It’s still hard for Kris “Tanto” Paronto to share all of what happened in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012.
Some parts are easier than others.
But the 13 hours he and other private military contractors spent fighting, trying to defend the U.S. compound in Libya from a terrorist attack, are etched in his memory forever.
“Parts are still hard for me to talk about,” Paronto, a former Army Ranger, told a crowd of around 200 gathered at The Fort Worth Club on Thursday. “Politics had a lot to do with what went on that night.
“The State Department failed us.”
That has been an issue of so much debate that a special House committee studied the Islamic militant attack on the U.S. State Department Special Mission Compound in Libya — and the response from Paronto and others on the CIA annex security team — that occurred on the 11th anniversary of 9/11.
Four Americans — including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens — were killed.
The committee issued an 800-page report spreading blame through several governmental agencies for failing to better respond.
‘Stand-down order’
On Sept. 11, 2012, Paronto said he and his crew were readying for Stevens.
It seemed to be a calm day and a calm evening — no threats, no protests — when, by 9 p.m., they were told the ambassador was in bed.
The first call for help came at 9:32 p.m.
More followed.
Within five minutes, Paronto and his crew were ready to head to the compound, when the team leader said they needed to wait.
“It’s hard to do,” Paronto said, explaining that every moment counts in such a situation. “There was a stand-down order.”
As the minutes ticked away, and the contractors knew the chance of survival for those in the compound was waning, eventually Paronto said they decided to disobey orders.
It was the right thing to do.
Kris “Tanto” Paronto of the crew’s decision to defy stand down orders
They knew the odds were against them. They knew they might not survive, and even if they did, they would lose their jobs — and their health and life insurance.
“It was the right thing to do,” he said.
As the team neared the compound, they stepped out of their vehicles and shots were fired their way. It took about 30 minutes for them to make their way into the compound.
Under heavy fire
Fire was the first thing they saw once inside.
They spent the next hour searching the grounds and smoky buildings, finding both survivors and those who didn’t make it.
As they worked to evacuate survivors, they again found themselves under heavy fire.
Hour by hour, they returned shot for shot and ultimately were able to evacuate more than 20 other Americans. Four Americans died, including members of his team.
Kris “Tanto” Paronto said the crew was not able to find U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens at the compound, but his body was brought to them after the attack ended.
They never found Stevens, but shortly after leaving the compound, Paronto said a group of Libyans brought the ambassador’s body to his team.
“It was not desecrated,” Paronto said. “He died of smoke inhalation.”
He said he and the crew felt betrayed there wasn’t more help from the U.S. government.
As the team waited at the airport, trying to find a way to safety “to take a few hours off,” a plane arrived.
He said some say the State Department sent the plane for them. He believes it just “showed up.”
“God has a sense of humor and sometimes he does take care of sinners like me,” Paronto said with a wry smile.
Congressional inquiry
Amid concerns by Republicans, a House committee was created to investigate whether U.S. military forces could have responded faster.
An 800-page report in June found a variety of missteps, spreading blame through several governmental agencies for failing to better respond.
“We expect our government to make every effort to save the lives of Americans who serve in harm’s way,” said U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas. “That did not happen in Benghazi. Politics were put ahead of the lives of Americans, and while the administration had made excuses and blamed the challenges posed by time and distance, the truth is that they did not try.”
In August, the parents of two of the Americans killed in Benghazi — State Department employee Sean Smith and security contractor Tyrone Woods — filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Democratic presidential nominee and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
A Clinton campaign spokesman has said she wasn’t to blame.
A book, “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi,” was written about the event. And a movie, based on the book, was made.
Anna Tinsley: 817-390-7610, @annatinsley
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