Army Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black will be posthumously awarded the Silver Star on April 8, 2025, for his bravery during an ambush in Niger in 2017. (U.S. Army)
TACOMA, Wash. — Body camera footage from a Green Beret killed in a 2017 ambush in Niger has led the Army for the second time to award the unit’s medical sergeant posthumously for his bravery during the firefight seven years ago.
Staff Sgt. Bryan C. Black of Puyallup, Wash., will be awarded the Silver Star, the nation’s third-highest award for bravery, during a ceremony in his hometown on April 8. He was previously awarded the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor in 2019.
Black and other Green Berets with Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group were in the West African nation of Niger as part of Operation Juniper Shield, working with Nigerien troops fighting militants of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.
Black’s unit of about 11 Special Forces soldiers was patrolling with 30 Nigerien troops on Oct. 4, 2017, through the Tillaberi Region outside the village of Tongo Tongo searching for leaders of the militant group.
The American and Nigerien troops had started the 45-mile hike back to their base in Quallum when they were ambushed by more than 100 militants firing from hidden positions. Raked by machine guns and small arms fire, the Americans fought back.
“Throughout the firefight, Black continually exposed himself to heavy enemy fire to blunt the enemy advance and cover the movement of friendly forces,” the Army said in a statement issued Friday. “Black’s volume of fire in support of his teammates was so high that he ran low on ammunition early in the engagement.”
Rather than fall back to a safer position, Black moved into a concealed position near the heaviest fighting to give suppressing fire to keep the militants from shooting his teammates, according to the Army.
Black saw Sgt. 1st Class Jeremiah Johnson and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright had been injured in the crossfire. Black moved into the open, drawing fire as he ran to aid the soldiers.
“In doing so, he exposed himself to a [hailstorm] of enemy fire that ultimately resulted in his being mortally wounded,” the Army said. “Black, without regard for his personal safety, had fought courageously against an overwhelming enemy attack for over an hour of savage combat ensuring other members of the team could survive.”
Some of the American and Nigerien soldiers were able to break off from the ambush to safety.
Sgt. La David Johnson, 25, of Miami Gardens, Fla, and Wright, 29 of Santa Claus, Ga., were awarded the Silver Star, the third-highest military award for bravery in combat after the Medal of Honor and the Distinguished Service Cross.
Black, 35, and Jeremiah Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio, received the Bronze Star with a “V” device for valor.
The ambush brought scrutiny on special operations missions in Africa.
Military officials have said mistakes were made in the mission’s planning and approval, and they have blamed tactical confusion and a failure to rehearse the operation as factors contributing to its deadly outcome. However, some family members have criticized the military’s findings and complained to the media about the long wait for answers.
The military’s response to the incident raised further questions after a long investigation resulted in reprimands for mostly junior and mid-grade officers and enlisted personnel. At the same time, only one general officer was punished.
At a 2019 ceremony at Fort Bragg, N.C., the Fayetteville Observer newspaper interviewed Black’s family.
“It is very nice today to see that the Army is recognizing some of the soldiers for some of the things they did,” said Hank Black, Bryan’s father. “It was a long time coming, and we’re pleased to see it take place today.”
Black’s wife, Michelle, told the newspaper: “It’s also the men who return. I mean, they lost their friends. I think them having us, and us having them, that’s important for all of us.”
In 2022, the body camera footage of the fight was recovered from Islamic militants killed in Niger by French troops. The video was sent to the Pentagon and Jeremiah Johnson’s Bronze Star was upgraded to a Silver Star.
Three years later, after reviewing video from Jeremiah Johnson’s body camera, Black’s medal was officially upgraded Feb. 21 from a Bronze Star to a Silver Star.
“It is our honor to recognize Staff Sgt. Bryan Black for his courage on that afternoon and for his service to the nation as a Green Beret,” said Brig. Gen. Kirk Brinker, deputy command of Special Operations Command. “We have a motto, ‘Without fail, without fear, without equal,’ representative of our high standards, unwavering commitment, and exceptional capabilities our people possess. Bryan was all of those things.”
Stars and Stripes reporter Corey Dickstein contributed to this report.
