There was no official consulate in Benghazi. They called it the Diplomatic Compound, or Compound, because it unofficially housed American diplomats at various times for varying purposes. It was slated to host Ambassador Chris Stevens on his next Benghazi visit from Tripoli on September 11, 2012.
Less than a mile away was the clandestine CIA compound known as The Annex. It housed about 30 CIA analysts and a small force of contract "operators" who provided security. They were known as the Global Response Staff (GRS Operators). The operators would accompany CIA agents as they made there way through the unfriendly confines of the city to assure their safety. They also provided security for the Annex.
While the State Department hired local militia to provide most of the heavily armed security in both places, the GRS Operators knew they were the only ones they could trust if and when the crap hit the fan.
The five GRS members of the Annex Security Team were all ex-military (Rangers, SEALS, Marines), all knew each other well, were in their late thirties and early forties and most had young families. All had vast Middle East military experience and some knew the language well. Others promised this to be their last "paycheck" before retiring for good; a last chance to make a few dollars to provide some financial security to their families.
The Annex GRS team was asked to do an assessment of the security at the Diplomatic Compound. Ambassador Stevens had only a handful of capable, but light armed, Department of State (DS) agents for his personal protection. The Annex Security Team told the DS staff their security arrangement was awful, they should not trust the militia and would be easily overrun if a forceful attack was made. They also promised to act as the QRF (Quick Reaction Force) and come to their assistance in the event of an attack.
Both Stevens and the DS agents had long asked the Department of State for more protection for the Ambassador but were routinely turned down. A lightly guarded American Ambassador in a tumultuous and unsettled Arab city was a ripe target and a recipe for disaster, especially on the anniversary of September 11.
The worst did come to pass. 13 Hours is the story of how the GRS operators from the Annex did all they could, at huge risk of life and limb, to save the Ambassador, his staff and the DS agents. By the time they got there, the Compound had been overrun and the buildings were ablaze and smoking. The local militia protection had fled. They then returned to the Annex to repel 2 formidable terrorist attacks thereby protecting the CIA staff (and most likely its secrets) within that compound. The third attack killed two of them.
These operators were not young gung-ho soldiers acting recklessly in a randomly scattered effort to kill the enemy. They were mature, competent, professional warriors who trusted each other implicitly. They would willingly give their life for each other or for the mission. But not before extracting a terrible price from their enemy. They were the consummate warriors, insisting on providing help to the diplomatic compound when the desperate calls for help started coming in. However, they were delayed by the controversial "stand down" order (if they said they were given one, you can be sure it's the truth) and did not arrive at the Diplomatic Compound in a timely manner.
They may not have been able to save Chris Stevens or Sean Smith in any event but they successfully evacuated the rest of the staff and returned to defend the Annex.
At the Annex, exposed on the rooftops to provide better firing and observation positions, these GRS Operators made their stand. Dozens if not hundreds of jihadists were cut down attempting to breach the walls. Stocked with plenty of ammo and night vision, they made their attackers pay a humiliating price. But they knew as good as they were, they could not hold out forever.
Their pleas for a Specter gunship or low flying F-16s or a company of Marines were ignored and they began to wonder why their country was not helping them. Finally, a convoy of GRS Operators from Tripoli and Libyan Militia fought their way into the Annex and evacuated all personnel. All but ex-SEAL Tyrone "Rone" Woods and his old SEAL friend Glen "Bub" Doherty who came in with the "rescue" convoy and Sean Smith and Ambassador Stevens. They went out in body bags.
Mitch Zuckoff does a wonderful job introducing us to these extraordinary war-fighters. His narrative is fast paced and the ironies are numerous and heart breaking. You can't help but bleed with these special guys, cry with their families and shake a fist at the leadership that abandoned them.
John E. Nevola - Author of The Last Jump
U.S. Army Veteran
Military Writer's Society of America
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13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi
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Reviews with images
Regardless of Your Politics This is the "MUST READ" of 2014...
By far one of the best books I've ever read. I laughed a couple of times and I cried a lot.In October of this year I had the honor of meeting the guys at a book signing. Having listened to the audiobook and read the Kindle version, I stood in line with three hardcopies at the ready for autographs. There was something about being in the same room with these heroes, for the first time, in a very long time, I felt completely and totally SAFE. I've met a lot of "celebrities" but this was different, it was humbling to be around the men who were IN Benghazi, who lost their friends, who saved the lives of others, who survived "13 Hours" that must have felt like a lifetime.The book is 100% non-partisan. Stuck on a rooftop, they weren't aware of the politics behind that tragic event and Mitch does an excellent job of putting the pieces together from the vantage points of each of the survivors involved. It answered many of the questions I had, but it did leave this reader with one gnawing question and many sleepless nights: WHAT ABOUT BOB?
