We are approaching the 10-year anniversary mark of the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, which left 4 Americans dead after Islamic extremists ambushed the American consulate. This attack, which took place on the 11th anniversary of 9/11, left many Americans puzzled as to why the U.S. failed to protect its people in a government-protected space.
Many were stunned when then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton – while being questioned for the world to see – asked in response to a question, “What difference, at this point, does it make?” However, the death toll could’ve been much higher. 3 brave ex-soldiers, Glen A. Doherty, Tyrone Woods (both U.S. Navy SEALs), and Sean Smith (U.S. Air Force), the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens sacrificed their lives to protect as many American lives as possible.
In a bipartisan fashion, Rep. Brian Mast’s (R-FL) bill to honor those men has passed unanimously in the House of Representatives.
“These four Americans represented the best of our country. They were committed to advancing the cause of freedom around the globe, and they gave their last breath for that fight,” Rep. Mast said. “I cannot think of a more deserving recipient of the highest civilian honor Congress has to offer.”
According to the Mast press release, the bill also received 293 cosponsors. In the Senate, it received 48 cosponsors and passed in 2020 with 67 votes. The man who introduced the companion bill in the Senate was a Democrat, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA).
The 4 men will posthumously receive the Congressional Gold Medal.
As the nation remembers the events and the drama that unfolded in the public hearings in which lawmakers grilled then-Secretary of State Clinton following the Benghazi attacks, Mast hopes to change the narrative back to the heroes that served the United States to the best of their ability.
