Sacrifice: A Gold Star Widow's Fight for the Truth

by Michelle Black

The shocking and affecting memoir from a gold-star widow searching for the truth behind her Green Beret husband's death, this book bears witness to the true sacrifices made by military families.

When Green Beret Bryan Black was killed in an ambush in Niger in 2017, his wife Michelle saw her worst nightmare become a reality. She was left alone with her grief and with two young sons to raise. But what followed Bryan's death was an even more difficult journey for the young widow. After receiving very few details about the attack that took her husband's life, it was up to Michelle to find answers. It became her mission to learn the truth about that day in Niger--and Sacrifice is the result of that mission.

In this heartbreaking and revelatory memoir, Michelle uses exclusive interviews with the survivors of her husband's unit, research into the military leadership and accountability, and her own unique vantage point as a gold-star widow to tell a previously unknown story. Sacrifice is both an honest, emotional look inside a military marriage and a searing investigation of the people and decisions at the heart of the US military.

Genres: Nonfiction, Military Fiction, Memoir, Military History, Biography

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 4, 2021

Reviews

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle Black has written an emotional, raw memoir regarding her husband's death as a Green Beret during an ambush in Niger in 2017. As a widow with two young sons, including her oldest autistic son, she set out to learn the truth about what happened during the ambush.

The Army investigation was prolonged. During that time, various aspects of the ambush were circulated in the press and social media, including a video of the actual ambush. When the Army presented its findings to Michelle and her husband's parents, they asked pointed questions. Her father-in-law, Henry, was incredibly helpful due to his long-tenured military experience.

The Army's investigation was flawed, inaccurate, and basically laid the blame on lower level officers rather than the leaders who sent the team into hostile territory without proper resources and back up.

Michelle thoroughly interviewed the survivors of the ambush to learn what truly happened the day her husband died. She clearly details moment-by-moment the fateful mission that cost her husband and three of his teammates their lives. It must have taken immense courage, determination, strength, resilience, terror and tears for her to write that chapter.

Highly recommend.

[Sandy & Debbie Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing, gripping story of bravery, courage, strength and determination

Could not put this gripping story down until I was done in record time for me as I don't read long books much. Amazing, gripping story of bravery, courage, strength and determination are about Bryan and his teammates in the fight, but also about his wife Michelle and his parents.

[Terri Asher · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is not one thing to actually "Like" or "Love" about this book! That said, it is an EXCELLENT, well written account of the tramas and grief, and search for the truth, that the author, Michelle Black, has suffered through since the murderous ambush death of her military husband, Bryan Black, while stationed in Niger, Africa. Her interviews with the REAL soldiers who were there, fighting on the ground, as the ambush of their unit took place, tell of the horrendous events that took place that day, and leading up to it. The "official" reports (also detailed as best as redacted reports can be extrapolated) are also printed in this book, and shows a completely erroneous version thru the "tales" of the chain of command, starting with the absent general in charge at the top, that were not even questioned or researched by the assigned military investigators. Read this book! Find out what really happened on the ground that day. Find out that orders WERE followed, and that the killed and surviving servicemen were NOT acting rogue, and they got caught up in a bloody mess, put there by their very own United States military leaders!!! And then, they were not only demoted in rank, but in awards for their bravery because they went down as soldiers who supposed made bad choices, futhing to punish those men, including the injured as well as those who perished! My little review here now shows why someone in their right mind could not possibly "love" the book, or its subject matter, but the manner in which the author, the widow, the Gold Star Wife tells of the truth goes above and beyond. Please read this book!

[Jeanette · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a hefty tale. Grief sorrow and heavy questions. It included most central family issues of their married life and periods of her own life before they met. Bryan sounded exceptional in many unique ways. He played poker professionally for a living before and along side other jobs before his Army career.

It goes into many agenda /crux feelings of her personal pivotal experiences quite beyond the title search core. Not easy to read. Occasionally jumpy. Especially difficult of Army acronym or other initial talk language context understanding for me.

She's honest. Knowing of my own life experience with any governmental or corporate bureaucracies (73 and have I had a few)- I believe she got more real answers than most do. Mistakes are always blamed on flunkies or anomaly in legality of language of directions. Resolution is continually elusive or rarely ends in any bottom line. Let alone any real consequence. She did well considering any such task.

Like many parents of kids with any disability, I am not at all surprised she moved great distances to locate the best place residing for application to better outcomes.

[Jennifer Ashburn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely not my typical genre but my youngest wanted to do this book for summer reading so I obliged. I’m happy to say it was very well written and narrated. The story follows a group of green berets on a mission in Niger where they end up ambushed and alone. Miscommunication and corruption at the top levels of the military lead to the green beret group going several days with no sleep and little water with no back up. When reports come out for the families it’s heavily redacted and leads to more questions and little answers or help to find the truth. It completely tears at your heartstrings and makes you want justice for everyone wronged.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this, made me cry many times, and it made me very angry that our country would treat a Gold Star family the way they did. Michelle's strength and courage amazes me, and is a testimony on how you can survive some of the worst times in your life.

[Hank Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am intimately familiar with the topic of this book. The author has written a detailed, accurate and authentic account of the enemy contact event outside of the village of Tong Tongo, Niger. The book lays bare what took place, and reveals causes and conclusions that, sadly, were ‘hidden’ in the official DOD narrative and AFRICOM investigation.

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Michelle Black sadly has told her OWN version of the events and not what really did take place. I know this as my husband was there and had trained Michelle’s husband. I confronted her about this after reading this book. If you want the truth go and research ABC’s investigation into the Niger 2017 deaths and their documentary on Redacted. Michelle did not do her research as her husband was connected with the CIA and his mission and she claims he was not. Her husband was being trained as a Delta Force Operator at the time of his death. He also “could not just turn done a mission” as Michelle’s writes he would if he felt it was dangerous. Bryan Black signed up for the deadliest job and so did my husband. As awful as it is the government and military lied a wife knows their husband signed up for the job willingly and he also chose to deploy on this mission. She leaves all of this out of her book. She published it without consent by the other families and the US Military which is against the law and she knows this. She showed no regard for other brother’s of Bryan’s as she shows their faces in the pictures. That puts the lives of every single one of those men and their families at risk and she knows this. No Delta Force’s wife does what she did. I understand she was angry however she has lied? She has put all the other men at risk of being killed and provided classier information that she knows as a U.S. JSOC wife she is forbidden from doing and not once did she care how this has impacted the other families. She is not interviews by ABC and is the only spouse not to be. So she writes this book and then the trith comes out which is no where close to what Michelle writes and then refuses to be interviewed by ABC News. Come to your own conclusion. Everything I have said can be verified. She has to put in her book that it has been approved by the US Military and Pentagon. She has to put that all pictures that are the property to the US Military, not the person that gave them to her, as any pics with any Military equipment is the property of the Us military. She did not do this. So I ask what we’re her intentions in writing this? It is a lie, it is illegal to have published it and her version is the farthest from the truth. And she has ruined and risked the lives of Bryan’s brothers which he would NEVER have allowed.

[Vanessa Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read by a really solid writer. Her story was compelling. The book is detailed, but does not get bogged down with military terminology or descriptions that are above the average reader’s head.

[Jamie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling and heartbreaking story, meticulously researched and well written.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of 2017 mission in Niger gone wrong in which the authors husband Green Beret Staff Sergeant Bryan Black, Staff Sergeant Jeremiah Johnson, Staff Sergeant Dustin Wright, and Sergeant La David Johnson lost their lives and the aftermath of that tragedy compounded by the investigation into what went wrong. Using official reports along with interviews with the surviving members of the mission and support personnel the events leading up to the tragedy and the investigation are presented along with the investigation by the military as well as the author and her family and friends. Tough to read as the realities of military life and the grief of the family who lost a loved one as well as the unfolding of the mission and the blame shifting of the investigation are laid out for the world to see. I received a Kindle ARC of this book from the publisher through the Goodreads First Reads giveaways. I would rate this book 3.5 stars if Goodreads allowed half stars.

[Karren · Rating 5 out of 5]

After her husband's death in Africa in 2017, Michelle began her difficult journey to find out what really happened the night her Green Beret husband was killed. What she found was that themilitary leadership in command, glossed over facts and lied to save themselves. They placed the blame on the lowest possible people holding the lowest ranks. As she began her search, she trained herself to become an investigative journalist. Through years of interviews, research etc. Her searing investigation brought the military decision making of the U.S. Army to light.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

FS: “The day my husband was buried, his casket pulled by six black horses, the sun shone brightly.”

LS: “But more precious than the lives lost is the freedom that sacrifice afforded, and no one understands that more than those who have worked to free those who live under tyranny. De Oppresso Liber.”

For the most part, the book was, overall, a good read. Very sad at times. Makes you realize the ultimate sacrifice our service members make. But a big chunk of the book was a lot of military verbiage and acronyms that were hard to remember, which made it hard to understand.

[Jamie Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

It must have taken a lot of courage to write this story. Michelle Black wrote an engaging and detailed documentary from the perspective of her late husband’s teammates. I couldn’t put the book down and had tears streaming down my face as I read the details of every hero’s death. Imagining her writing the words that were straightforward and painful broke my heart. Good for her for getting the truth out despite attempts to cover up gross negligence and lack of leadership. Although I wish this were a piece of fiction, I would highly recommend this for anyone.

[Kaileychan88 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book! I’ve learned so much about the interworkings of this special forces group and all that happened. Thank you for you and your families sacrifice. Mrs. Black always spoke so highly of Brian and now that I’ve heard about him and his brothers in arms I can see why! If you are intimated to start in on this book given the heaviness and complicated nature of the topic don’t be! Michelle clearly explains even the most confusing of military terms and situations while also being able to powerfully bring in her and other feelings about the attack.

[Birdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michelle Black tells the story of how she became a Gold Star widow when her husband Brian was killed in an ambush in Niger, and her search for the truth of what happened. I did not finish the book, which I regret, because it was due back at the library and I had many other books to read. Well-written, meaningful, not sappy. I hope to get back to it.

[Joann Boone · Rating 5 out of 5]

It took courage and tenacity to pursue the truth and I am glad Michelle Black shared this story with the world. It is not just her story. It is about her husband, her family, and her military family and what she has been through to find truth and understanding about the ambush that made her a widow. A compelling story from beginning to end and very easy to give five stars.

[Matthew Aujla]

Search for the truth by Gold Star widow:
-Detailed play-by-play of the Tongo Tongo ambush in Niger.
-Rewritten accountability from Capt. Michael Perozeni to Lt. Col. David Painter
-Reclaimed honor of her husband and the team

[C.J. Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the mother of 2 Army soldiers, this book was spot on. An excellent insight to the inner workings of military events. Incredibly proud of the author for sharing her story and the information surrounding the mission her husband was a part of.

[Lynne Curry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth reading, this well-written, factual, personal account is shocking, believable, moving. I'm glad I read it. There was only an important section that lowered my rating, and if I could have given it a 4.5 I would have.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal book. Michelle speaks beautifully of her family and lays out well the details of the events that ultimately lead to the soldiers deaths, injuries and eventual rescue.

[Elizabeth King · Rating 5 out of 5]

MUST read!!

[Elijah Thurman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was heavy. Excellent read and very insightful.

[Alicia Tesanovich · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book. You can feel Michelle’s broken heart and feel her fortitude.

[Azaleadamoree · Rating 5 out of 5]

I served at 3rd SFG from 2016-2020 in a support role at Bragg when the ambush happened. The ultimate sacrifice that SSG Bryan Black, SFC Jeremiah Johnson, SGT La David Johnson, and SSG Dustin Wright paid for all of our freedoms is something I will never forget. Michelle wrote an insightful, easy to follow, impactful, and powerful story displaying her beautiful marriage with Bryan, their two sons, and every aspect of before, during, and after the ambush. Even though I served for 8 years, I learned a lot from Michelle’s book that I hadn’t before especially regarding special forces training. Every page was impactful for me. Ever since being briefly briefed by my battalion command team about the ambush saying “the team was ill-prepared”, I always wanted to know the full story since the investigation took awhile. We weren’t given any details. I couldn’t wrap my head around how special forces operators could be “under prepared”. Articles online cannot be trusted fully. Therefore, I am so thankful that Michelle dug deep and got us all the answers we deserved. I cannot imagine the pain and patience it took to hear each detail over and over regarding the lives lost. We deserved to know the truth about the Niger 2017 ambush. Thank you, Michelle, and every person that helped you write your husband’s and ODA 3212’s story. We needed the truth. May God bless you and your family.

[Lucas Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars