials said at the time that Shoshana Johnson's payment can be appealed and that race was not an issue.

Military officials said Lynch was hurt after her Humvee was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and crashed into another vehicle. She suffered multiple broken bones and other injuries and it was four months before she could walk again.

Shoshana Johnson still periodically uses a walking cast, has a hard time staying on her feet for any period of time and isn't sleeping well, her father said in October. She was shown in an Iraqi video fearfully watching her captors as they peppered her and the other POWs with questions.