The spectacular failure at Benghazi just took a step deeper into the rabbit hole…
The official spin that there were no forces available to support Ambassador Stevens now must explain how there were forces available and in contact with the enemy that night in Benghazi.
Delta Force Marine awarded Navy Cross for fight at CIA annex in Benghazi
By Rowan Scarborough
The Washington TimesIn a unique battlefield commendation, a Marine Corps member of Delta Force has been awarded the nation’s second highest military honor for coming to the defense of Americans last year at a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya.
Delta Force, a counterterrorism unit in the secretive Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), has been thought of as a strictly Army outfit. But it does take on qualified “operators,” as they are called, from other services.
The Washington Times has reported that two Delta Force members were among a seven-person rescue team sent from the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli to Benghazi on the night of Sept. 11, 2012. Their mission: rescue diplomats, security personnel and CIA employees pinned down by terrorists about a mile from the U.S. diplomatic mission where Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and aide Sean Smith were killed by al Qaeda-directed militants.
Two of those seven were Delta Force operators. The Times can now report that one was an Army soldier and the other a Marine.
The soldier was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, and the Marine received the Navy Cross for heroism.
The bestowal of the awards was done in secret. The medals rank just below the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor.
The Navy provided a statement to The Times:
“Yes, a Navy Cross was approved, but due to security and privacy concerns no further information can be provided at this time. It is not unusual for certain awards not to be publicized, and details of the circumstances and actions that justified the award to be withheld. Per DoD regulations, this information will not be released if it could potentially lead to a compromise of national security, or potentially create undue risk to the security and privacy of the awardee and his/her family.”
There are several areas in this report that will cause veterans to raise an eyebrow, the first being Delta Force employing Marine operators. The second being a seven man relief force including only two Delta Force operators. The third being classified citations for an Operation which has been all over the news internationally for over a year.
First, a hearty well done to the Soldier and Marine. Those awards are not lightly granted, and under less politically charged circumstances would almost certainly have been Medals of Honor.
Second, this Administration has a whole lot of explaining to do.
