Mark “Oz” Geist and Tyrone Woods chatted about their kids in between AK-47 and machine gun fire.
Geist reported Woods’ third son, who was born not long prior to his deployment to Libya, was seven months old and Geist’s daughter.
Soldiers failed by Democrats in Benghazi
He told Fox News, grinning cynically at the memory, “We’re speaking about our children. The next thing you know, you’re getting assaulted again exactly at the same time.”
On September 11, 2012, the jihadist Islamist organization Ansar al-Sharia assaulted the CIA annex and U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.
The attack claimed the lives of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, Department of State staffer Sean Smith, CIA contractors Glen Doherty and Woods, and former Navy SEALs.
Around 9:40 p.m., the terrorists rushed the American consulate and began firing. The CIA annex security detail heard gunfire from around a mile away.
Later, other members said they were instructed to wait before answering by their base leader. According to a report published by the congressional Benghazi committee, one unnamed team member remarked, “We just reached a stage where we chose to depart on our own.”
When the incident began, Geist and a CIA officer were at a dinner meeting. Woods quickly summoned them back to the annex and warned them not to pass by the consulate, according to Geist, who was working as a CIA security contractor at the time.
Never forget. The tragedies of September 11th, 2001 and Benghazi September 11th, 2012. pic.twitter.com/bygMjxcXLb
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) September 11, 2022
Benghazi quickly became a divisive political topic.
Republicans said by implying the bombings were a response to the movie “Innocence of Muslims,” then-President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton willfully misled the public.
After several years of congressional investigations, the final report ultimately did not assign sole responsibility to any one person.
Clinton lacks the gumption to take accountability
According to Geist, high-ranking officials like Hillary Clinton lack the “gumption” to take accountability for lax security and poor response times.
He asserts he doesn’t think the American government learned from its errors in Benghazi.
He claimed, “people are making decisions without consulting the people on the ground. They ought not to be acting in that manner. A battle cannot be waged from Washington, D.C.”
10 years ago Islamic terrorists killed 4 Americans in Libya. The attack was a direct result of the failed policies of the Obama-Biden admin. They falsely blamed a video to cover up the weakness, appeasement, and incompetence that led to the attack. #Benghazi #NeverForget
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 11, 2022
In relation to the killings of the four Americans, no one has been found guilty of murder. Two Libyan nationals were subsequently found guilty of conspiring to arm and fund terrorists, deliberately demolishing a home, among other crimes.
Geist stopped working as a contractor; he and his wife founded the Shadow Warriors Project, a charitable organization that aids injured contractors.
According to him, the charity recently added a dog therapy program that pairs contractors or combat veterans with support canines.
Geist believes the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks frequently overshadows the Battle of Benghazi, but he still hopes the American people will remember the four men who lost their lives there ten years ago.
This article appeared in Conservative Cardinal and has been published here with permission.
