(Citation Needed) – SYNOPSIS: The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918 (amended by an act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Silver Star (Posthumously) to Staff Sergeant Bryan Christopher Black, United States Army, for gallantry in action while serving as a U.S. Army Special Forces Medical Sergeant in action against the enemy in Company A, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), in action near the village of Tongo Tongo, Tillaberi, Niger, on 4 October 2017. On that date, Staff Sergeant Black’s detachment was advising the Nigerien Special Reconnaissance Battalion while they conducted a mounted reconnaissance patrol through the Tillaberi Region of Niger. The Niger ambush occurred when armed militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara attacked the ODA outside the village of Tongo Tongo, Niger, while they were returning to base after a stop in the village. The combined element departed the village on their planned 45-mile route back to their base in Ouallam, Niger, when a superior ISGS force numbering over 100 personnel executed an ambush from prepared positions with overwhelming small arms, machine guns, indirect fire, and vehicle-mounted weapon systems. Throughout the firefight, Staff Sergeant Black continually exposed himself to heavy enemy fire to blunt the enemy advance and cover the movement of friendly forces. Black’s volume of fire in support of his teammates was so high that he exhausted his ammunition early in the engagement. He remained in the immediate vicinity of the heaviest fighting rather than seeking safety and an ammunition resupply. Heedless of the danger, Staff Sergeant Black assumed a more advantageous and perilous position to deliver suppressing fires in support of his teammates. He remained exposed in his firing position, shifting and returning effective fire as the element moved. At that point, he saw that two teammates had been injured. Staff Sergeant Black then moved from a concealed position and willingly exposed himself to enemy fire to render aid his comrades. In doing so, he exposed himself to a hailstorm of enemy fire that ultimately resulted in his being mortally wounded. Staff Sergeant Black, without regard for his personal safety, fought courageously against an overwhelming enemy attack for over an hour of savage combat, ensuring other members of the team could survive. His selfless sacrifice bought precious time for the detachment to break free of the ambush as he stoically accepted the brunt of the enemy’s attention.