The city of Puyallup held a public memorial Sunday for a fallen Special Forces soldier killed in Niger last month.
Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Bryan Black was a Puyallup High School graduate. His father, Hank, said his son excelled in wrestling and chess.
“There’s two real characteristics of Bryan,” said Hank Black. “He was 100 percent focused on whatever he decided to do, and the second thing was, he loved his family.
“It was October 4 and I got notice and then all the emotions you could imagine hit: grief, sorrow, loss, anger. Questions just flood over you and overwhelm you,” said Hank.
“He left a great legacy. He was doing what he wanted to do,” he said. “He died protecting his friends.”
Special Forces soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord lined up in the back of the room. They never met Staff Sgt. Black, who was stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, but they share a common experience.
“So the loss of one, they all feel it because they understand what their various missions are and they are truly a group that looks out for each other,” stated Hank Black.
Lt. Col. Stephen Taylor is JBLM’s Special Forces Battalion Commander.
“He’s a brother in arms to us, and so we were honored today to represent the Special Forces community,” said Lt. Col. Taylor.
He was overwhelmed by the community’s support.
“What stood out to me was the resilience of the Puyallup community and the outpouring of support to his family,” he continued. “It’s not often you see a community like this come together… I found that outstanding.”
