Notice: Any comments made by me, are my own, and should not be construed to be those of anyone else, or any organization or association.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Benghazi, and one man's view

On Sept. 11, 2012, an outpost of our Libyan Embassy was attacked, along with a Central Intelligence Agency annex, four of our guys were killed.

After a year, and Obama's promise to hold those who did that responsible, NO arrests and NO counter actions have taken place. NONE! (Even though one of those terrorists involved has been identified and even interviewed by 2-3 news agencies.)

I won't go into all the things that precluded at the attacks, but will take a look at the attack time-line, and the lack of response to save any of our four guys.

Sept. 11th, 2012
9:40 pm, Benghazi, Libya time (3:40 pm Washington DC time) - The first sounds of gun fire and explosions occurred at the Benghazi compound perimeter.

10 pm (4 pm DC time) - [20 minutes - Tic Toc]
Those inside, to include U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, along with Sean Smith, had come under on-going direct fire from armed terrorists who had breeched the compound walls and gates.
An alert is sent to the CIA security team at an annex about a mile away, the State Department, and to the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, that the compound was under attack.

11 pm (5 pm DC time) - [1 hr 20 mins - Tic Toc]
A U.S. surveillance drone arrives over Benghazi. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs Chairman Martin Dempsey meet with President Barack Obama. According to testimony from Panetta, at a 5 o’clock prescheduled gathering, the president left operational details, including knowledge of what resources were available to help the Americans under siege, “up to us.”

12:07 am (6:07 pm DC time) - [2 hrs 27 mins - Tic Toc]
The State Department sends an e-mail to the White House, the Pentagon and the FBI indicating the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia claimed credit for the attack.

2 am (8 pm DC time) - [4 hrs 20 mins - Tic Toc]
Embassy Station Assistant Chief Hicks informs Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that they need to evacuate all Americans from Benghazi. At about the same time, an eyewitness captures on video Stevens being pulled from the smoke-filled building.

4 am (10 pm DC time) - [6 hrs 20 mins - Tic Toc]
The attackers launch a full-on assault against the CIA annex, dropping mortars on the roof. Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods are killed in the attack. (An unknown number of U.S. personnel were also wounded, and those identities and details have been kept from the Oversight Committee on Benghazi.)

10 am (4 am DC time) - [12 hrs 20 mins] The four dead had been recovered, and along with all the survivors, departed on the last plane out of Benghazi.

So - from the time the gun fire started and the Embassy compound was stormed, to the last man killed on the rooftop at the CIA Annex building, over 6 hours of gun battles and mortar attacks took place .... and NOT A SINGLE Military Response Team was put into the air. NO Gunships, NO armed drones, NO Airpower, NO Special Ops, NOTHING was even put into motion.

Some in DC, stated that they didn't "think" such assets could get there on time. HOW COULD THEY KNOW how long the assaults would take? What IF Doherty and Woods were able to hold off the assault on the CIA Annex for several more hours? WHO was coming? WHO was already in the air, while assault plans were made and finalized? NO ONE!

For the life of me, I can not wrap my head around the fact that THIS Administration DID NOTHING to even get a Military Response team into motion, from very the start of the Embassy attack. And then, for the on-going attacks, spread over a mile away to the CIA Annex, for over 6 hours....and still NO Assets put into motion?

Even IF they would be too late to save anyone....to NOT have them in-route and even circling off the coast while mission plans were made, is UNBELIEVABLE to me.

But Obama went to bed at some point that night, and then went to Las Vegas for a "political fund raiser" that next day of Sept. 12th!

Imagine this - Your home is being broken into by several armed men ... you call 9-1-1 ... gun shots ring out while you're on the phone ... the Police Dispatcher radios the Police Officers of the call and gun shots ..... the Police Officers are told by their Patrol Supervisors to hold off heading toward the scene until they know more ... and the Dispatcher tells you, "Sorry sir, but until we know what we're up against, we're not sending anyone!" THAT is essentially what Obama and Staff did to those in Benghazi!

THAT, to me, should have been enough reason to Impeach Obama, and charge Leon Panetta with dereliction of duty! And if anyone reading this is not disgusted and pissed off ... they ain't paying attention and only see their beloved "Black President"!

By the way - Just MY view - But for ANY Military Commander to sit in silence while this goes unchallenged, is also committing a dereliction of duty to those under their command. Silence, is condoning!