AMERICAN HEROES: Impromptu defenders of the Embassy
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.
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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.
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.
NO
TRUE AMERICAN WOULD OBJECT TO RECEIVING THIS MORE THAN ONCE
...
SO
PASS IT ON
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