Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Sgt. Johnson was awarded the Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Service Ribbon during his service. [68], In school, Johnson met Myeshia Manual, whom he married on 22 August 2014. Debra Gannon's son, Sgt. Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, and Staff Sgt. 3.2k. Niger: August 2017 October 2017 Army Service Ribbon The Tongo Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, when armed militants from the Islamic State in the . He was awarded a Bronze Star . Air Assault Badge The winding tale of how the lightly armed team wound up in the melee, and why the militarys investigation placed primary blame on the ground force rather than senior leaders, has been covered extensively, including in a recent ABC documentary, 3212 UN-REDACTED. After what I saw him do, yeah, Im glad theyre recognizing him for that., Jeremiah composed himself after being shot three times and he was still helping Dustin, telling him where the [enemy] shots were coming from, and he was still shooting.. [41] A senior congressional aide told NBC News that the ambush was caused by a "massive intelligence failure" with no overhead surveillance of the mission, or a quick reaction force in place to swiftly respond in the event that the mission went wrong. Upon realizing Black, Jeremiah Johnson, and Wright were missing, Two team members volunteered to head back to the ambush site in an attempt to locate vehicle three. The two remained with Black's body and further assessed his wounds. The team reported enemy contact and immediately returned fire using vehicle mounted M240 machine guns while the rest of the team dismounted from their vehicles, donned protective equipment, and began to exchange small arms fire. During this manoeuvre, Sergeant LaDavid Johnson and two Nigerien soldiers became separated from the rest of his team. She said she didn't like Trump's tone and that she broke down when Trump fumbled her husband's name. La David Terrence Johnson was an African American Army Sergeant, vehicle mechanic, and father who was killed in the Tongo Tongo Ambush on October 4, 2017 in the West African nation of Niger, alongside three other American soldiers, Staff Sergeants Bryan Black, Jeremiah Johnson, and Dustin Wright. Jeremiah Johnson, 39, and La David Johnson, 25, died in the rare firefight in Africa involving U.S. troops alongside two Green Berets, Staff Sgt. [4][29][30] In August 2013, MUJAO merged with al-Mourabitoun, which swore allegiance to al-Qaeda emir Ayman al-Zawahiri. [111] On the same day, Arnold Wright said that Trump was respectful when he called with his condolences, "He talked to me about the loss of my son and how he served with honor and dignity and he just wanted to give me a call to thank me". Army Commendation Medal w/C Device [67][68] After his mother's death in September 1999, Johnson's care was entrusted to Richard and Cowanda Johnson. At Dachau's cold-water immersion baths, Nazi doctors calculated death to arrive at around 77 degrees Fahrenheit. The Tongo Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, . Jeremiah Johnson (blues musician) (born 1972), American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter. Name. An account of what happened in Niger last Oct. 4 was released Thursday by the Pentagon and U.S. Africa Command. Bryan Black, 35, and an Army support enabler, Staff Sgt. [53] Two French Super Puma helicopters were brought in from Mali to evacuate the injured Nigeriens and Americans, while Berry Aviation, an independent contractor, evacuated the bodies of the fallen US soldiers. [135], Two Nigeriens received Bronze Stars with Valor for their actions during the ambush one for a Nigerien who joined in a flanking maneuver against the ISGS militants and one for a Nigerien who exposed himself to stop friendly fire coming from a quick reaction force's heavy machine-gun.[136]. Two . Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Wayne Johnson. The 9 minute, 15 second video appears to be shot from multiple helmet . Jeremiah Johnson, Black and Wright were outside the same vehicle when . It was during this time that the rear Nigerien vehicle departed the area by an unknown route. [67], His funeral was held at a church in Cooper City, Florida, on 21 October 2017. [24] On 5 February, officials from both Niger and the United States said that the two countries signed a status of forces agreement that allowed the deployment of unarmed surveillance drones. In a statement attributed to Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the group said, "We declare our responsibility for the attack on the US commandos last October in the Tongo Tongo region of Niger". Two other U.S. service members were wounded in the attack in southwest Niger. The graphic footage was recorded on the helmet cameras of Staff Sgt. Combat Infantryman Badge [94], In a United Nations Security Council meeting on 30 October, US ambassador Nikki Haley pledged $60 million towards a new counterterrorism force in West Africa. [24][25] In that month, US President Barack Obama sent 150 military personnel to Niger to set up a surveillance drone operation that would aid France in its counterterrorism efforts in the Northern Mali conflict. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Georgia. Army Achievement Medal (five awards) Perozeni was concerned because his team had been up for 18 hours and still had to travel 25 kilometers through difficult terrain under limited visibility to conduct the raid on their own, the investigation stated. Members of the 3rd Special Forces Group, 2nd battalion cry at the tomb of US Army Sgt. [125], Multiple US officials told CNN that the French military was leading an investigation to gather intelligence about the perpetrators of the ambush. [116], On 18 October, Mark Landler and Yamiche Alcindor, reporters from The New York Times, drew comparisons between the incident with the phone call to La David Johnson's widow and Trump's feud with the parents of another American soldier killed in action, Humayun Khan, during the 2016 US presidential election. America's shadow wars in Africa, explained", "US military completes initial Niger ambush investigation", "Mali conflict: US deploys 100 troops to neighbour Niger", "U.S. to base surveillance drones in Niger, ambassador says", "Niger: The death of US soldiers reveals their presence in the Sahel", "Is Niger Trump's Benghazi? Wright and Jeremiah Johnson were shot multiple times at close range by the militants, killing them.[50]. It was shot near Tongo Tongo in Niger last October and shows Isis militants in pickups en route to the attack. . Black, 35, served as a Special Forces medical sergeant, also known as an 18D. Jeremiah Wayne Johnson. Army Commendation Medal w/ C Device Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson (gridiron football) (born 1987), American and Canadian football running back. Name. Team members last saw Staff Sergeants Bryan Black, Jeremiah Johnson, and Dustin Wright taking cover behind the team's unarmored SUV. The investigation also found that "two junior officers had 'mischaracterized' the mission" in planning documents. Four U.S. soldiers died and it took him 12 days to respond", "Islamic State's Sahara branch claims first attack in Burkina Faso", "Sub-Saharan Africa's Tree "New" Islamic State Affiliates", "Belmokhtar's militants 'merge' with Mali's Mujao", "Confusion surrounds West African jihadists' loyalty to Islamic State", "At least 46 attacks in area of Niger where U.S. troops killed: U.N.", "Niger: Nigerien and US soldiers killed on the Mali border", "US intelligence officials examining video of Nigerien militant group", "Tongo-Tongo and the death of American soldiers", "US soldiers killed in Niger were outgunned, 'left behind' in hunt for ISIS leader", "New details on deadly ambush in Niger that left 4 soldiers dead", "American troops caught in deadly Niger ambush told to proceed despite mission concern", "Senator McCain says subpoena may be required to get answers on", "Oct 2017 Niger Ambush Summary of Investigation", "US special forces 'fought Niger ambush alone after local troops fled', "Hours before death in Niger, U.S. soldiers were targeting militants in Mali", "Troops Ambushed in Niger Waited an Hour to Call for Help, Pentagon Official Says", "Caught in a deadly ambush, US troops in Niger waited an hour for French air power to arrive", "U.S. [4], According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), at least 46 attacks occurred since early 2016 in the Tahoua and Tillabri regions of Niger. Jeremiah Johnson, and continued to engage the enemy until each was shot and killed by small-arms fire. [60] Black moved to Mammoth Lakes, California, where he taught skiing, worked construction jobs in the off season, and met his wife, Michelle. Within minutes, an unarmed US drone captured video of the firefight. [118] Laura Seay, an assistant professor of government at Colby College, shared French's view in an article on Slate. Air Assault Badge [29][4] The ISGS had since been targeting pro-government militias that support the French and United Nations forces in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. Niger is a hotbed of Islamist insurgent groups to include al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, and Boko Haram. [48][49] The team leader returned to the halted convoy at 11:57a.m. and ordered the convoy to head south to prevent getting outflanked. Roughly two hours after the ambush began, the first sign of air support arrived. [102] McCain said the ambush was "a direct result" of budget sequestration. La David Johnson were posthumously awarded the Silver Star while Staff Sgt. An official website of the United States government, Army Sgt. 47 relations. I still would like to have somebody get up and apologize and tell everybody that [the team] didnt go rogue and they damn well performed above and beyond what they had to do, Gannon told Army Times. [100], On 26 October, Robert Karem, the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and Air Force Major General Albert Elton briefed the Senate Armed Services Committee in a closed session. [103], On 9 May 2019, US Representative Ruben Gallego urged senators to oppose Patrick M. Shanahan's nomination as Secretary of Defense, alleging that he "mishandled" the investigation into the Tongo Tongo ambush. Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq. All rights reserved. But the team leaders' concerns were overruled by a higher command. The footage shows Johnson and Staff Sgt. First Class Jeremiah W. Johnson, Staff Sgt. [60][63][64] He spoke English, French, Arabic, and Hausa, the last of which is spoken in Niger. All soldiers showed wounds consistent with small arms fire and had received additional bursts of fire at close range. Jeremiah Johnson. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. ISIS has released a sickening video appearing to show their fighters ambushing and killing four US soldiers in Niger. Dustin Wright and Staff Sgt. The ambush left five Nigeriens, [11] four Americans, [7] and 21 militants dead. Copyright 2023 Military.com. [78], On 5 October, President Mahamadou Issoufou condemned the ambush and called for a moment of silence "to the memory of our soldiers who have fallen on the field of honour" and to the memory of "all victims of terrorism". According to the summary, the video, and statements by Waldhauser and Cloutier at the Pentagon briefing Thursday, the members of Team Ouallam were not wearing body armor when they left Tongo Tongo. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. They tried a textbook maneuver to end the threat. [98] On the same day, Senator Lindsey Graham said that the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee will be briefed next week. [47] The team leader observed a larger enemy force moving from his east consisting of armed men on motorcycles and vehicles with mounted machine guns. Honoring those who fought and died in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom [137], On 19 December 2018, more than a year after the ambush, a sidearm belonging to SSG Jeremiah Johnson was recovered by French forces during an operation in the Mali-Niger border region. He enlisted in the Army October 2007. Little information has been made public about the incident, and the attack is still under investigation. [19], Bryan Christopher Black (19822017) of Puyallup, Washington,[60] was born in Camp Pendleton, California, to Henry and Karen Black. Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Niger Cross of Valor with Star [110] Jones-Johnson said, "President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband". From the truck bed of his vehicle, Sgt. Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, Puyallup, Wash. ; Sgt... Saw Staff Sergeants bryan Black, 35, of Springboro, Ohio ; and Staff.. 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