On Sept. 11, 2012, four Americans were killed while defending against attacks on two U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya. Among those killed were U.S. Ambassador to Libya John Christopher Stevens, U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith, and CIA contractors Tyrone “Rone” Woods and Glen “Bub” Doherty who were both former U.S. Navy SEALs.
On the eighth anniversary of the attack, Benghazi security team members Kris “Tanto” Paronto and John “Tig” Tiegen commemorated the day of the attack.
Paronto posted a Facebook tribute commemorating the Americans killed in both the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi attack and the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Paronto is a former U.S. Army Ranger and served as a CIA contractor when the Benghazi attack occurred.
Paronto’s full Facebook tribute post reads:
Isaiah 26:19 – Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise. You who dwell in the dust, awake and sing for joy! For your dew is a dew of light, and the earth will give birth to the dead.
Today is a day we all focus on the remembrance of September 11th 2001 and September 11th 2012.
This day of remembrance should not be on the enemy that attacked us, but on the lives that were lost. We should celebrate the memory of those we have lost.
Tell stories of how they impacted this world in a positive way. Tell their stories to keep them alive in our hearts. Their names are forever engraved and captured on stone, metal, and the digital world of the internet. But it is our responsibility to share stories of them telling good and bad jokes, the way they smiled, laughed, and loved those in their lives. Share the mistakes they made, as well as the great achievements.
Do not use this day to point fingers at the enemy that caused their deaths, do not use this day for political “I got you” points, do not use this day to profit through sales from what happened on those days. Instead, make the best of this day, as well as all others by spending time with your family, helping others, and being a positive change in this world.
From my family and the rest of the Battleline Tactical team’s families, we pray that God help all of us to lift our eyes above the torment of this broken world, and grant us the grace to focus on the good and memories of those we love. As we honor the past, the lives of those lost, and may we put our faith in God’s future plans for us; for He is the source of life and peace. Amen!
#Faith #Remember #CelebrateLife #13Hours #September11 #2001 #2012 #Benghazi #Pentagon #TwinTowers #Flight93 #sayTheirNames #LiveLife #NeverForget #ForgeAhead #FamilyFirst #Timeisshort
Paronto also shared a series of photos taken before and after the Benghazi attacks.
Paronto’s post reads, “Libya 🇱🇾 March 2012 to September 12 , 2012 . Several pics while I was working there. The first ones were after we loaded the US Flag draped coffins of my teammates Rone & Bub and Ambassador Chris Stevens & Sean Smith on our C17 flight from Tripoli to Germany. I then took a pic of Jack Silva as we couldn’t figure out what to say to each other and just sat quietly with our own thoughts of what happened and didn’t happen the night before. It’s hard to watch each mortar hit the roof top where Rone and Bub were fighting, seeing the last one hit as I was firing my M4 over and through their position approximately 35-40 meters to my front. Seeing the huge flashes of light through my NVG’s, feeling the concussions and pieces of debris rain down, then nothing but silence…..I’d be lying if I said I didn’t.
“I relive that haunting moment everyday. I also remember God tapping me on the shoulder after I saw the last one hit, I had put my head down for a second, but he whispered in my ear ‘Get Your Gun Up Ranger 🙏🏼💪🏼’. No one ever knows what’s going to happen in the next minute let alone the next 13 hours. All we can do is to learn from and savor the experiences we have no matter how awesome or awful they are, sometimes they’re both at the same time. God bless you Rone & Bub, you fought like the warriors you are. And God bless you Chris and Sean, you will never be forgotten.”
On Friday, Tiegen, a former U.S. Marine and fellow security contractor in Benghazi, shared an Instagram story remembering the four Americans lost in the Benghazi attack.
John Tiegen, Instagram post screenshot
According to his personal biography, Tiegen defied a stand-down order and led a security team to reinforce the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and a nearby annex building during the attacks.
On Friday, Tiegen also shared a fitness challenge in remembrance of the Benghazi attack, which lasted for 13 hours. The challenge entails completing as many sets of 13 exercises as possible in an hour.
The exercises are: 13 Push-Ups, 13 Sandbag Bent Over Rows, 13 Sandbag Swings, 13 Sit-Ups, 13 Sandbag Thrusters, 13 Box Step-Ups, 13 Lateral Sandbag Burpees, 13 Sandbag Pull-Throughs, 13 Sandbag Over the Shoulder Throws, 13 Mountain Climbers, 13 Sandbag Shoulder to Shoulder Push Press, 13 Air Squats and 200m Sandbag Carry.
