Four American soldiers were ambushed in Niger and killed. It is still unclear exactly what happened to these soldiers as well as two other Nigerian soldiers who were also killed in the ambush. When tragedy such as this strikes, it is expected for the president to, in some way, extend his condolences; however, one widow felt Trump’s attempts were subpar and apathetic.
The U.S. Africa Command is attempting to create an hour-by-hour timeline of the what happened the day the killings took place, according to CNN. General Joseph Dunford, joint chief chairmen, said the information they have is limited but shared some information with the families of the fallen soldiers.
On the morning of Oct. 4, the U.S. and Nigerian forces were traveling back to their base when about 50 armed men ambushed them. These armed men are believed to be connected with the extreme terrorist group ISIS.
John Malone, a human resource major at Cabrini University with family members who have fought in the military, was unaware ISIS was connected to the incident.
“Whenever ISIS is involved, it’s a scary situation because of the threat of terrorism to America,” Malone said.
It was not until Oct. 17 that the Defense Department announced it would conduct a full review of the whole mission in Niger.
Nicholas Louis, a Cabrini University student studying human resources, was puzzled by how the government reacted to the deaths of the American soldiers.
“The fact that it took about two weeks for the government to conduct a review of the whole mission makes me think [about] why it took so long. Four American troops who fight for their country died. I just wonder why it took two weeks for the government to step in and review the tragedy,” Louis said.
“We owe the families of the fallen more information and that’s what the investigation is designed to identify,” Dunford said during a Pentagon briefing on Oct. 23.
Myeshia Johnson, wife of U.S. Army Sgt. La David Johnson who was one of the killed soldiers in Niger was devastated when she first heard the news about her husband.
The controversy started to swirl when Johnson received a call from President Trump. Johnson said the president had trouble remembering her husband’s name. “I heard him stumbling on trying to remember my husband’s name and that’s what hurt me the most, because if my husband is out here fighting for our country and he risked his life for our country, why can’t you remember his name?” Johnson said, according to ABC News.
The widow is pregnant with Johnson’s child, so the news was especially heartbreaking from a family standpoint.
President Trump took to Twitter to discuss this whole situation.
“I had a very respectful conversation with the widow of Sgt. La David Johnson, and spoke his name from the beginning, without hesitation!,” President Trump tweeted.
The widow was also “very angry” because she felt the president had no sympathy for what happened to her husband.
Gerald Healey, a Cabrini University sophomore studying business, believes that the President of the United States could have handled it differently.
“Whenever an American soldier dies, it is always a tragedy and a sad day,” Healey said.
