Never Leave a Man Behind: the Shame of Benghazi

 

America’s honor code—“Never leave a man behind” was violated at Bengazi when the Obama administration abandoned four men to die.. Lt. Col “Gene” Hambleton’s rescue from the Viet Cong in 1972 highlights America’s rescue tradition.

Blog Post

America’s proud fighting force lives by an honor code that cherishes every soldier engaged in conflict. That code, known as the Warrior Ethos, says, “Never leave a man behind”. Steeled to the chaos of battle, part of the glue that binds troops together in any military objective is the knowledge that, if they fall, all attempts will be made to rescue them. Honor among comrades is a time tested virtue on the battlefield.

In light of this code of honor, please explain Benghazi. Emerging details show that our commander in chief and Secretary of State ignored an embassy under attack, leaving four men to die. It now appears that no attempt has been made to bring the perpetrators to justice..  Excuses and false “facts” abound in the media. The evidence remains: no action was taken to protect or rescue Americans under fire.  What happened to the soldier’s creed: “Never leave a man behind”?

Dramatic rescue stories ignite our war history. Nineteen year old Jessica Lynch became an Iraqi war prisoner when she was captured March 23, 2003 near Nasiriyah, Iraq, on the Euphrates River. Eight days later, on April 1, US Marines and Navy SEALs staged a diversion as Army special forces, including paratroopers, retrieved Jessica, and the bodies of eleven Americans killed in the ambush. Extensive manpower, weaponry, military resources, and immense human effort brought Jessica and her fallen comrades home and honored the Warrior Ethos, “I will never leave a fallen comrade.”

American troops searched for Army Specialist Matt Maupin for three years in the Iraqi desert after his capture in mid-2005. Repeatedly acting on tips, military units went into the searing Iraqi desert with heavy equipment to dig for Maupin’s body—combing, digging, searching. Operation Trojan Horse finally ended on March 20, 2008 when Maupin’s remains were found; they now rest near his family in his Ohio home town. Again, vast resources were applied to return a comrade’s remains to a place of peace.

The recovery of Lt Col. Iceal “Gene” Hambleton, of the 42nd Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron (TEWS), based at Korat, Thailand, showcases America’s commitment to her fighting troops. Six men were aboard the EB-66C aircraft, tail number 466 with call sign Bat 21, that Easter Sunday morning in 1972. A surface to air missile (SAM) hit the mid-section of the plane and Hambleton ejected, the only man to survive.  His parachute landed him behind enemy lines in the midst of a Viet Cong offensive. For 12 days, stranded in a jungle crawling with enemy troops, he evaded the North Vietnamese. A concerted Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard and South Vietnamese effort peppered the jungle to bring him to safety—the most extensive recovery operation in US military history. (This story has personal meaning for the author: my husband, Bob, also as a member of the 42 TEWS, flew 117 combat missions over North Vietnam from Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base, a good share of which were in EB66C, tail number 466. He returned home in August 1971, seven months before that same plane, bearing Lt. Col Hambleton, was shot down.) These are the efforts Americans expend to reclaim their own.

So, again, what happened in Benghazi?  The possibility of attack was known beforehand. Repeated requests for additional security were ignored. Reinforcements—well trained, well equipped special forces were preparing to board a plan in Tripoli to offer assistance, but were told to “stand down”. A lie was pandered to the public about the reasons for the attack and the nature of its perpetrators. Investigators were not dispatched to the scene to gather evidence until a month after the deaths—far too late for any evidence to be found. Those assigned to apprehend the assailants claim they are unable to locate the instigators, yet reporters from CNN easily found the alleged terrorists living openly in Libya. These reputed assailants say no one from the Obama administration has attempted to speak to them. Our then Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, has been given a “pass” by the media for her failure in this state security matter. Now, nearly a year later, the Obama administration dismisses the topic because “it happened a long time ago”, and they declare the entire matter a “phony scandal”.

Justice has fled; the Warrior Ethos prevails no more.  “Never leave a man behind” has become “Abandon your men and bury them with lies”.