Spc. Katrina L. Bell-Johnson of Orangeburg, South Carolina originally from Columbia, graduated in 1989 from Airport High School where she was on the track team, a member of the chorus and the band. She was affectionately called "Trina." She studied at Midlands Technical College to become qualified as a surgical technician shortly after high school. She graduated from MTC around 1992. She worked at several hospitals upon graduation, most recently at The Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg & Calhoun Counties for about a three month period, from the end of 1995 until early 1996, as an operating room technician. Katrina enlisted in the Army on 3 February 1998. After being assigned to Fort Hood she met Lawrence Bell. They fell in love and married. She gave birth to daughter Gabrielle Dana Bell about a year ago. Two months after giving birth, Katrina was sent to Kuwait. She came home for a couple of months and then was deployed to Iraq before Christmas 2004. She had made it known that her intentions were to continue her career as a registered nurse and that the decision to join the service was partly due to the Army's promise that they would help her with her education to fulfill her career goals. She loved being in the military. She would say that "I am in the military, and I am here to serve my country." Her sister Nichole described Katrina as "meek and humble" yet with an inner strength that joining the military helped reveal. Trina called her mother on 11 February and told her that she loved her before they hung up. "I felt like she was saying good-bye." She is survived by her husband Lawrence Bell, daughter Gabriella Bell, younger sister Nichole Johnson and mother Vivian Johnson Huffman and stepfather Carl Huffman. She was 32.

Army
418th Transportation Company
180th Transportation Battalion
Fort Hood, Texas