A note from Mike walker, Col. USMC (retired)
The Heroes at Benghazi, 9/11 2012 (two posts)
All,
The report that is unofficially coming out of the Pentagon today, if accurate, is frustrating, heartbreaking and heroic.
The main point is that the two former Navy SEALS who died could have stayed safe and sound at a nearby secure CIA facility in Benghazi.
After reporting the attack at the Consulate up the chain, the two were ordered repeatedly by their superiors to "stand down" and not go back to the Benghazi Consulate.
They disobeyed orders and went in and rescued several Americans trapped there.
Ambassador Chris Stevens was not amongst them. Without hesitation, they returned to try to get him out and died during that attempt.
They sacrificed their lives so others might live and acted above and beyond the call of duty. They gave the last full measure of devotion to their country.
Added post...
Added post...
Next, my post was to honor heroes, like Chris Stevens, not to point fingers.
That the CIA chain of command told two national heroes to "stand down" was a justified call in a tough situation. They faced a very dangerous situation and endorsing two, albeit extraordinary, Americans to embark on an extremely dangerous mission was not an act of cowardice or misjudgment. It reflected a true appreciation of the value of the lives of Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.
That two superior and veteran operators of the caliber of Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods decided to push forward despite the odds is what made their actions above an beyond the call of duty.
I find myself in the fundamentally consistent yet superficially contradictory position of strongly supporting the decision of their superiors to have them “stand down” and their personal decision to push into the fight.
The distinctions in making the hard decisions between mission accomplishment and looking out for your men for the leader compared to the guys at “the pointy end of the spear” can, and on this occasion was, a gulf of vast dimensions.
The decision-makers sitting safe and sound were faced with a multitude of information that could only be described as chaotic. They knew that telling Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods to go forward was an unacceptable risk for those two tremendous Americans. They said: “stand down.”
For Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, they saw the same chaos and risks with the added crystal clear knowledge that they and they alone could save the lives of others. They made their decision.
That is what made their actions so special – the resolute decision of sacrifice and the uncommon valor in the face of almost certain death.
Semper Fi,
Mike
