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What happened in Benghazi is an aggravation, ‘a craw in our side’, with many veterans still today. It is a sad story of Americans being abandoned by their nation, and it’s unfortunately been used by many politicians for political gain. Excuses were made to explain what happened and to somewhat justify it. Both Republicans and Democrats distort the facts during TV appearances and hearings. But the damage to those left behind - the families and survivors - seems forgotten, without explanation.
Many Americans don’t even understand what these men and women went through - they were living in hell for the thirteen hours preceding the final assault and the evacuation from the CIA annex. Many incorrectly think that the four Americans - Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty - died during the initial assault on the U.S. Diplomatic Compound. There was actually four separate attacks; the first attack on the compound and then three more on the CIA annex where everyone fled to after the first assault. Also, ten others were injured in these attacks. The compound was not an embassy, which means that it didn’t have the normal security detail or bunkering/protections that an American Embassy has. Only five diplomatic security special agents were in Benghazi at the time of the attack; two of them were there by chance, having traveled with Ambassador Stevens from Tripoli. One mile away, a CIA team at the annex was the quick reaction force for the compound, but no one was supposed to know that the CIA security team existed.
Ambassador Stevens was adored by many Libyans and had a great fondness for the country. He felt he could make a difference in the lives of those in Libya, and wanted to show the people that the United States stood behind them in establishing a new democracy. Eastern Libya, Benghazi in particular, was a key hub for intelligence operatives monitoring Ansar al-Sharia and members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Along with Ambassador Stevens, Secretary of State Clinton also wanted a more permanent post in Benghazi.
There was quite a bit of instability in the region prior to the attacks of September 11, 2012. There was frequent IED-related violence. The International Red Cross office in Libya was attacked and there was an assassination attempt on Dominic Asquith, the British ambassador. Requests were made for more security, but according to the regional security officer, Eric Nordstrom, they were rebuffed. Nordstrom told media that, for him and his staff, “it was abundantly clear that [they] were not going to get resources until the aftermath of an incident.” Lt. Col Andrew Wood, U.S. site security commander in Libya, testified that a regional security officer had tried obtaining more personnel, but was never able to attain a level of security that he felt comfortable with. It was pretty well known within the American intelligence community during the months preceding the attack that Benghazi was unstable and increasingly dangerous - and that a significant attack was imminent.
Top U.S. officials reported the attack as if it had been a spontaneous protest created by an anti-Muslim video...yet there were no such protests immediately prior to the attacks. There was, however, every indication that everything was premeditated. The assault began at nightfall, by militants swathed in flak jackets with covered faces. They were armed with RPGs, hand grenades, AK-47s, mortars, and machine guns. With that level of artillery, it’s quite apparent that this was not a spontaneous protest.
But for some reason...that is what we were supposed to believe.
Ambassador Stevens and State Department information management officer, Sean Smith - an Air Force veteran, died during the initial assault on the compound. The Global Response Staff team, which included former SEAL Tyrone Woods, left the CIA annex approximately twenty minutes later as the Quick Reaction Force in order to aid and/or rescue everyone at the compound. The Quick Reaction Force evacuated everyone from the compound to the CIA annex where they began preparing for potential continuing assaults.
In the ensuing hours, attacks continued as they bunkered at the CIA annex waiting for reinforcements or rescue. Meanwhile another former Navy SEAL, Glen Doherty, and six other men (five CIA operatives and two volunteer Delta operators) gathered at the Tripoli Embassy preparing to mount a rescue - 406 miles away from Benghazi. Since this was not a planned evacuation or rescue attempt by U.S. leadership, they had to figure some way to get to Benghazi. They somehow garnered $30,000 and, with a little persuasion of a couple of Libyan military pilots, they got them to fly from the airport in Tripoli to Benghazi.
At the Benghazi airport, they met up with supportive Libyan troops who took the team of seven men to the CIA annex. Upon arrival, Glen Doherty met Tyrone Woods on the roof of the annex. Within minutes, mortars were fired and both were mortally wounded - two more Americans killed in Benghazi within hours. After this final assault, everyone remaining was transported to the Benghazi airport with the help of the same Libyan troops who assisted Glen Doherty and his team.
The whole incident is very disappointing to me, and something I will never forget. We, as Airmen, Soldiers, Marines and Sailors, exist under an oath stating that we will “never leave our brothers and sisters behind”... but these people were left to die. They were left alone - abandoned by the administration, Congress, and in a sense, by their country. Their families also seemed to be forgotten as they never received any explanation regarding this incident. The names of everyone else who had been in Benghazi were also quickly forgotten. It seemed as though many Americans heard enough and didn’t want the truth regardless of the facts...and still don’t. Overall, the incidents that day were incredibly tragic, and I will continue to hope that someday everyone will have the answers they need!
Many Americans don’t even understand what these men and women went through - they were living in hell for the thirteen hours preceding the final assault and the evacuation from the CIA annex. Many incorrectly think that the four Americans - Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty - died during the initial assault on the U.S. Diplomatic Compound. There was actually four separate attacks; the first attack on the compound and then three more on the CIA annex where everyone fled to after the first assault. Also, ten others were injured in these attacks. The compound was not an embassy, which means that it didn’t have the normal security detail or bunkering/protections that an American Embassy has. Only five diplomatic security special agents were in Benghazi at the time of the attack; two of them were there by chance, having traveled with Ambassador Stevens from Tripoli. One mile away, a CIA team at the annex was the quick reaction force for the compound, but no one was supposed to know that the CIA security team existed.
Ambassador Stevens was adored by many Libyans and had a great fondness for the country. He felt he could make a difference in the lives of those in Libya, and wanted to show the people that the United States stood behind them in establishing a new democracy. Eastern Libya, Benghazi in particular, was a key hub for intelligence operatives monitoring Ansar al-Sharia and members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Along with Ambassador Stevens, Secretary of State Clinton also wanted a more permanent post in Benghazi.
There was quite a bit of instability in the region prior to the attacks of September 11, 2012. There was frequent IED-related violence. The International Red Cross office in Libya was attacked and there was an assassination attempt on Dominic Asquith, the British ambassador. Requests were made for more security, but according to the regional security officer, Eric Nordstrom, they were rebuffed. Nordstrom told media that, for him and his staff, “it was abundantly clear that [they] were not going to get resources until the aftermath of an incident.” Lt. Col Andrew Wood, U.S. site security commander in Libya, testified that a regional security officer had tried obtaining more personnel, but was never able to attain a level of security that he felt comfortable with. It was pretty well known within the American intelligence community during the months preceding the attack that Benghazi was unstable and increasingly dangerous - and that a significant attack was imminent.
Top U.S. officials reported the attack as if it had been a spontaneous protest created by an anti-Muslim video...yet there were no such protests immediately prior to the attacks. There was, however, every indication that everything was premeditated. The assault began at nightfall, by militants swathed in flak jackets with covered faces. They were armed with RPGs, hand grenades, AK-47s, mortars, and machine guns. With that level of artillery, it’s quite apparent that this was not a spontaneous protest.
But for some reason...that is what we were supposed to believe.
Ambassador Stevens and State Department information management officer, Sean Smith - an Air Force veteran, died during the initial assault on the compound. The Global Response Staff team, which included former SEAL Tyrone Woods, left the CIA annex approximately twenty minutes later as the Quick Reaction Force in order to aid and/or rescue everyone at the compound. The Quick Reaction Force evacuated everyone from the compound to the CIA annex where they began preparing for potential continuing assaults.
In the ensuing hours, attacks continued as they bunkered at the CIA annex waiting for reinforcements or rescue. Meanwhile another former Navy SEAL, Glen Doherty, and six other men (five CIA operatives and two volunteer Delta operators) gathered at the Tripoli Embassy preparing to mount a rescue - 406 miles away from Benghazi. Since this was not a planned evacuation or rescue attempt by U.S. leadership, they had to figure some way to get to Benghazi. They somehow garnered $30,000 and, with a little persuasion of a couple of Libyan military pilots, they got them to fly from the airport in Tripoli to Benghazi.
At the Benghazi airport, they met up with supportive Libyan troops who took the team of seven men to the CIA annex. Upon arrival, Glen Doherty met Tyrone Woods on the roof of the annex. Within minutes, mortars were fired and both were mortally wounded - two more Americans killed in Benghazi within hours. After this final assault, everyone remaining was transported to the Benghazi airport with the help of the same Libyan troops who assisted Glen Doherty and his team.
The whole incident is very disappointing to me, and something I will never forget. We, as Airmen, Soldiers, Marines and Sailors, exist under an oath stating that we will “never leave our brothers and sisters behind”... but these people were left to die. They were left alone - abandoned by the administration, Congress, and in a sense, by their country. Their families also seemed to be forgotten as they never received any explanation regarding this incident. The names of everyone else who had been in Benghazi were also quickly forgotten. It seemed as though many Americans heard enough and didn’t want the truth regardless of the facts...and still don’t. Overall, the incidents that day were incredibly tragic, and I will continue to hope that someday everyone will have the answers they need!
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 232
The responsibility for responding to Benghazi rested with President Obama, the National Command Authority (POTUS SECDEF, SECSTATE) and the regional unified commanders (CINCUSEUR, CINCAFRCOM). Only the President had the authority to authorize crossing the border into Libya.
So the blame for inaction rests solely on POTUS and the rest of the National Command Authority. However, the military commanders in the chain of command had the moral/ethical responsibility to strongly, I repeat strongly, disagree with the National Command Authority. Did they, the American public hasn't heard a "peep" from them.
The UCMJ can definitely be invoked to evaluate our national failure to act at Benghazi.
The UCMJ states:
§899. Art. 99. Misbehavior before the enemy Any member of the armed forces who before or in the presence of the enemy— (1) runs away; (2) shamefully abandons, surrenders, or delivers up any command, unit, place, or military property which it is his duty to defend; (3) through disobedience, neglect, or intentional misconduct endangers the safety of any such command, unit, place, or military property; (4) casts away his arms or ammunition; (5) is guilty of cowardly conduct; (6) quits his place of duty to plunder or pillage; (7) causes false alarms in any command, unit, or place under control of the armed forces; (8) willfully fails to do his utmost to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy any enemy troops, combatants, vessels, aircraft, or any other thing, which it is his duty so to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy; or (9) does not afford all practicable relief and assistance to any troops, combatants, vessels, or aircraft of the armed forces belonging to the United States or their allies when engaged in battle; shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.
So the blame for inaction rests solely on POTUS and the rest of the National Command Authority. However, the military commanders in the chain of command had the moral/ethical responsibility to strongly, I repeat strongly, disagree with the National Command Authority. Did they, the American public hasn't heard a "peep" from them.
The UCMJ can definitely be invoked to evaluate our national failure to act at Benghazi.
The UCMJ states:
§899. Art. 99. Misbehavior before the enemy Any member of the armed forces who before or in the presence of the enemy— (1) runs away; (2) shamefully abandons, surrenders, or delivers up any command, unit, place, or military property which it is his duty to defend; (3) through disobedience, neglect, or intentional misconduct endangers the safety of any such command, unit, place, or military property; (4) casts away his arms or ammunition; (5) is guilty of cowardly conduct; (6) quits his place of duty to plunder or pillage; (7) causes false alarms in any command, unit, or place under control of the armed forces; (8) willfully fails to do his utmost to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy any enemy troops, combatants, vessels, aircraft, or any other thing, which it is his duty so to encounter, engage, capture, or destroy; or (9) does not afford all practicable relief and assistance to any troops, combatants, vessels, or aircraft of the armed forces belonging to the United States or their allies when engaged in battle; shall be punished by death or such other punishment as a court-martial may direct.
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COL Carl Jensen
Its not going to happen in our lifetime, so forgetaboutit. It will cause a great deal of unrest that will lead to riot behavior in the major cities. Like Evita she has a strong following, and "the money keeps coming in from every side".
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Understand this is a horrible tragedy and we will never forget them but blaming an administration that is no longer in place does nothing but bring anger against the current one that had nothing to do with this.
As with any tragedy we need to learn from it so it NEVER happens again and try to be proactive instead of reactive. There are so many situations that can arise from any incident and we need to be prepared for as many as we can think of. If anything going forward happens like this again it is all of our fault for not being ready.
It is easy to blame someone after the fact and bring up all the issues and problems but what we need are solutions and action plans. We need to create plans named after incidents like this so nobody forgets, we need a “Benghazi” evacuation and support plan to ensure all embassies and personnel are effectively and safely evacuated. Things like this will ensure they did not die for no reason. Do not waste time and effort trying to place blame when you can help prevent any future incidents.
As with any tragedy we need to learn from it so it NEVER happens again and try to be proactive instead of reactive. There are so many situations that can arise from any incident and we need to be prepared for as many as we can think of. If anything going forward happens like this again it is all of our fault for not being ready.
It is easy to blame someone after the fact and bring up all the issues and problems but what we need are solutions and action plans. We need to create plans named after incidents like this so nobody forgets, we need a “Benghazi” evacuation and support plan to ensure all embassies and personnel are effectively and safely evacuated. Things like this will ensure they did not die for no reason. Do not waste time and effort trying to place blame when you can help prevent any future incidents.
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MSgt (Join to see)
Actually I name no one individual to blame as you suggest. But you cannot deny the failures of the Administration’s handling of the situation.
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MSgt James Slawson
No you did not name any individual but it was implied. A lot of people try to make remarks without really understanding the weight they carry. When someone is outside looking in it is easy for anyone to be a Monday night quarterback and say I would have done this or that. In reality bring in the heat of the situation things are different. A lot of people know what to do and these type of situations have checklists and procedures, until they don’t and when they don’t you can only do what you can do. I applaud your remembrance of those who paid the ultimate price for our freedom but there were a lot of mistakes way before, during, and after all of this happened.
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Secretary Clinton and everyone involved in that cluster !@#$ should be held accountable for their lat of actions or indecision for this event. I served proudly for 20 years and when I heard about this it sickened me and my heart goes out to everyone's family
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I personally feel that Clinton should be in jail for this and other crimes and treason
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Let me add that the Democrats are unhappy because Trump DIDN'T start WWIII. Further, Iran clearly got the message, because they warned Iraq of the missile response they planned to send, and Iraq warned us. 16 missiles fired, 5 duds, and no one killed. That's a face-saving temper tantrum, much like the Democrats anguish that WWIII didn't get going.
Trump's measured response was exactly what was needed after 8 years of appeasement.
Trump's measured response was exactly what was needed after 8 years of appeasement.
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The entire situation ended up being a civilian response to what should have been a military intervention. At the onset of escalation the civilian side of the house should have deferred all matters of protection, intervention and extraction to those who know .. the US military and its leaders. The reaction would have been swift and deadly, to those that didn't comply. Those that gave their lives are selfless heroes and those that came home no different. Their names (All) should be remembered and all are worth more than repeating. One of those names (MSGT Jolly, USMC (Ret.) was one of two Delta ops involved. He and his counter part were awarded the military's second highest medal for their acts of heroism and bravery. You can read more about it in the military.com (https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/05/13/untold-heroism-behind-marines-secret-navy-cross-benghazi.html). He's a heroic Marine, a patriot and a family member. May we never have another President or Secretary of State that allows something like this to happen again.
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I think the whole situation was a disaster, when an administration thinks they can play nice and not use military force when necessary, this is what happens. The cutting of the military budget had a lot to do with this.
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What happened in Benghazi was a crime, and those responsible were in the WH and State Dep't at that time: they need to all be held accountable for those lives!
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