The account was in the form of an unclassified eight-page summary of a classified 3,600-page Article 15-6 fact-finding investigation ordered by Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the AFRICOM commander, and led by his chief of staff, Army Maj. Gen. Roger Cloutier. FILE - These images provided by the U.S. Army show, from left, Staff Sgt. The award citation is not releasable due to PII and information that will compromise a specific mission or operation. . However, Senator Richard Blumenthal said, "I could not look those families in the eye and say we're doing everything we need to do to provide sufficient intelligence that will enable them to be successful in their missions and avoid the kind of catastrophe that we saw here". Jeremiah Johnson (blues musician) (born 1972), American blues singer, guitarist and songwriter. Wright also received the Silver Star after he maneuvered multiple times across open terrain through intense and accurate fire from an overwhelming hostile force to protect and recover two of his fallen comrades, his award citation stated. The 9 minute, 15 second video appears to be shot from multiple helmet . [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. The four U.S. Army soldiers killed were Sgt. But the militarys accusation that the team went off-script on the mission still bothers her. [16] On 20 October, McCain and Mattis met in McCain's office in the United States Capitol. -- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com. All deaths were considered either instantly fatal or rapidly fatal. Dustin Wright, Staff Sgt. The version shown to defense reporters was 10 minutes long, compared to the 22-minute version shown to members of Congress. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Jeremiah Johnson (gridiron football) (born 1987), American and Canadian football running back. LaDavid Johnson was killed by small arms between 12:30 and 12:45pm. [88], On 17 October, during a press conference, Trump was asked about his silence by a reporter and commented on the incident. First Class Jeremiah Johnson posthumously received the Bronze Star with Valor. On 10 October, CNN reported that a US defense official had shared details of an after action report that consisted of interviews with the survivors of the ambush. WASHINGTON The Pentagon on Friday released the names of the three soldiers killed this week in Niger while conducting a joint patrol with Nigerien forces. Two Army Green Berets, Staff Sgt. Niger: August 2017 October 2017 Purple Heart (U.S. Army via AP). 47 relations. Staff Sgt Jeremiah Johnson.jpg 310 435; 19 KB. Afghanistan: July 2015 - September 2015, Awards: ", "Jihadist ambush on US forces shows new danger in Sahel region", "Behind the ISIS group that ambushed US forces in Niger", "U.S. deaths in Niger highlight Africa military mission creep", "U.S. Identifies 3 ISIS Militants Who Led Deadly Ambush in Niger", "Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff discloses details about Niger ambush", https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LMuFyzvv9Xw, "American troops caught in deadly Niger ambush told to proceed despite mission concerns", "What we know and don't know about the deadly Niger attack", "Pentagon acknowledges a second team was on the ground in Niger", "We've Posted The Pentagon's Entire Moment-By-Moment Niger Ambush Video Briefing", "Military investigation finds series of failures led to deadly Niger ambush", "Senator McCain says subpoena may be required to get answers on Niger ambush", "Deadly Ambush of Green Berets in Niger Belies a 'Low-Risk' Mission", "4 Nigerien soldiers killed and 8 injured in Niger ambush", "New details from Niger ambush: when US troops sensed something wrong", Military Inquiry Finds Soldiers Were Unprepared in Deadly Niger Ambush, "Leaders of U.S. soldiers killed in Niger filed misleading mission plan", "Why were US soldiers even in Niger? Search by Name . [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. Forces in Niger Were Denied Armed Drone", "Pentagon suspects Green Berets in Niger killed by self-radicalized group", "Top US general reveals new info on Niger ambush", "Attaques jihadistes: le Niger sous le feu", "Video showing deadly ambush of US soldiers in Niger raises new questions", "U.S. soldier in Niger ambush was bound and apparently executed, villagers say", "Missing soldier found nearly a mile from Niger ambush, officials say", "Additional remains of Sergeant La David Johnson found in Niger", "Puyallup Green Beret killed in Niger once was a chess whiz and stock", "Trump's call to one widow has dominated the news. "There are three cases there that will be dealt with by [Special Operations Command]" to determine whether disciplinary action or a court-martial is merited, he said. ", "Trump says he did not 'specifically' authorize Niger mission that killed four U.S. soldiers", "After Niger Attack, U.S. The team leader and the four Nigerien soldiers continued their flanking movement until they were stopped by a body of water, at which point they identified and engaged the enemy across the water, killing approximately four combatants. 1st Class Jeremiah W. Johnson (right) became honorary Green Berets. Jeremiah Wayne Johnson. 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. . National Defense Service Medal But I am honored that they finally decided to upgrade him.. He was incapacitated but still breathing, as the helmet cam stopped moving and was only heaving up and down . On the anniversary of the Oct. 4, 2017, ambush that killed four American soldiers near the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, . [23] The DoD inquiry, completed in 2018, found that the 11-member US special forces team was not prepared for the mission, and identified other flaws in planning. Jeremiah Johnson, Black and Wright were outside the same vehicle when . [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. [62] Black graduated from Puyallup High School in 2000. 1st Class Jeremiah Wayne Johnson. La David Johnson at his burial service in the Memorial Gardens East . La David Johnson were posthumously awarded the Silver Star while Staff Sgt. [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 new video was quietly recovered during a French operation to kill the leader of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara this summer. Overseas Service Ribbon . 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. 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. [98] On the same day, Senator Lindsey Graham said that the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee will be briefed next week. Jeremiah Johnson, and Sgt. [89], On 16 October, Trump called the widow of La David Johnson. To avoid confusion, throughout this report SFC Johnson is referred to as Staff Sergeant (SSG) Johnson, as that was his rank at the time . Both Nigerien soldiers were killed by enemy fire as LaDavid continued sprinting through the open desert. 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Little information has been made public about the incident, and the attack is still under investigation. The graphic footage was recorded on the helmet cameras of Staff Sgt. Jeremiah W. Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; Sgt. [127] According to The Wall Street Journal, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has since joined the investigation. [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. Wright immediately backed up the SUV to bring him into cover. "As enemy fighters advanced through the ambush site, they fired several additional bursts into the bodies of the three soldiers.". "Realizing that the team was significantly outnumbered by a well-trained force, the Team Ouallam commander returned to the vehicles and ordered everyone to break contact and withdraw to the south," the summary said. Purple Heart Bryan C. Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. They sent final messages to loved ones on personal devices and prepared for the worst, team members would observe Nigerien soldiers on the ground praying. Certificate of Achievement (two awards) [129], On 26 October, Dunford announced that Army Major General Roger Cloutier would lead the investigation into the ambush. [26] In October 2017, there were about 800 US military personnel in Niger, most of whom were working to build a second drone base for US and French aircraft in Agadez. . 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. Search by Name . La David Johnson was also killed during the 2017 ambush. Johnson was married to Crystal and had two daughters, Addie and Elisa. [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". [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. Armed Forces Service Medal [36], The eight vehicle convoy left the village at 11:35a.m. on their planned route back to base. Dustin Wright were killed as they returned from a low-risk patrol in Tongo Tongo with 30 Nigerian and up . SFC Jeremiah Johnson was promoted posthumously to the rank of Sergeant First Class. First Class Jeremiah W. Johnson, Staff Sgt. Wright exited the halted vehicle, looked toward the enemy and then dragged Black into cover. Army Commendation Medal All soldiers showed wounds consistent with small arms fire and had received additional bursts of fire at close range. Staff Sgt. [4][32] However, the declaration was not recognized by the group's leader, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, and the al-Qaeda loyalists, creating a split in the group. 2017 attack on Nigerien and US soldiers by Islamist militants in Tongo Tongo, Niger . Black, 35, served as a Special Forces medical sergeant, also known as an 18D. Haley also expected the G5 Sahel to "take on full regional ownership of the force within a period of three to six years, with continued US engagement". But Maj. Gen. Marcus Hicks, who led U.S. Special Operations Command-Africa at the time, downgraded the recommended decoration to a Distinguished Service Cross in September of that year, according to award approval records previously viewed by Army Times. [114], On 18 December, Jones-Johnson accused the Department of Defense of lying to her family about how her son was killed. . 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. "Dismounted enemy then maneuvered on [Sgt. The patrol's leader, an Army captain who was not identified in the summary; the Nigerien commander; and several Nigerien soldiers worked their way around from the south in an effort to outflank the attackers. 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? The first call for additional support was relayed by the US forces nearly an hour after they first came under fire. . They killed at least four of the attackers before they were forced back by the larger enemy unit. The remains were retrieved from the spot near the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, where Johnson and three other American soldiers were ambushed and killed on Oct. 4 by ISIS-linked militants. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Joint Service Achievement Medal [20] The report did not make specific recommendations on the handling of future missions. Army Commendation Medal Jeremiah W. Johnson, Sgt . 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson ODA 3212 In Other News La David Terrence Johnson (19922017) was born in Miami Gardens, Florida, to Samara Johnson and Terrance McGriff. They worked around to the south, intending to outflank the enemy and sweep the treeline, but were forced to retreat. 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. A spokesperson from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces said on 5 October that French soldiers who were participating in Operation Barkhane and based in Chad were involved in an operation in Niger. The team radioed in that they were being overrun, then destroyed their radios to avoid them getting in the hands of the enemy. [54] Nevertheless, the presence of the fighter jets brought the engagement to an end. On October 4, 2017, four U.S. soldiers from the Africa Command were ambushed and killed during a mission near Tongo Tongo, Niger. [80] On 21 October, a Niger security source told AFP that the village chief, Mounkaila Alassane,[81] was arrested for "complicity" with the militants. March 8, 2018 1:43 PM EST. [41] The group guarding the vehicles began to suspect that something was wrong when they witnessed two motorcycles race out of the village. While there, the Team OUALLAM commander conducted an . On 7 October, the deceased Nigerien soldiers were buried after their bodies were taken from the city morgue in Niamey with Defence Minister Kalla Moutari, US Ambassador Eunice Reddick, and Nigerien lawmakers watching. Dustin Wright and Staff Sgt. [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". La David Johnson, Staff Sgt. Meritorious Service Medal Meritorious Service Medal [96], Senator John McCain stated that the Trump administration was not being forthcoming about the details of the ambush. [20] During the ambush, four Nigeriens, four US soldiers, and at least 100+ISGS militants were killed, and eight Nigeriens and two US soldiers including the team commander were wounded. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson, was one of four U.S. special operations soldiers killed in Niger on October 4, 2017, when Islamist fighters ambushed their team. Dustin Wright died Wednesday. Army Service Ribbon Air Assault Badge [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. Staff Sgt. "That's not what the evidence indicates," he said, but Cloutier and Waldhauser said there were "processes" throughout the chain of command that need addressing. Gen. Raymond Thomas III, who helmed SOCOM at the time, then downgraded the award again to a Silver Star in December 2018, the records showed. 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