A story about Benghazi
The stunning part of this story is that Tyrone Woods and
Glen Doherty killed 60 of the attacking force. Once the compound
was overrun, the attackers were incensed to discover that just two men
had inflicted so much death and destruction.
The news has been full of the attacks on our embassies
throughout the Muslim world, and in particular, the deaths of Ambassador
Chris Stevens and three others in Benghazi, Libya.
However, there’s a little known story of incredible bravery,
heroics, and courage that should be the top story.
So what actually happened at the U.S. Embassy in Libya? We
are learning more about this every day. Ambassador Stevens and Foreign Service
officer Sean Smith, along with administrative staff, were working out of
temporary quarters due to the fact that in the spring of 2011 during the
so-called Arab Spring, the United States cut ties with then president
Moammar Gadhafi. Our embassy was looted and ransacked, causing it to be
unusable. It is still in a state of disrepair.
Security for embassies and their personnel is to be provided
by the host nation. Since Libya has gone through a civil war of sorts in
the past 18 months, the current government is very unstable, and
therefore, unreliable
A well-organized attack by radical Muslims was planned
specifically targeting the temporary U.S. Embassy building. The Libyan
security force that was in place to protect our people deserted their post,
or joined the attacking force. Either way, our people were in a real fix.
And it should be noted that Ambassador
Stevens had mentioned on more than one occasion to Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, that he was quite concerned for his personal safety and
the welfare of his people. It is thought that Ambassador Stevens was on a
“hit list.”
A short distance from the American compound, two Americans
were sleeping. They were in Libya as independent contractors working an
assignment totally unrelated to our embassy. They also happened to be
former Navy Seal’s.
When they heard the noise coming from the attack on our
embassy, as you would expect from highly trained warriors, they ran to
the fight. Apparently, they had no weapons, but seeing the Libyan guards
dropping their guns in their haste in fleeing the scene, Tyrone Woods and
Glen Doherty snatched up several of these discarded weapons and prepared
to defend the American compound.
Not knowing exactly what was taking place, the two Seal’s set
up a defensive perimeter. Unfortunately Ambassador Stevens was already
gravely injured, and Foreign Service officer, Sean Smith, was dead.
However, due to their quick action and suppressive fire, twenty
administrative personnel in the embassy were able to escape to safety.
Eventually, these two courageous men were overwhelmed by the sheer
numbers brought against them, an enemy force numbering between 100 to 200
attackers which came in two waves. But the stunning part of the story is
that Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty killed 60 of the attacking force. Once
the compound was overrun, the attackers were incensed to discover that
just two men had inflicted so much death and destruction.
As it became apparent to these selfless heroes, they were
definitely going to lose their lives unless some reinforcements showed up
in a hurry. As we know now, that was not to be. I’m fairly certain they
knew they were going to die in this gun fight, but not before they took a
whole lot of bad guys with them!
Consider these tenets of the Navy SEAL Code:
1) Loyalty to Country, Team and Teammate,
2) Serve with Honor and Integrity On and Off the Battlefield,
3) Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit,
4) Take responsibility for your actions and the actions of
your teammates,
5) Excel as Warriors through Discipline and Innovation,
6) Train for War, Fight to Win, Defeat our Nation’s Enemies,
and...
7) Earn your Trident every day
Thank you, Tyrone and Glen. To the very last breath, you both
lived up to the SEAL Code. You served all of us well. You were courageous
in the face of certain death.
And Tyrone, even though you never got to hold your newborn
son, he will grow up knowing the character and quality of his father, a
man among men who sacrificed himself defending others.
Dr. Charles R. Roots
Senior Pastor
Former Staff Sergeant,
USMC Captain,
U. S. Navy Chaplain Corps (Ret.)
This
should be passed on
And
on and on.
And Let us never forget the Hillary Clinton Comment
“What Difference does it make how these men
died!"
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