Posted on 01/16/2016 7:19:01 PM PST by ConservativeMan55
Your comments on this matter have been amazing to read. Thank you for your service to our country, Sir.
I just now finished the book, 13 Hours. Absolutely amazing. You can’t put it down, once you get to the detailed story of the 13 hours from the operators’ perspective. The whole beginning chapters are to set the scene and explain the situation and who the men were.
I went looking for a thread of FReepers discussing this because I do feel now that I understand just how heroic these guys were. Instead of crying I feel like my heart is crying inside. Those poor men. But outside, I’m so angry. THIS WAS SO PREVENTABLE. It is a travesty how these people, this station, was left to fend for themselves. And it is one of the beauties of our country how OUR FORCES ARE MADE OF STRONG AND GOOD PEOPLE who will give their all for us and each other.
This should never have happened.
A good S of S would have been devastated and angry if she somehow were not to blame. If others caused or failed to prevent this, and she was too removed, she should have blared from rooftops about this scandal, this trap. She should have fought every other government position to get to the bottom of this, she should have been loud, proud, disgusted, and angry.
This was not a situation for her to defend and cover up. UNLESS SHE WAS THE CAUSE. I can’t see it any other way.
Postscript: Ambassador Stevens was not tortured or raped. He died of smoke inhalation and his body was pristine when it arrived to the plane bound for Tripoli. It was so oft repeated here that he was tortured and dragged through the streets that I believed it, but we FReepers need to realize that we are not immune to falling for false info.
The book 13 Hours too was also very pointedly NON political. They tell their story. And it is some story. I am hoping to get babysitting to get to the movie today. I wanted to finish the book first.
If any FReeper doesn’t or can’t go to movie theaters, definitely get the book. It’s a must read. These guys deserve it.
“-——definitely get the book. It’s a must read. “
—
I have read all of Mitchell Zukhoff’s books.
All are terrific.
.
NONE of that was in the movie, which I do think all here (and all in the country) really should see.
You spoke of what Stevens was writing, both in his diary, and in his emails to Washington, for the need for security. And Sean telling his online friends “if we survive tonight,” before anything had even started, and of course he did not survive. Etc. All of it is explained in the book. Who knows, you may want to read the book for a very gripping inner description of what you already saw in the movie. Though I’m sure you feel you might not have the heart to.
Before they even get to the Battle of Benghazi, though, in the book (and I kinda knew the ending...) they do set it up just how WRONG this all was, to even bring the Ambassador to Benghazi for these 5 days. Chris Stevens himself was a fearless, selfless guy, and he had been stationed in Benghazi, with friends there, etc. He was both brave and naive, though he was attempting to get far better security from all concerned.
One thing that really got me was about 75% of the time, we Americans had to rely or hope on locals whom smart operators had no reason to trust. IS THIS GOING ON IN OUR STATIONS ALL OVER THE GLOBE? Because why. WHY do we EVER need to rely on non allied militia whom we cannot even recognize (like by uniforms and such)??? It seems INSANE.
I’m still waiting to hear what happened to the 27 surviving witnesses that were hidden from the media. I find it curious that no one in the media is interested in learning who they are and what they were doing there.
Really, after just finishing the book, the actual story of the Battle is complete. There were clearly those at the annex if not the compound who did nothing to help and maybe a lot to exacerbate the situation, but there isn’t anything missing about the battle.
It sounds like a lot of the state department and CIA people were little more than in the way during battle, but for many that may have been because they weren’t trained for anything useful in an attack.
Feb 17 was al Qaeda affiliated?? This I did not know. The Americans were told to “rely” on Feb 17 for everything - the gate guards, their own security, their backup. The operators whose story is told in 13 Hrs most definitely did NOT trust Feb 17 but were told by their bosses they had to.
It seemed as if even the reinforcements in Tripoli was delayed as well. I’m not sure.
Right after the attack, they put up on their website the Al-Qeada banner.
But yeah, there was reason the attackers knew where everything was.
The “attack†on the residence was a sham, until the Seals showed up and turned it into a firefight. The house caught fire, Stevens was trapped and died of smoke inhalation.
It seems there were enemies running through the compound and boom they started dousing everything with the Americans’ own drums of gasoline. The operators were not there yet. The first thing they did was to loot and burn the Ambassador’s building.
Just... Whoa... Your links on Benghazi just make me feel so powerless, doomed, and sad.
And one of the links above yours let me to a house Obama is supposedly buying in Dubai. It just makes too much sense and I wish it didn’t.
Those are very old links. There is no way that the powers that be in DC did not know what had happened.
Their continued silence is condemning.
Maybe they weren't any help during the battle. But, wouldn't you like to hear them testify to Jason Chaffetz or Jim Jordan about why they were in Lybia, what they did during the attack, or how it came to pass that they remained safe while others were attacked and killed? ...or, what they thought when they heard Hillary's fabrication about the YouTube video
Really not necessary because the details of the attack are all told in the book (and maybe the movie too?). We hear about the non shooters in the buildings. Who cares what they were doing, other than the few shooters that could have helped but didn’t, and the CIA boss of Benghazi, the useless “Bob?” I’d like to hear more about that Bob, who sounds like a total jerk.
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