Under heavy fire, seven American and four Nigerian soldiers would run through the wooded area and break contact with the enemy. The Tongo Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, when armed militants from the Islamic State in the . One of the captains led the patrol and worked with the second captain to develop a concept of operations (CONOP) for a mission to go after a militant in northwestern Niger suspected in the kidnapping of an American aid worker. A team member threw a smoke grenade to conceal the team's movement south to regroup with the Nigeriens. Staff Sgt. Johnson], killing him with small-arms fire.". Certificate of Achievement (two awards) . Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. As of October 2022, Jeremiah John was awarded the Silver Star. Getentrepreneurial.com: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2022. The Tongo Tongo ambush or the Niger ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, . Stumps Up $60 Million for Africa Counterterrorism Force", "McCain: Niger attack information 'may require a subpoena', "Mattis, McCain meet a day after subpoena threat", "The Latest: Graham Says Senators to Be Briefed on Niger", "US Defense Officials Brief Lawmakers on Niger Attack", "Senators diverge on Niger ambush after classified briefing", "John McCain blames Niger killings on budget cuts: 'We should be embarrassed', "Rep. Gallego: Shanahan's involvement in a 'cover-up' of the Niger attack is disqualifying", "Mattis says Niger ambush was 'considered unlikely,' pledges probe", "Everything we know about the Niger attack that left 4 U.S. soldiers dead", "U.S. Gen. The approved mission plan originally called for a helicopter team as the primary force with the Quallam team serving as a quick reaction force, however bad weather forced the helicopter team to cancel forcing team Quallam to continue on their own. The second Nigerien soldier was shot and killed about another 110 meters further on. Wright, 29, was a native of Lyons, Georgia. [126], On 19 October, NBC News reported that AFRICOM sent a team to Niger to conduct a "review of the facts". Jeremiah Johnson, 39, La David . Waldhauser said "there will be awards for valor" for actions during the ambush. [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. . [62] Black graduated from Puyallup High School in 2000. Jeremiah Johnson, Staff . [121] On 27 October, The New York Times editorial board wrote that "the lack of clarity about the Niger operation is one more reason for Congress to replace the 2001 law authorizing military force against Al Qaeda with legislation to address current threats like the Islamic State, limit American interventions, and ensure regular congressional oversight". [110] Jones-Johnson said, "President Trump did disrespect my son and my daughter and also me and my husband". The Tongo Tongo ambush occurred on 4 October 2017, when armed militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) attacked Nigerien and U.S. soldiers near the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, while they were returning to base from a mission. ", "There were a series of contributing factors to what occurred in Tongo Tongo," he said in reference to the command failures, "but not one of those contributing factors are the direct cause of the enemy attack in Tongo Tongo.The direct cause of the enemy attack in Tongo Tongo is that the enemy achieved tactical surprise there and our forces were outnumbered approximately three to one.". 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. [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. and Operation New Dawn. At this point two additional team members would head back toward the initial ambush site to help locate the missing teammates. [41] The meeting lasted 30 minutes longer than the team leader expected. Parachutist Badge Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. All four were killed in Niger, when a joint patrol of American and Niger forces was ambushed on Oct. 4, 2017, by militants believed linked to the Islamic State group. 1st Class Jeremiah Wayne Johnson. The four team members who split from the second position would regroup with the remainder of the team and partner force. [97] On 19 October, McCain said that a subpoena may be required to determine what happened in Niger. In addition to the summary, the Pentagon released an abbreviated version of an animated video prepared by AFRICOM depicting the firefight. Get the latest DOD News products delivered to your inbox. [79] On 6 October, Issoufou declared three days of national mourning. Johnson was married to Crystal and had two daughters, Addie and Elisa. [51][52] French Mirage jets were ordered to respond to the ambush, and they arrived roughly thirty minutes after notification. They thought they could handle it at first -- no immediate need to call for backup or air support. Bryan Black, Staff Sgt. Army Achievement Medal (five awards) Dustin Wright died Wednesday. All rights reserved. Following this intelligence, the team submitted a mission plan for the vicinity of Tiloa the next day. [75], A small section of Georgia Highway 1 was named in memorial of Wright in April 2019. Soon after, a vehicle with a mounted machine gun stopped within 100 meters (110yd) of LaDavid Johnson's position and pinned him down. . Niger: August 2017 October 2017 Black and Jeremiah Johnson moved alongside, providing covering fire. For Wright, Niger was his first overseas deployment. Wright exited the halted vehicle, looked toward the enemy and then dragged Black into cover. [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. Army Service Ribbon La David Terrence Johnson (19922017) was born in Miami Gardens, Florida, to Samara Johnson and Terrance McGriff. Driver and Mechanic Badge Waldhauser did not specify the three cases, but the report and statements by Waldhauser and Cloutier singled out two captains, and a superior officer. Bagu Soumana was an adjudant-chef (Chief warrant officer) of the BSR. The four U.S. Army soldiers killed were Sgt. Abdoul Rachid Yerimah was a soldat de 2nde classe (private) of the BSR. LaDavid Johnson was unable to enter his vehicle due to concentrated enemy fire and was forced to escape and evade on foot with the two Nigeriens. [73], In July 2012, Wright enlisted in the US Army as an engineer and ultimately became a Special Forces engineer sergeant (18C) assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group. [61] While in school, Black learned to play chess and, by the sixth grade, had earned a national ranking. Army Good Conduct Medal Honoring those who fought and died in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom 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. [68], In school, Johnson met Myeshia Manual, whom he married on 22 August 2014. After the meeting, Mattis told reporters, "We can do better at communication". 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. You have reached a collection of archived material. Dustin Wright defending a fatally shot Staff Sgt. Copyright 2023 Military.com. That was downgraded to an Army Commendation Medal by Thomas in early 2019. Roughly two hours after the ambush began, the first sign of air support arrived. Army Service Ribbon La David T. Johnson's Funeral Held Saturday", "Honor the Fallen: Army Staff Sgt. Black, Wright and Jeremiah Johnson "were never captured alive by the enemy," the summary said. Both women were shown the new video by Army officials in the fall. Two Army Green Berets, Staff Sgt. Simultaneously, Black was slightly ahead of the SUV and was hit by small arms fire, killing him instantly. Approximately 85 meters (93yd) southwest of the SUV, Jeremiah Johnson was hit by enemy fire and collapsed; Wright stopped running and returned to Jeremiah Johnson's position. 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. La David Johnson of Miami Gardens, Fla.; and Staff Sgt. 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 . His hands "were not bound and he was not executed but was killed in action while actively engaging the enemy," the summary said. [112], On 23 October, Myeshia Johnson said on ABC's Good Morning America that Wilson's account of the call with Trump was "100 percent correct" and that the call "made [her] cry even worse". Army Commendation Medal Jeremiah Johnson, and Staff Sgt. Members of team Quallem killed several enemies during this movement out of the ambush site. [12], When the soldiers were found, one US soldier was found lying next to an enemy pickup truck while two other US soldiers were found in the bed of the pickup. [63], Jeremiah Wayne "JW" Johnson (19772017) of Springboro, Ohio, was born in New Bern, North Carolina, to J.W. The plan the team submitted did not accurately describe the mission's intention, describing it as civil/military reconnaissance instead of the actual purpose which was to locate and capture or if necessary kill the ISGS sub-commander. Jeremiah Johnson and Sgt. Niger vehicles one and two were the first vehicles to depart. q. The lowest recorded core temperature in a surviving adult is 60.8 degrees. 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. The native of Puyallup, Washington, enlisted in the Army in October 2009, according to a statement from U.S. Army Special Operations Command. 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. . [60] Black moved to Mammoth Lakes, California, where he taught skiing, worked construction jobs in the off season, and met his wife, Michelle. The team leader, Capt. In the day preceding the ambush, the Nigerien and US soldiers conducted a mission attempting to locate and capture or kill Doundou Chefou, a commander in the ISGS. [66] His funeral was held in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on 19 October 2017.[66]. At the Pentagon briefing, Cloutier was asked if the captains had lied. La David Johnson was born on January 2, 1992, in Miami, Florida. [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. [4] The ISGS's first confirmed terror attack occurred on 2 September 2016 when fighters targeted a customs post in Markoye, Burkina Faso, an attack that left a border agent and a civilian dead. Niger - 4 October 2017- Bryan Black- Jeremiah Johnson- La David Johnson Jordan: May 2012, Awards: [38], At 10:30 am (local time), 4 October, the convoy stopped at the village of Tongo Tongo so that partner Nigeriens could eat breakfast and get water. Username. Last Assignment: Deceased. 3.2k. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . [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. Meritorious Service Medal Debra Gannon's son, Sgt. 5 min read. 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Army Commendation 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. They killed at least four of the attackers before they were forced back by the larger enemy unit. The T-6B Texan II is a two-seat turboprop used to train Navy and Marine Corps pilots in flight school. All soldiers showed wounds consistent with small arms fire and had received additional bursts of fire at close range. 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. ", "Trump says he did not 'specifically' authorize Niger mission that killed four U.S. soldiers", "After Niger Attack, U.S. Niger Cross of Valor with Star The Tongo Tongo village elder first notified and then led Nigerien forces to the location of SGT L. Johnson's remains. Johnson "continued to evade, running west for an additional 450 meters before eventually seeking cover under a thorny tree," the summary said. Bryan C. Black and Sgt. Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, 39; Sergeant La David Johnson, 25; and Staff . They worked around to the south, intending to outflank the enemy and sweep the treeline, but were forced to retreat. Niger: May to October 2016, Awards: The . At the secondary position the remaining team members and partner forces were becoming overwhelmed by enemy fire and were forced to enter their vehicles and egress out of the area at a high speed. About 460 meters from the truck, one of the Nigerien soldiers was shot and killed. "Dismounted enemy then maneuvered on [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. 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. Before entering journalism, Kyle served in U.S. Air Force Special Tactics and deployed in 2014 to Paktika Province, Afghanistan, and Baghdad, Iraq. [98] On the same day, Senator Lindsey Graham said that the members of the Senate Armed Services Committee will be briefed next week. Combat Action Badge. Name. The first call for air support came 53 minutes after they started taking fire. 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. Black, killing him instantly," the summary said. The families of four soldiers killed in an October 2017 ambush in Tongo Tongo, Niger, have started receiving posthumous medals on the soldiers' behalves. 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. [34][8][35][36][37], In Tiloa, the team failed to locate the ISGS commander and began their return to base. [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. Niger: June 2016 October 2016, Awards: Dustin Wright, 29, and Staff Sgt. They made several attempts to break out of the kill zone but had to retreat to a final defensive position. When he ran out of ammunition for the M240, he fought on with an M2010 sniper rifle, the summary and video said. National Defense Service Medal [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. Questions persist concerning an ambush in which four U.S. Army special forces were killed Oct. 4 in the West African country of Niger. [124], On 12 January 2018, the ISGS claimed responsibility for the attack after a long delay. Myeshia Johnson wanted to see her husband's body, but was reportedly not allowed to do so by the military. FILE - These images provided by the U.S. Army show, from left, Staff Sgt. [83], On 1 November, Prime Minister Brigi Rafini said that Niger was open to allowing US drone strikes against terror groups. SSG Jeremiah W. Johnson 4 October 2017, Niger Special Forces. Jeremiah Johnson, 39, were killed fighting in one location near the . 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