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Boldly Into The Breach in Benghazi--- Two American Heroes
The below listed report on the heroic action of two Navy SEALS during the Benghazi assault by Al Q’ieda terrorists, when the US Ambassador, the two Navy SEALS, and the Ambassador’s aide were assassinated, was forwarded to me from ADM James A Lyons, Jr., USNA ‘52, USN (Ret) former Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet and Senior US Military UN Representative. The two Navy SEALS were not part of the Ambassador’s security detail, as was misreported by the White House, but were in the Consul Annex working on a project for an different Agency of the government, and they jumped into the breach to try to save the Ambassador’s life.
If the current resident of the White House had been getting his daily Intelligent Briefings from the CIA, like every other Commander-in-Chief has done before him (President Bush didn’t miss one brief for 8 years), and had not missed 65% of those briefs because he was too busy campaigning and playing golf, he would have learned that the Consul in Benghazi had a hole blown in the wall by terrorist, that the Red Cross compound was attacked by terrorists, that the British Consul had been attacked by terrorists, that 58 terrorist strikes had been made leading up to the 9/11 Anniversary. Any clear headed, competent, and up to date Commander-in-Chief, would have ordered the State Department to increase security to protect the life of the Ambassador---especially because of aggressive terrorist activities leading up to the 9/11 anniversary.
An outstanding Democratic, President Harry Truman, once said “The buck stops here!” The current resident of the White House blames everyone else for his failures, with recovering from the downturn in the economy, with his failure to get a Status of Forces Agreement on ending the War in Iraq which is now unraveling, on changing the making very dangerous changes to the rules of engagement for combat personnel in Afghanistan which is resulting in many more casualties, on increasing the national debt more in 4 years than all the other Presidents combined in 236 years, on working across the aisle with Republicans & Independents on legislation, on driving the gas prices up from $1.87 to $5.00+ in some localities because he closed down drilling/exploration on public land, and on his failure to ensure that there was proper security for the US Ambassador in Libya prior to 9/11 assassinations—those failures and many more are laid squarely at Obama’s doorsteps.
Will the real life story of incredible bravery, and the extreme courage of warriors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods be lost just because of Machiavellian politics?
http://theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/doherty-woods-smith.jpg
President Obama implied, quite intentionally, in his Weekly Address that Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods were part of Ambassador Christopher Steven’s security detail:
“Glen and Tyrone had each served America as Navy SEALs for many years, before continuing their service providing security for our diplomats in Libya. They died as they lived their lives — defending their fellow Americans, and advancing the values that all of us hold dear.
-President Obama (Weekly address)
Sounds good, the only problem is this statement is a total fabrication. Yes, they were both former Navy Seals, but neither Tyrone nor Glen were part of the Ambassadors official security detail.
No. The truth is: they heard the attack, they heard the gunfire, and despite the danger to themselves they rushed into the breach taking weapons from the frightened Libyan security officials to help protect the American Consulate, Ambassador Stevens and his embassy aide Sean Smith.
Both Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were under no obligation to assist, protect or defend Stevens. They could have bugged out, they didn’t….. They ran into the breach. It was, and is, an important enough distinction such that two U.S. officials quickly wanted to tell the truth. They told the Guardian:
[...] they feared the Obama administration’s scant description of the episode left a misimpression that the two ex-Navy SEALs might have been responsible for the ambassador’s personal safety or become separated from him.
“Woods and Doherty weren’t part of the detail, nor were they personally responsible for the ambassador’s security, but they stepped into the breach when the attacks occurred and their actions saved others lives — and they shouldn’t be lumped in with the security detail,” …..
According to what scant actual information is available the former seal team members, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, appear to have been in Libya because they were contracted by another intelligence office, probably the CIA, to track down the missing surface-to-air missiles from the initial rebel uprising.
During the Gadaffi overthrow massive stockpiles of Libyan weapons including MANPADS and other surface to air missiles were looted from the military storage facilities. Estimates put the number of missing missiles around 20,000.
It appears Doherty and Woods were in Libya to track down those weapons. As a consequence of their visit they were crashed at an annex to the US consulate grounds using it as a safe place to meet, coordinate, and evaluate their ongoing intel. Their location was approximately a half mile from the main consulate compound area.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62870000/jpg/_62870604_benghazi_us_cons_624map.jpg
They were inside an annex building when the main consulate complex came under attack from the Libyan al-Qaeda terrorists. They heard the distant shots and responded to a call for help from the compound itself. Both Woods and Doherty evaluated the assassination attempt, and immediately took up arms to defend Ambassador Stevens.
Their heroism is incredible when you consider what they were facing. Doherty and Woods reached the main compound of the Consulate and evacuated approximately 20 employees. Unfortunately, Ambassador Steven’s aide Sean Smith was already dead when they arrived. Woods and Doherty fought through the firefight, and took the consulate employees back to the annex building where again they came under another wave of attacks.
Between the initial firefight at the Main Consulate, and at the annex building, for over two hours they were able to fight back against approximately 200 al-Qaeda terrorists, who pre-planned and coordinated the attack to occur in two stages.
The second wave of attacks at the annex brought even more firepower upon them. Yet they held their position providing time for the 20 consulate employees to be rescued. In total for over two hours they held off upwards of 200 attackers, under heavy fire from RPGs, mortars, and at least one 23mm Anti Aircraft gun firing on their position(s) around the consulate grounds and the annex building.
This story must be told. The heroism of Doherty and Woods MUST surface. They deserve it. Unfortunately, because the truth represents a risk to the manipulated narrative of the White House and State Department, it will be up to outsiders to keep the pressure on and force the truth to the surface.
If we leave it up to the Administration and the State Department we will probably never know the TRUTH and the heroism of Woods and Doherty will not be fully recognized or appreciated.
These guys died while defending US interests because they were brave patriots who put country ahead of self.
We will not let their courage be hidden or diminished. I promise to do all I can to keep their story in the spotlight and provide their family the full measure of appreciation for their bravery.
They deserve it.
We will not forget, and will keep fighting for the recognition they deserve.