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| Africa North |
| The Untold Heroism Behind a Marine's Secret Navy Cross from Benghazi |
| 2019-05-15 |
| [Mil.com] Minutes after Tate Jolly arrived at the diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, a mortar hit the compound where an ambassador and another American had been killed and dozens more were trapped. The Marine gunnery sergeant was one of only two U.S. troops with a small task force that rushed to respond to what quickly became clear was a coordinated attack on the U.S. State Department facility. It was a remarkable mission. The closest military backup was hours away, which later led to fierce debate about how U.S. troops should be postured to protect Americans and diplomatic posts overseas. "There was no one even remotely close to being able to go and get them in North Africa," a source familiar with the operation planning said. "The nearest airplanes were hours away and the nearest ground troops a day away or further." The source spoke under the condition of anonymity to talk freely about the Sept. 11, 2012, incident, which remains a topic of controversy in Washington seven years later. The scene was chaotic when the team arrived, and they quickly tried to restore order. There were nearly 30 panicked people who needed to be evacuated quickly, but the compound was under fire from multiple sides. "Unfortunately, it was not a whole lot of offense; it was a whole lot of just holding guys off as long as they could to try and get out," the person familiar with the mission said. Jolly, who declined a request for an interview, would ultimately be awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism there. The soldier with him, Master Sgt. David Halbruner, received the Army's Distinguished Service Cross. The valor awards are exceeded only by the Medal of Honor. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #8 Secret, why? |
| Posted by: Woodrow 2019-05-15 18:16 |
| #7 This repot has at least a few inaccuracies; 1 … what quickly became clear was a coordinated attack on the U.S. State Department facility. The attack in question happened at the CIA facility 3 or 4 kms away. The attack at the DoS facility was long over by the time the D Boys arrived. 2 ….team headed to the consulate to bolster the diplomatic security personnel and GRS… There was no “Consulate” in Benghazi and they headed to the CIA facility not the DoS facility. |
| Posted by: Bangkok Billy 2019-05-15 18:00 |
| #6 Stevens became an inconvenient person when he found out about the CIA gun running and he got the Uriah the Hittite treatment. He was deliberately abandoned because the activities were of a corrupt nature with money changing hands |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2019-05-15 14:01 |
| #5 You have to ask why was this consulate so far from Tripoli in the first place? And why was the CIA annex already adjacent to it? What was going on in Bengazi that required the ambassador to be so unguarded and so far away from the Capitol city? |
| Posted by: Texhooey 2019-05-15 12:46 |
| #4 No neocon comment from Herb yet? Clearly these two are neocons. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2019-05-15 12:16 |
| #3 don't say that or he may commit suicide with 2 too the back of the head |
| Posted by: chris 2019-05-15 09:26 |
| #2 Hillary is saying to herself: "I thought there were to be no witnesses left behind>" |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2019-05-15 09:12 |
| #1 and Hillary should've gotten The Medal of Dishonor |
| Posted by: Frank G 2019-05-15 08:27 |