13 Hours is a riveting movie and book. What makes
it special is the discussion by the six American heroes about
the terrorist attack on September 11th, 2012. As with most
incidents, the names are forgotten, but with these accounts
people are able to put a humanistic touch on the terrorist
attack of Americans. Viewers and readers feel a part of the
action, fighting alongside these operators who laid their
lives on the line for one another, and for their country.
As one of the men described, "Benghazi is essentially
a 21st Century Alamo."
This is the story of an Islamic terrorist attack on the US
State Department Special Mission Compound and a nearby CIA
station called the Annex in Benghazi, Libya, on September
11th, 2012. Four Americans were killed: U.S. ambassador J.
Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Glen "Bub" Doherty,
and Tyrone "Rone" Woods. The five operators who
provided the account were John "Tig" Tiegen, Kris
"Tanto" Paronto, Mark "Oz" Geist, and
two others who are known by the pseudonyms Dave "D.B"
Benton and Jack Silva. Both the book and the movie tell the
story of true heroism in the face of unbeatable odds. Even
knowing how it ends, people find themselves rooting for the
heroes and holding out hope they all survive. The account
seems incredible and reads like a Nelson DeMille or Vince
Flynn novel with good guys, bad guys, incompetent guys, sleazy
government officials, and action packed scenarios.
Mitch Zuckoff, the author, describes the men as "John
Wayne heroes. They did not seek aggrandizement or medals and
threw themselves in harm's way in order to save American lives.
I hoped to show that this is a historical record of what happened,
what they did, and what they saw during the Battle of Benghazi.
After speaking with them I realized what genuine decent guys
they are. I felt it was part of my responsibility to write
this book."
The book and film are extremely informative and people will
learn the truth about certain facts surrounding Benghazi.
Questions were answered, either subtly or directly, regarding
the attacks being pre-mediated versus spontaneous, if those
in charge were unprepared, was a "stand down order"
given, and what happened with reinforcements. A powerful quote
emphasized "the abundance of weapons, the absence of
a working Libyan government, and the lingering anti-Western
sentiments" in addition of the Ambassador's constant
request for additional security.
Zuckoff commented, "There were a combination of motivations.
Yes, they were highly paid but faced constant danger in their
daily lives. Because the current military does not have enough
personnel for all the missions around the world contractors
needed to be hired. But these men were retired Special Forces/Marines
so they had the experience. They repeatedly felt that this
attack could have happened at any time. Jack had talked about
this at some length, explaining that they always had to be
prepared and that their job was to protect American lives."
To offer readers some context, Zuckoff began the book with
a history of Libya that included a terrorist attack of the
Benghazi American outpost in 1967. He noted, "I put that
in so people will get a sense that history repeats itself.
If you do not recognize history you are doomed to repeat it.
I wanted to show people the world of these men."
The heroes and the author hope, after reading the book and
seeing the movie, Americans will understand "it is about
what happened in Benghazi where American lives were saved,
lost, and changed, as bullets flew, buildings burned, and
mortars fired."
People should read the book and see the movie because they
will experience, as the heroes did, the intense, shocking,
and horrific 13 Hours, and will be moved emotionally.
1st
13 Hours review [Audiobook]
|