John “Tig” Tiegen

John “Tig” Tiegen was never a member of Delta Force but was a GRS contractor and one of the protagonists in America’s initial response to the Benghazi attack.

Participated in the opening of the embassy on his first trip. Reported not like the “flagpole.”

On his second trip, went to Benghazi. Pulled multiple trips. Including one to a yellowcake site. Went to a city near the Egyptian border.

Benhazi was different – “they’d come and shake your hand,” referring to the locals being grateful.

First trip: 3 months

Second trip: 2 months (pulled early because of twins being born early)

Third Trip: ?

Fourth Trip: 9/11 Benghazi attacks. Was pretty quiet. Iran had just kidnapped a few people. A few locals got whacked. No clear threat to the Americans was present in terms of intelligence.

BOB (Chief of base in Benghazi (head guy): Very brisk, adverse – didn’t understand GRS capabilities.

British Ambassador has previously been attacked. BOB was there with a previous team leader, and refused to let GRS response to attack on British ambassador. Then team leader overruled BOB by telling him to kick sand. Bob had ordered a stand-down when Tiegen and his team wanted to respond to non-combat personnel, a deputy chief and a linguistic, were caught up at a checkpoint.

Previously worked with Sarah Adams – including in Peshawar and Libya. Sarah “likes to get people whacked.”

Night of the Benghazi Attacks

Sarah was there. Ambassador Chris Adams had gotten in the night before. Intelligence came in that an attack was expected on a diplomatic facility in Libya. The Ambassador was originally supposed to move off-base that day but this led to that being cancelled. Sarah had left the base that morning. Oz had a movement that day with the female case officer as it was a meeting she couldn’t cancel.

The next day, they were supposed to take the ambassador to a meeting with the Persian XXX Company.

Out of the compound when the embassy is already overrun. He is with Jack.

Attackers are already inside the gates by the time GRS is called.

Tonto and OD are the QRF so they are already heading out. They are reporting at least 150 actors.

Tiegen got a belt-fed machine gun, and grenade launcher from the team room.

BOB once again told them to stand down. Sarah and OD

The 17th February Marty’s Brigade Militia Arrives

17th February Martyrs Militaia Brigade arrives, as the State Department QRF, and then takes off.

The Ambassador is Beginning

Nearly from the beginning, the location of the Ambassador was unknown. Tiegen reports that he went into the saferoom on multiple occasions, looking for the ambassador, yelling “Chris,” while searching for the ambassador.

The Team From Tripoli

Around 3AM, the arriving team landed in Tripoli. Around this time, the forces at Benghazi became aware that the ambassador was dead. This is also the time at which the team from Tripoli landed in Benghazi. At this time, Tiegen was shot in the side, but it was stopped by a plate. He did not feel a hole but it still felt like he had been shot.

The second firefight was longer, as double the initial amount of fighters had swarmed the compound, and it was pretty quiet prior to the team from Tripoli and the militia showing up.

Two Delta Force guys got an award for going onto a roof and throwing Dave Rubin off a roof, Tiegen reports. He notes that Delta threw the bodies of the roof, and were not under fire, as the citation award otherwise suggests.

Tiegen argues that Delta Force is being rewarded for showing up late, and doing shoddy work.

Tiegen reports that the militia which rescued the team, unknown to American intel, was actually made up of Gadaffi forces.