Southern Colorado Men Co-Author Benghazi Book

The newly-formed, bi-partisan Benghazi Committee will hold its first hearing Wednesday to try and figure out what led to the attacks in 2012.

Two men from Southern Colorado, who were there the night of the attacks, want to be invited to share their accounts.

John Tiegen, of Fountain, and Mark Geist, of Fowler, were contracted members of the Annex Security Team in Benghazi. They have detailed their accounts of the deadly events of that September 11 th night in the book, “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi.”

Both retired Marines, the choice to serve as security contractors was part of their DNA.

“Most of us want to go to places that are more dangerous than less dangerous,” said Mark Geist.

Both knowingly – and willingly – stepped into the volatile climate that has come to define Benghazi, Libya, with a singular mission: protect U.S. foreign interests.

Ambassador Chris Stevens was well-aware of the danger, too.

It was June, 2012, three months before the attacks, Stevens wrote to Washington about the rise of “Islamic Extremism.”

Two months following, in August, Stevens requested more body guards at the compound.

And, according to “13 Hours,” in the days leading up to the September 11 th attacks, this bulletin from Washington: “Be advised, we have reports from locals that a Western facility of US Embassy/Consulate/Government target will be attacked in the next week.”

“They [the Consulate] couldn’t even withstand the smallest attack. They had no defensive positions set up, or even the weapons we had,” said John Tiegen.

When the call for help came the night of the attacks, the Annex Security Team said they were told to “stand down.”

Not once. Not twice. But, three times.

For the men whose mission it was to protect – there couldn’t have been a more frustrating answer.

“It makes you angry. Makes you think they don’t understand your capabilities,” said Tiegen.

The hesitation cost a precious 25 minutes, and, in the eyes of Tiegen and Geist, the lives of Ambassador Stevens and Information Specialist Sean Smith.

“I believe the Ambassador and Sean Smith would’ve still been alive, because they died of smoke inhalation, not gunshot wounds or anything else,” said Tiegen.

And not only that.

“Between that and the 13 hours that we were under attack, certainly there would have been time for help to come from a number of places,” said Geist.

Help, according to Tiegen and Geist, that could have changed the outcome of that deadly night.

“13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi” was released last week.