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Between machine gun blasts and AK-47 firing, Mark “Oz” Geist and Tyrone Woods talk about the children. Geist’s daughter is seven months old, and Woods’ third son was born shortly before his deployment to Libya, Geist said.
“We’re talking about children, but the next thing you know is that they’re being attacked again at about the same time,” he told Fox News, smiling wryly at his memory.
On September 11, 2012, the Islamic extremist group Ansar al-Sharia attacked a US diplomatic outpost and a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya. Woods was killed in the attack.
The attackers stormed the US consulate and opened fire around 9:40 pm.Members of his CIA annex about a mile away security team I heard gunshots. Several members later testified that they were ordered to wait before the base’s commander responded.
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“We got to the point where we decided to leave on our own,” said an unidentified team member. 2016 report From the Benghazi Commission of Parliament.
Geist and a CIA officer were at a dinner party when the attack began, but Woods immediately called them back to the annex and warned them not to pass by the consulate, said a security contractor working for the CIA at the time. Geist recalled.
As Geist, tasked with protecting about 20 Americans inside a CIA outpost, climbed onto the roof of the annex, flames and smoke billowed from the consulate. and saw the bright glow of a rocket-propelled grenade.
He heard State Department armored vehicles approaching the annex before it approached. The tires slammed into the road and deflated. Dozens of bullets had turned the windshield into spider webs of cracks. Geist’s teammates arrived next and set the boundaries.
Attackers quickly targeted the annex, and American security forces repelled the attack for hours without reinforcements.
Geist, a Marine Corps veteran who started his contract after 9/11, said of his team: “We should have all been there”
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Dougherty and his rapid response force requisitioned a plane in Tripoli and flew to Benghazi to assist the annex team. Geist said one of the many militias vying for control in Libya detained the operator at the airport, causing him an hour’s delay before they joined the battle.
Shortly after Dougherty met Geist and Woods on the rooftop, the attackers launched another attack using mortar and small arms fire.
Geist was opening up in his M4, emptying one magazine, and reloading when the next mortar hit. Once the debris and smoke had settled, he raised his weapon and began shooting again, but was unable to control his left hand. Looking down, his arm was hanging at his 90-degree angle between his wrist and elbow.
He knew he had to go back to fighting.
“I’m going to do everything I can and fight until my last breath,” he said.
A mortar attack killed Doherty and Woods. After that, everything fell silent, Geist said.
“No more gunshots, no more mortars,” he said.
Ten years later, it is still unclear what ended the Battle of Benghazi.
“If they had kept firing mortars, they would have killed me,” said Geist.
One security guard, in congressional testimony, speculated that the sunrise drove off the attackers. said he doubted.
“Looking back, I call it the seventh man on our team,” he said.
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Benghazi soon became a partisan political issue.Republicans blamed then-President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton He deliberately misled the public by suggesting that the attack was a backlash against the film Innocence of Muslims. A congressional investigation continued for several years, but the final report ultimately did not place all blame on any particular individual.
Geist said he felt Clinton and other officials lacked the “guts” to accept responsibility for security failures and slow response.
Seven hours after the siege at the CIA annex went smoothly, assets were still heading to Benghazi, according to a 2016 congressional report, despite surveillance drones flying overhead for much of the fighting. It wasn’t on the way.
“US forces never reached Benghazi,” the report said. “The only support force to arrive in Tripoli — the Marine Corps ‘Fleet Anti-Terrorism Assistance Team’ or ‘FAST’ team — was by no means fast….In fact, it took off until almost 12 hours after the attack ended. did not. “
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“After Benghazi, over time, we heard that there was no help anywhere that could have gotten us there in time,” Geist said. “You get a lot of places in 13 hours. It was heartbreaking for us to say that because we knew better.”
He says he doesn’t believe the U.S. government has learned from the mistakes it made in Benghazi.
“People are making decisions and not listening to the men and women on the ground,” he said. You can not”
No one has been convicted of murder in connection with the deaths of four Americans. However, 2 Libyan citizens Ultimately, he was found guilty of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists, malicious destruction of residences, and other charges.
A few days after the attack, thousands of protesters In support of democracy and marched against the militia. Some stormed Ansar al-Sharia’s headquarters, tore up flags and set cars on fire.
Libyan President Mohammed al-Magaliaf has ordered the dissolution of all non-government-sanctioned militias and banned people from carrying weapons in public.However deadly collision It continues to this day among rival militias.
Geist quit the contract and he and his wife shadow warrior project, a non-profit organization that helps injured contractors. They recently added a dog treatment program to the charity, pairing contractors or veterans with service dogs.
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“Being able to share and be a part of something bigger than myself was cathartic and very helpful,” he said.
Geist feels that the Battle of Benghazi tends to be overshadowed by the anniversary of the September 11th attacks, but he wants the American public to honor the four men who lost their lives ten years ago. I hope
“Glenn, Tyrone, Ambassador Stevens and Sean Smith raised their hands and pledged to defend the Constitution.” , don’t forget them