Receive small business resources and advice about entrepreneurial info, home based business, business franchises and startup opportunities for entrepreneurs. Getentrepreneurial.com: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2022. After viewing new helmet camera footage recovered last year, Army officials have decided to award the Silver Star medal to one of four U.S. troops killed in an ambush by Islamic State-aligned militants in Niger nearly five years ago, Army Times has learned. The Mauritanian Nouakchott News Agency reported Friday, Jan. 12, 2018 that Abu al-Walid al-Sahrawi with the self-professed IS affiliate claimed responsibility for the Oct. 4 ambush about 120 miles (200 kilometers) north of Niger's capital, Niamey. [27] US Army Special Forces personnel (commonly referred to as Green Berets) have deployed on numerous occasions to train personnel of the Niger Armed Forces (FAN) to assist in the fight against terrorists from neighboring countries. [91], On 18 October, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders declared that Wilson had willfully mischaracterized the spirit of the conversation. Copyright 2023 Military.com. 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[36], The eight vehicle convoy left the village at 11:35a.m. on their planned route back to base. La David Johnson received the Silver Star after firing his weapon until it ran out of ammunition, switching to another gun and making a last stand alone under a tree against an enemy truck and its heavy machine gun. Honoring those who fought and died in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom [106] General Joseph Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided new information about the ambush to the public and said that the operation was initially a reconnaissance mission. The investigators learned that Wright jumped back into the vehicle and slowly began driving south while Staff Sgts. [104], In October 2017, Defense Secretary James Mattis said that the ambush was "considered unlikely". Combat Infantryman Badge Dustin Wright, Staff Sgt. [17], In 2015, the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara was established by Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, who was a spokesperson and senior leader of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), a splinter group of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Username. The 9 minute, 15 second video appears to be shot from multiple helmet . They quickly put it on as the firefight began. Two US soldiers who were wounded in the ambush were transferred to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany. [24][26] In October 2015, Niger and the US signed a military agreement committing the two countries "to work together in the fight against terrorism". [41] However, the meeting would drag on with the local leaders delaying the soldiers' departure by stalling and keeping them waiting. WASHINGTON American special operations forces fought valiantly against overwhelming odds in the battle against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists outside Tongo Tongo, Niger, and while a number of factors contributed to the clash, no single factor within the control of U.S. forces caused the deaths of four U.S. Army soldiers and four Nigeriens, a military investigation has concluded. Liver-Eating . Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Niger: June 2016 November 2016 "They were last seen by team members actively engaging the enemy from defensive positions near their vehicle and preparing to withdraw with the rest of the team," the summary said. [33] OCHA also said that seven districts in the two regions had been under a state of emergency since March 2017, and the government renewed the measure for an additional three months on 18 September. [129], On 26 October, Dunford announced that Army Major General Roger Cloutier would lead the investigation into the ambush. Niger: August to October 2017 Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. [92] On 23 October, Trump wrote on Twitter, "I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of La David Johnson, and spoke his name from beginning, without hesitation! Jeremiah Johnson, and Staff Sgt. [19], Bryan Christopher Black (19822017) of Puyallup, Washington,[60] was born in Camp Pendleton, California, to Henry and Karen Black. Under heavy fire, seven American and four Nigerian soldiers would run through the wooded area and break contact with the enemy. It was shot near Tongo Tongo in Niger last October and shows Isis militants in pickups en route to the attack. At 1522 on 6 October 2017, the Nigeriens transferred the remains of SGT L. Johnson to U.S. custody. Parachutist Tab Within minutes, an unarmed US drone captured video of the firefight. [64][66] He would later be assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group as a support element. Bryan Black, 35, and an Army support enabler, Staff Sgt. Book excerpt: Sacrifice: A Gold Star Widows Fight for the Truth, Rare awards show Nigerien valor in 2017 ambush of Army Green Berets, Army officer awarded less than $4,000 in traffic stop lawsuit, As 2 of the MARSOC 3 go on trial for homicide, the 3rd gets immunity, How a comedian and Air Force spouse are helping feed military families, Fake general scammed seniors in online romance scheme, Ruben Gallego on defense priorities, concerns in the new Congress, New parental leave policy and Ukraine aid update | Defense News Weekly Full Episode 1.14.23, Important financial steps to take before deployment Money Minute, Canada expands joint strike fighter fleet | Defense Dollars, Star of new movie talks bond between athletes, troops, Army Special Forces are testing this rapid-fire mortar system, Nov. 11, 1918: Wasted Lives on Armistice Day. Simultaneously, Black was slightly ahead of the SUV and was hit by small arms fire, killing him instantly. [59], Among the Nigeriens, five were killed and eight were wounded. Wright, 29, was a native of Lyons, Georgia. Combat Action Badge. The footage shows Johnson and Staff Sgt. The 2017 ambush pitted the outmanned and outgunned 11 U.S. troops and their 30 Nigerien partners against scores of enemy fighters armed with mortars, truck-mounted heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades. Wright and Jeremiah Johnson went to Black's side, firing back at the enemy, but began to pull back as the enemy closed in. Approximately 960 meters (1,050yd) from the initial ambush site, LaDavid took cover under a dense thorny tree and engaged the encroaching enemy. The new footage provided a more comprehensive understanding of Johnsons actions during the ambush, and directly led to the decision for the upgraded award, Army spokesman Matt Leonard confirmed. [67] Johnson had her name tattooed on his chest. . Wright exited the halted vehicle . "As enemy fighters advanced through the ambush site, they fired several additional bursts into the bodies of the three soldiers.". Operational Detachment Alpha Team 3212, also known as "Team Ouallam" for their base in Niger, had just left the village of Tongo Tongo near the Mali border on the morning of Oct. 4 in a convoy of seven unarmored pickups. LaDavid Johnson was killed by small arms between 12:30 and 12:45pm. The battle of Tongo Tongo was over, and the search for four fallen members of Team Ouallam would begin. The tree where Sgt Johnson's died, seen from an islamist firing position.png 937 616; 541 KB. Helene Cooper, Thomas Gibbons-Neff & Eric Schmitt, Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Defense Department briefing with Pentagon spokesperson Dana White and Joint Staff Director Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, 12 October 2017, Statements by US Secretary of Defense James Mattis regarding the 4 Oct. incident in Niger, 19 October 2017, Defense Department briefing with Dana White and Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, 19 October 2017, Operation Enduring Freedom Trans Sahara, "An Operation in Niger Went Fatally Awry. Reins in Special Operations Forces in Africa After Niger Deaths and Daily Beast Investigations", "Frederica Wilson getting threats over blasting Trump's call to soldier's widow, office says", "Mother of fallen soldier: 'Trump did disrespect' my family", "Father of Soldier Killed in Niger: Trump Was Respectful When He Called Me", "Gold Star Widow: Trump Call 'Made Me Cry Even Worse', "Gold Star widow recounts taking grim phone call from 'very gracious' President Trump", "Mother of soldier killed in Niger: Pentagon told multiple stories about son's death", "Sister of soldier killed in Niger: Pentagon still hasn't answered questions about death", "How did Trump's response to four soldiers' deaths go so wrong? A n ISIS propaganda video released over the weekend that appears to include combat footage from the helmet cameras of an ambushed U.S. Special Forces team has prompted . Dustin Wright, Staff Sgt. Wright immediately backed up the SUV to bring him into cover. 1st Class Jeremiah . Niger: August 2017 October 2017 They worked around to the south, intending to outflank the enemy and sweep the treeline, but were forced to retreat. The four fallen troops "gave their last full measure of devotion to our country and died with honor while actively engaging the enemy," the summary said. Certificate of Achievement (two awards) Waldhauser said "there will be awards for valor" for actions during the ambush. Name. 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. Who Is the Army Punishing? In summing up the findings of the investigation, Cloutier said, "I think the first point is that all of our soldiers fought valiantly that day. [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. [113], On 25 October, Michelle Black said she was grateful that Trump called her and spoke to her children: "So, yeah he was very gracious and I appreciate anyone who calls cause, like I said, that takes quite a bit of bravery to call into that kind of situation". All rights reserved. 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.. Username. [20] Some within the US military were critical of the report because they viewed it as underplaying blame for senior officers who had approved of the mission.
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