OPEN LETTER ON BENGHAZI TO HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER

By Ed Timperlake

August 19, 2013

The Honorable John Boehner

Speaker of the House

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C.  20515

Dear Mr. Speaker:

Tyrone Woods and Glenn Doherty did not die in vain.  We urge you to pursue release of the electronic communications from Benghazi so that we may learn more about their extraordinary acts of heroism.

Through their undaunted valor in fighting to the death over a significant period of time, these two former Navy SEALS highlighted the lack of a U.S. military response.  In the Battle of Benghazi, Tyrone Woods and Glenn Doherty, along with others, by courageously engaging the enemy over a significant period of time, made a supreme, selfless sacrifice. The American people need to know all of the facts and hear for themselves the communications made during this dramatic, fatal battle.

It has been widely reported that electronic communications were being made in the clear during the attack, and that private cell phones were used in some instances.  The Battle of Benghazi “comms,” if ever made public, will allow the American people to judge for themselves the performance of all involved.

Combat, because until it ends, doesn’t end. All that we know currently, more than ten months after the attacks, is that President Obama went to bed while the fighting was still raging.  Even while he traveled to a fundraiser the next day, a counterattack would have still been tactically and strategically critical to deliver.

The tactical consequences of no counterattack are long lasting, not a brief, “what difference does it make” event.  The message sent is that terrorism can succeed. US reinforcements could have killed or captured those involved in the attack. This was not a police action with a law court in prospect.  Benghazi unfolded on the world stage, where failure to succeed is a key factor shaping what our adversaries believe they can do next with impunity.

In addition, the U.S. could have had a rallying point for saving those Libyans working with us, whose fate is still unknown. US insertion forces could have secured any classified information and communication gear and collected, if possible, any remaining cell phones to protect social networks as well as collected forensic evidence for the FBI, and US and Allied intelligence communities.

At Benghazi, the U.S. lost the first set piece battle against Al-Qaeda.  With no counter-attack, the enemy held its objective. This is a classic definition of a military defeat and one which will have dangerous consequences for the future.

We have yet to know why no adequate military response or rescue mission was ordered, and we do not know who prepared dishonest talking points, blaming an obscure video and a spontaneous protest that did not happen.

We strongly support Representative Frank Wolf’s bill to create a Select Committee, as the best means to get to the bottom of this scandal and to render needed accountability and answers to critical questions swirling around this scandal.  We urge you urgently to stand up this Committee to determine the truth about Benghazi, and foremost, in so doing, to secure public release of the critical communications from the ground as Woods and Doherty fought to their deaths, which the American people have every right to hear.

The Honorable Ed Timperlake

Former professional staff, House Rules Committee

former Marine Corps officer/author

Margaret C. Hemenway

former professional staff, House Government Reform and Oversight

former Deputy White House Liaison/OSD

Dr. Angelo Codevilla

former U.S. Foreign Service Officer,

Staff, U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

Richard J. Douglas

U.S. Foreign Service veteran

U.S. Navy Iraq Veteran

former U.S. Senate staff

Howie Lind

Candidate, U.S. Senate 2014

David S. Sullivan

retired, Senior Professional staff, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee

LT COL (ret.) USMCR

Former CNN/CSPAN foreign affairs commentator

Rear Admiral James J. Carey

U.S. Navy (ret.)

National Chairman, National Defense Committee

Chet Nagle

Naval Academy graduate, carrier pilot, former Department of Defense official, former CIA agent, awarded The Order of Oman for services in that ally’s war with the communist guerrillas of the Peoples Democratic Republic of Yemen; author of two books including “Iran Covenant”

John Hensley

Former U.S. Customs Service official

Sarah White

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army

Robert “Buzz Patterson, Lt Col USAF (RET), former senior military aide and carrier of the “Nuclear Football” for President Bill Clinton. New York Times best selling author of “Dereliction of Duty” and “Reckless Disregard”

Nena Wiley

President, Pure Pursuit Intelligence Network

Eric Bleicken

Vietnam Veteran, UDT-Officer, former DARPA manager

Kevin Freeman

Author of Secret Weapon

Senior Fellow, Center for Security Policy

Terri Lukach

former OSD/Speechwriter

Captain Doc Dugan

USN (ret.)

Chairman, Westmoreland Co. GOP

Rodger Meredith

US Navy, Dominican Republic Intervention 1965

Bonny Sisson Stilwell

National Vietnam Veterans Coalition

ex-officio, VP League of Republican Women, Washington, DC

David Hemenway

former Congressional staffer/Army reservist

Captain William Stilwell

USN (ret.)

Susan Daniels

Licensed private investigator,

State of Ohio

Ray Mares

Vietnam War veteran/Captain, US Army/businessman

Dr. Joseph Arminio

former U.S. House candidate, Maryland-1

Rotchy Barker

Former Member/Board of Directors, Chicago Board of Trade

Businessman

Floyd Damschen Jr.

LTC, USAF-ret.

Tom Lawson

Thirty years’ service in the US military; ret. FAA/Air Traffic Control Manager

Richard H. Irish

Korea “Police Action” era E-5

Bob Rohrer

retired “natural born” citizen/

Marine Corporal

Henry Kriegel

Co-founder, Bozeman Montana Tea Party

Bonnie Wilder

Patricia Evans

Harold Schweizer

Huddleston, VA

Bob Gibson, member of Board of Supervisors in Russell County Va.

Leland Gilbert Hancock HM4

Roslyn A. Hancock, Lieutenant, RN

DeWitt Edwards, retired engineering tech

Assistant organizer of the Middle Peninsula Tea Party

Ural Harris

Martinsville, VA

Danny Lynch

Navy (E-5)

Capt. John J. Snidow  (FEDEX ret.)

retired international airline captain

former Marine

Terrence Lakin

former Lieutenant Colonel (US Army)

Donald W Waugaman

Lt . U. S. Naval Reserve

Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2

Service 1969 thru 1980

Active Duty – 1970 thru 1973

Priscilla King

Constitutional Civil Libertarian

Linda Gunn MS/CCC-SLP

Aida Manzano

Brenda Hardison, Chesapeake, Va.

Dr. Eldon Bell, ret. Colonel, U.S. Army,

ret. Minister Counselor, U.S. Department of State

James Enniss

Chairman, Patrick Henry Patriots

 

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3 responses to “OPEN LETTER ON BENGHAZI TO HOUSE SPEAKER JOHN BOEHNER”

  1. C Zangas says:

    A well crafted, unemotional letter, on point and logical.
    The American people are tired of ‘managed news’! Let’s get to the bottom of this trajady!

  2. Jim Sandberg says:

    Our nation’s delay in uncovering the truth of this matter is a disgrace, but we must never give up. Your letter is right on point, reasonable and proper; no wonder you took heat from the Hill…

  3. shlomo levy says:

    Dear Ed,
    I can`t but join you with everything I can. This letter will probably do something “up-there”…. However, tacticaly many things could be done, hunting tose people, operationally organizers and executors till death, like we have hunted the Nazi murderers and the PLO responsible for the Munich Olimpic game masacre. Let them run and hide all their life, and lwt them know that there is no escape from your long hands.

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