Ask Congress to open its own investigation into the incident in the African country of Niger that killed four American servicemen in early October 2017, and donate to the GoFundMe pages of the three Green Berets who died in the attack.
If the Trump administration wasn’t a 24/7 crisis generator, the Niger ambush would be getting the attention that it’s due. Instead, it’s been smothered under a pile of outrages.
First, a recap: On October 4, 2017, twelve American troops, along with about 30 Nigerian soldiers, were attacked by an ISIS-affiliated group near the town of Tongo Tongo in Niger, a country in central Africa. The American-Nigerian group was on what was considered a routine patrol. The attacking group had about 50 militants in it. An hours-long battle ensued that killed five Nigerians and four Americans: Staff Sargent Bryan C. Black; Staff Sargent Dustin M. Wright; Sargent La David Johnson; and Staff Sargent Jeremiah W. Johnson. All but Jeremiah Johnson were Green Berets.
The Pentagon is investigating, but it’s still not clear exactly what happened, and why. Information continues to drip out. The four who died were somehow left behind. The bodies of three of the men, along with their interpreter, were found hours after the area was evacuated. La David Johnson’s body was recovered about two days after the incident. Reportedly, he was found with bound arms and a gunshot wound in the back of his head, which might mean that he was caught and executed.
Subsequent investigations by a team from the U.S. military and the FBI turned up additional remains belonging to La David Johnson. The Pentagon expects to finish its inquiries in January, but finishing does not necessarily mean that it will publicly release its findings then.
Regardless of what the Pentagon discovers, we at OTYCD feel it’s a good idea to ask your MoCs to open an investigation into the Niger ambush. Arizona Senator John McCain had been aggressively shining the spotlight on the incident, and the need to know what happened. With McCain ailing due to brain cancer, he may not be able to continue to press the case.
By showing your MoCs that you remember the Niger incident, and you want answers, you encourage them to keep it on the radar.
Do either of your Senators sit on the Senate Committee for Armed Services? Then it’s extra-important for you to call. See its members here:
https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/about/members
Does your House Rep sit on the House Committee on Armed Services? Then it’s extra-important for you to call. Here’s its list of members:
https://armedservices.house.gov/about/members
Calling script: Dear (House Rep/Senator Lastname), I am (Firstname/Lastname from town, zip code). I am calling to encourage you to seek a Congressional investigation into the October 4, 2017 ambush in Niger that left four American servicemen dead. I realize the Pentagon is investigating and might be finished in January 2018, but I feel it is important for Congress to launch its own inquiry, and I’d support you in seeking one. The families of the servicemen who died deserve answers, as does the American public. Thank you for listening.”
Note also that as of December 31, 2017, the GoFundMe for the college educations of La David Johnson’s three children was still open, and had raised more than $731,000 against its $1 million goal. Donate here:
https://www.gofundme.com/sgt-la-david-johnson-scholarship
The GoFundMe for the two young sons of Green Beret Bryan C. Black is still open as of December 31, 2017. It has raised more than $55,000 of its $200,000 goal:
https://www.gofundme.com/rally-for-ssg-bryan-black
The GoFundMe for the family of Green Beret Dustin M. Wright remains open as of December 31, 2017. It has collected more than $53,000 against its $150,000 target:
https://www.gofundme.com/ssg-dustin-wright-memorial-fund
Read about the October 2017 ambush in Niger:
http://www.businessinsider.com/congress-demands-answers-from-pentagon-over-niger-attack-2017-10
http://www.businessinsider.com/niger-ambush-special-forces-lured-and-delayed-investigation-2017-10
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-mccain-may-use-subpoena-to-get-answers-on-niger-ambush/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mccain-says-trump-administration-not-being-upfront-about-niger-attack/
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/356329-fbi-joins-investigation-of-niger-attack
http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/07/politics/niger-investigation-questions/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2017/11/21/politics/niger-ambush-sgt-la-david-johnson-remains/index.html
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