Sergeant First Class Jeremiah W. Johnson of Springboro, Ohio, was killed while conducting a reconnaissance patrol near Tongo Tongo, Niger, on 4 October 2017. The nine-minute video is shot from the helmet cams of the tragic Americans who died on October 4 in Tongo Tongo after being attacked by 50 brainwashed jihadis. Jeremiah W. Johnson, Sgt . Clockwise from upper left (ascending order for mobile users): Staff Sergeant Bryan Black, Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright, Sergeant La David Johnson. Niger: June 2016 October 2016, Awards: Bryan Black, Sgt. A much shorter, edited version was disseminated by the Islamic State group a year after the ambush outside the village of Tongo Tongo, near the Niger-Mali border. Combat Action Badge, Rank: Staff sergeant (E-6), effective March 2016, MOS/Branch: Special Forces medical sergeant (18D), Dates of Service: October 2009 October 2017, Deployments: . Army Commendation Medal w/ C Device Army Good Conduct Medal (three awards) "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. 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Army Commendation Medal w/C Device The version shown to defense reporters was 10 minutes long, compared to the 22-minute version shown to members of Congress. McCain also said that the Senate Armed Services Committee, of which he was the chairman, would like to get the information "it deserves and needs", before deciding whether a formal investigation is necessary. [120] On 26 October, Phillip Carter and Andrew Swick wrote on Vox, sharing a similar view that missions similar to the one in Niger "have never been specifically authorized by Congress, let alone discussed and debated by the American public". Army Commendation Medal (two awards) "During the movement, enemy small-arms fire hit Staff Sgt. Black earned the Ranger Tab and Special Forces Tab while in the Army. La David Johnson was born on January 2, 1992, in Miami, Florida. Username. Trump responded by saying that he wrote letters to the families of the victims, and accused his predecessors, specifically President Obama, of not or rarely calling the families of deceased soldiers. The Tongo Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, when armed militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) attacked Nigerien and US soldiers outside the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, while they were returning to base after a stop in the village. [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. Soldiers, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tongo_Tongo_ambush&oldid=1133945159, Green Beret senior Officers and team leaders disciplined for the outcome of the ambush, This page was last edited on 16 January 2023, at 06:37. Name. You have reached a collection of archived material. Army Achievement Medal Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. 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. Forces Doing in Niger Anyway? Johnson, 39, served as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear Specialist, also known as a 74D. [66] After graduating high school, Johnson owned and operated a business until he enlisted in the US Army as a CBRN specialist in October 2007. . La David Johnson was separated from his comrades when he and two Nigerien partners were unable to reenter their vehicle due to concentrated enemy fire. Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Jeremiah Johnson regained his footing and ran to Black, checking for wounds. The two remained with Black's body and further assessed his wounds. Who Is the Army Punishing? [29] According to the United States Department of Defense, ISIL leaders in Syria had acknowledged Sahrawi's allegiance through their Amaq News Agency but ISGS "has not been formally recognized as an official branch of ISIL". From there, he "continued to return fire against the pursuing enemy. Service verification is as following: Rank: Staff sergeant (E-6), effective June 2015posthumously promoted to sergeant first class (E-7), effective Oct. 4, 2017, MOS/Branch: Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist (74D), Dates of Service: July 2007 October 2017, Deployments: Global War on Terrorism Service Medal [63], Black enlisted in the US Army in October 2009 and eventually became a Special Forces medical sergeant (18D), he was subsequently assigned to 2nd Battalion, 3rd SFG in June 2015 and deployed to Afghanistan for two months in July. The four are, from left, Staff Sgt. A team member threw a smoke grenade to conceal the team's movement south to regroup with the Nigeriens. Officials at the Pentagon refused to provide further details on the incident during a televised briefing on Thursday, citing ongoing operations and force protection issues. The mothers of two of the four soldiers killed in a 2017 ambush in Niger say recently discovered video from the battle is more proof that their sons' valor awards should be reevaluated. Staff Sgt Jeremiah Johnson.jpg 310 435; 19 KB. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. La David Johnson were posthumously awarded the Silver Star while Staff Sgt. They were: Sgt. [21], The ambush sparked political debate over the presence of US forces in Africa and brought attention to previously under-reported US military activities in the region. Dustin Wright and Staff Sgt. Initial reports indicated that LaDavid Johnson may have been captured and executed, but he was found laying on his back with his arms by his sides and had wounds consistent with sporadic fire while he actively engaged the enemy. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson ODA 3212 In Other News Debra Gannon's son, Sgt. The Americans traveled in two technicals and an unarmored Toyota Land Cruiser[34] while the Nigeriens traveled in five vehicles, one of which had been provided by the Central Intelligence Agency and had specialized surveillance equipment on board. [66] His funeral was held in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on 19 October 2017.[66]. [55] Within three to four hours after the soldiers called in for support, a French special operations team arrived at the scene. ISIS release helmet camera footage of soldiers Byan Black, Jeremiah Johnson, Dustin Wright and La David Johnson being killed in Niger. The documentary shows what happened as the unit was caught in a surprise ISIS attack in outside the Saharan village of Tongo Tongo. Staff Sgt. At 11:40 a.m., as the patrol was about the length of a football field outside Tongo Tongo, they began taking small-arms fire from a treeline to their east. Bryan C. Black and Sgt. Tongo Tongo ambush. "[93], On 25 October, Trump told reporters that he did not "specifically" authorize the mission in Niger. Johnson], killing him with small-arms fire.". Soon after, a vehicle with a mounted machine gun stopped within 100 meters (110yd) of LaDavid Johnson's position and pinned him down. Overseas Service Ribbon Jeremiah Johnson, Sgt. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that the money would "bolster our regional partners" in fighting against militant groups. He was assigned to 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Sgt. 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. Both Nigerien soldiers were killed by enemy fire as LaDavid continued sprinting through the open desert. 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