wounded. As Glen attempted to reposition and take cover, a second round dropped onto his position, killing him instantly. A third round hit the DSS agentâs position, wounding him and shredding his leg with fragments.
Glenâs and Tyâs deaths severely impacted their fellow teammates and influenced two GRS agents, long after the fight, to quit as a result of their deaths. They were the type of men people looked up to and loved. They were exemplary in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. With no time for personal reflection, they died with a gun in their hands, defending their fellow Americans.
Without hesitation, and clearly putting themselves at risk, several more agents, including one JSOC guy, ran up to the roof to assess the damage and give aid to the wounded. This quick action unquestionably saved two menâs lives. They lowered the bodies down with rope they had cut from gym equipment. The GRS agent was able to make it down the ladder on his own, and the JSOC guy literally strapped the wounded DSS agent to his back before climbing down the ladder under a hail of incoming fire.
At this time, another JSOC operator was monitoring the situation from his handheld ROVER, a device used to display sensor data from a General Atomics MQâ1 Predator overhead.
A ROVER Handheld Device. Courtesy of L3 Communications.
It was an unarmed drone equipped with multiple sensors to detect infrared (IR) and thermal signatures. The drone had been redirected to the scene by the DODâs AFRICOM (Africa Command) at the request of the JSOC operator. It contributed to the overall situational awareness of the ground-based team, and the information was a huge factor in the next decisionâwhich would save all of their lives.
Armed Version of the Predator. Courtesy of General Atomics.
âThereâs a large element assembling, and we need to get everyone out of here now!â the JSOC man relayed to the Chief of Base and GRS TL. The footage on the ROVERâs screen was enough to convince the CIA Chief. They immediately notified everyone to gather up all their personal security items and evacuate.
To the CIAâs credit, all told, they successfully rescued six State Department personnel, recovered Smithâs body, and got approximately thirty Americans out of Benghazi alive. And they also didnât compromise any classified material in the process. The CIA team left the compound locked, and in the hands of a trusted local.
Within minutes of the decision, the vehicles were loaded and the Americans were on their way to the airport. They encountered small arms fire on the way but arrived unscathed in time to meet the first of two aircraft that would fly them back to Tripoli.
E ARLIER, WHILE THE CIA compound was under attack, the embassy in Tripoli had been trying to coordinate with an unknown caller concerning the whereabouts of Ambassador Stevensâs body. A call had come in at 2:00am from the borrowed cell phone that was loaned to Stevens by the DSS agent. They were suspicious that it was a guise to lure the Americans into incurring further casualties. The decision was made to send a trusted local, familiar with the ambassador, to the Benghazi Medical Center, where he positively identified Stevensâs body. Weâre unsure about the details, but arrangements were made to transport the ambassadorâs remains to the airport. Weâve heard that there was an exchange of fire in the handoff process, but itâs unconfirmed. There was likely a money exchange involved, regardless of what happened.
At 7:30am, a chartered jet took the wounded and a small number of American evacuees back to Tripoli in the first wave. A second Libyan aircraft (a Câ130) would take the remaining Americans, including Ambassador Stevensâs body, which had arrived by ambulance at the airport around 8:30 in the morning. They would all land in Tripoli at 11:30am. The bodies and wounded were sent to
Glenâs and Tyâs deaths severely impacted their fellow teammates and influenced two GRS agents, long after the fight, to quit as a result of their deaths. They were the type of men people looked up to and loved. They were exemplary in all aspects of their personal and professional lives. With no time for personal reflection, they died with a gun in their hands, defending their fellow Americans.
Without hesitation, and clearly putting themselves at risk, several more agents, including one JSOC guy, ran up to the roof to assess the damage and give aid to the wounded. This quick action unquestionably saved two menâs lives. They lowered the bodies down with rope they had cut from gym equipment. The GRS agent was able to make it down the ladder on his own, and the JSOC guy literally strapped the wounded DSS agent to his back before climbing down the ladder under a hail of incoming fire.
At this time, another JSOC operator was monitoring the situation from his handheld ROVER, a device used to display sensor data from a General Atomics MQâ1 Predator overhead.
A ROVER Handheld Device. Courtesy of L3 Communications.
It was an unarmed drone equipped with multiple sensors to detect infrared (IR) and thermal signatures. The drone had been redirected to the scene by the DODâs AFRICOM (Africa Command) at the request of the JSOC operator. It contributed to the overall situational awareness of the ground-based team, and the information was a huge factor in the next decisionâwhich would save all of their lives.
Armed Version of the Predator. Courtesy of General Atomics.
âThereâs a large element assembling, and we need to get everyone out of here now!â the JSOC man relayed to the Chief of Base and GRS TL. The footage on the ROVERâs screen was enough to convince the CIA Chief. They immediately notified everyone to gather up all their personal security items and evacuate.
To the CIAâs credit, all told, they successfully rescued six State Department personnel, recovered Smithâs body, and got approximately thirty Americans out of Benghazi alive. And they also didnât compromise any classified material in the process. The CIA team left the compound locked, and in the hands of a trusted local.
Within minutes of the decision, the vehicles were loaded and the Americans were on their way to the airport. They encountered small arms fire on the way but arrived unscathed in time to meet the first of two aircraft that would fly them back to Tripoli.
E ARLIER, WHILE THE CIA compound was under attack, the embassy in Tripoli had been trying to coordinate with an unknown caller concerning the whereabouts of Ambassador Stevensâs body. A call had come in at 2:00am from the borrowed cell phone that was loaned to Stevens by the DSS agent. They were suspicious that it was a guise to lure the Americans into incurring further casualties. The decision was made to send a trusted local, familiar with the ambassador, to the Benghazi Medical Center, where he positively identified Stevensâs body. Weâre unsure about the details, but arrangements were made to transport the ambassadorâs remains to the airport. Weâve heard that there was an exchange of fire in the handoff process, but itâs unconfirmed. There was likely a money exchange involved, regardless of what happened.
At 7:30am, a chartered jet took the wounded and a small number of American evacuees back to Tripoli in the first wave. A second Libyan aircraft (a Câ130) would take the remaining Americans, including Ambassador Stevensâs body, which had arrived by ambulance at the airport around 8:30 in the morning. They would all land in Tripoli at 11:30am. The bodies and wounded were sent to
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