Fourth US soldier killed in Africa
Stars & Stripes reports that a fourth American was killed in that ambush near the Niger/Mali frontier. The Defense Department delayed reporting the fourth casualty hoping that he would be found alive.
The three initially reported killed were identified as Staff Sergeants Bryan C. Black, Jeremiah W. Johnson and Dustin M. Wright all were assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Black, 35, was a Special Forces medic from Puyallup, Washington, according to the Army. He initially enlisted in the Army in October 2009. His awards and decorations included the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Special Forces tab, the Ranger tab and the Marksmanship Qualification Badge for sharpshooter with rifle.
Johnson, 39, was a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear specialist from Springboro, Ohio, according to the Army. He enlisted in the service in October 2007. His awards and decorations included two Army Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement, three Army Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Armed Forces Service Ribbon and the Marksmanship Qualification Badge – Expert for pistol and rifle.
Wright, 29, was a Special Forces engineer from Lyons, Georgia, according to the Army. He joined the Army in July 2012. His awards and decorations included the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Special Forces tab.
UPDATE: The fourth soldiers has been identified, according to Stars & Stripes;
Sgt. La David T. Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Fla., died from wounds suffered in the surprise attack Wednesday in the southwestern part of the country, near the border with Mali. He was assigned to Fort Bragg, N.C.-based 3rd Special Forces Group.
Category: Real Soldiers
WTF Team Sergeant????
“Amid the chaos, the officials said, one of the 12 Green Berets was left behind in a border region notorious for drug smuggling, human trafficking and myriad extremist militias, including allies of Al Qaeda and Islamic State.
The other Green Berets only noticed his absence after they had pulled back.”
http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-missing-soldier-found-20171006-story.html
Tough one, I’ll wait to hear what the full report finds later. It doesn’t sound good, but hopefully there is more to it than that.
I hope there is more than meets the eye here. Don’t like the idea on a man left behind.
I want to know more, too. Hasty judgment is not a good idea.
Things can get hairy during IADs in response to an ambush. Especially in response to an ambush.
No matter how hard you train and how good your drills are, nothing is ever 100% fvckup-proof.
Low/poor light conditions and certain terrain types can also have a severe magnifying effect relating to what might have happened.
Just the way it is, and sometimes it sucks, hard.
I’ll just add that I really, really hope he was KIA quickly, as opposed to being alive in enemy hands for any period of time. Things can get very nasty then, but we’ll never read about it anywhere.
Rest in peace Soldiers. God be with your families.
God have mercy on their families.
Sounds like the Army lost some high speed-low drag super troops.
May God grant peace and solace to their families.
Rest In Peace, Fallen Warriors.
UPDATE: The fourth soldiers has been identified, according to Stars & Stripes;
Rest in Peace.