Click here to subscribe today or Login.
PLAINS TWP. — On the eve of a divisive election, a former U.S. Army ranger and contractor during the 2012 U.S. Consulate Benghazi attacks Monday told a soldier’s side of the attacks.
Kris “Tanto” Paronto, sponsored by the American Legacy Center, brought the “Leading from the Front” tour to a crowd of 800 in a ballroom at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Paronto, co-author of “13 Hours,” which was made into a Michael Bay film of the same name, spoke to the packed crowd, made up mostly of veterans, about his experience. The veteran took the stage to a standing ovation before recounting his events on Sept. 11, 2012, and then taking questions from the audience.
He began by reminding the crowd that he was part of a team of private security contractors made of up of two U.S. Navy Seals, three U.S. Marines and himself, working for the CIA at a nearby annex, that saved 31 lives. The remaining soldiers and government employees were able to evacuate to safety on Sept. 12.
“They (the public) don’t remember that,” he said.
It was an hour after the ambush on the consulate that Paronto and his team were called. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and Information Officer Sean Smith died as a result of the attack on the the nine-acre consulate compound, Paronto acknowledged.
The team then fought their way back to the CIA annex, where a 13-hour firefight ensued and fellow contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty died in the fight. Paronto recalled being on the top of the consulate annex shooting at ISIS terrorists all the while with his best friend, Boon.
“It was meant to be,” he said about fighting next to his friend. “If God wanted me to die on that battlefield, it was with my best friend.”
He said the facts in the movie and book were correct and as vivid as the team remembered them.
Because of the team’s honesty in the book and movie, Paronto said he and his team “methodically” lost their security contractor clearances, with someone on his team losing their clearances quickly and one losing them within this past year.
“I can get other contracts, but I can’t work for the State Department,” he said.
Critics allege then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton didn’t do enough during the attacks, especially when help to the consulate didn’t arrive in a timely manor.
“All (sources of help) were shut down because Ms. Clinton did it,” he said. “I don’t know why she did it.”
In October 2015, Clinton sat in front of the U.S. Congress for nearly 11 hours to discuss the attacks. The House Select Committee on Benghazi issued a final report in June 2016, which found no evidence of culpability or wrongdoing by Clinton in the attacks.
He called on everyone in the audience to keep the memory of the attacks alive.
“Do not let this story die,” he told them, reminding the crowd that the way to keep a veteran’s memory alive is to tell their story.
