“I was one of the CIA’s ‘secret soldiers of Benghazi’ when the U.S. diplomatic compound was attacked by terrorists,” recalls Mark (“Oz”) Geist. He was remembering September 11, 2012, when a band Islamic terrorists attacked the U.S. Special Mission and a nearby Annex in Benghazi, Libya.
Geist’s reflections are shared in a recent press release from Shadow Warriors Project.
“For 13 hours,” he writes, “we held off the attack.”
He and his colleagues were later credited with saving the lives of 25 Americans who were airlifted to safety once combat ended. However, J. Christopher Stevens, U.S. ambassador to Libya, was among four Americans murdered by the terrorists that day.
In the Shadow Warriors release, Geist continues his account of the ill-fated 2012 fiasco:
"I was hit by shrapnel 24 times and nearly lost an arm. Fourteen surgeries and thirteen years later, I still have chronic pain and haven’t regained the full use of my left hand.
You may think I had all the support I could dream of during my recovery, but the truth is quite the opposite.
As a military contractor, my pay and health care were cut off the minute I left Libya, and the CIA buried my wife and me in a sea of red tape and bureaucracy. Emotions in our home ran high, but we had faith in God and love for each other, and we ended up alright. Beyond that, however, we had a new mission."
Geist Response
Geist and his wife Krystal’s new mission was called the Shadow Warriors Project (SWP). It exposed Washington’s unacceptable treatment of U.S. warriors injured in the Benghazi assault. The Obama/Biden administration earned widespread criticism for its inept handling of the tragedy, especially related to the questionable level of security at the facility.
A number of investigations followed, including one by a House Select Committee to study circumstances surrounding the attack and the lame response of the White House.
Ironically, reports soon surfaced that requests for badly needed additional security in Benghazi had not been heeded. In reality, Geist and the security team had turned away two previous attacks on the CIA.
The left-handed Geist shared more details of his Benghazi time in Hook&Barrel magazine’s feature story "Mark ‘Oz’ Geist is Committed to Selfless Service.” He told the magazine that during one firefight, he stood up to fire back at the terrorists only to discover that his left arm was “hanging about six inches up at about a 90-degree angle.”
Fortunately, the militants soon retreated, Geist was taken to a hospital, and he did not lose his arm. Later, he was to say: “I think that was God helping us out there, … I got hit in the neck, four or five times in the chest and stomach. There was shrapnel near my femoral artery, shrapnel near my carotid artery, and a bunch of other holes all over the place.”
New Mission
The goal of the Geists’ new mission is expressed on the SWP website: “To do everything in our power to ensure that our veterans, contractors, first responders, and their families have the support network that we never had. Together, we launched Shadow Warriors Project and work every day to provide healing, financial assistance, and service K9s to our warriors and their caretakers.”
Furthermore, the website declares, “… in all things we seek to bring glory to the Lord.”
Geist is a U.S. Marine veteran with 12 years of active duty (1984-1996) prior to serving his country as a private contractor in high security settings. Unfortunately, following the Benghazi debacle, he was overwhelmed with the challenge of securing appropriate aid for his recovery. Assistance and services that should have been easily accessible to such citizen warriors were few, far between, and/or totally nonexistent.
Today, the SWP serves those military contractors, first responders and others who serve in danger zones to protect U.S. citizens but lack benefits and services offered to veterans.
Closed Case
In June 2014, Ahmed Abu Khatallah, a Libyan suspect in the case, was captured in Libya. He was brought to the U.S. for trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. In a November 2017 trial, a jury found him guilty of several charges related to the attack. In a 2024 court hearing, Khatallah was sentenced to 28 years in prison.
Military Month
May’s most notable salute to the military is Memorial Day dedicated to the memory of all who sacrificed their lives protecting U.S. citizens’ freedoms.
Through the years, various observances have used the same title. In fact, a Memorial Day was promoted as early as May 30, 1868, to honor those who died in the Civil War. It was created with a proclamation by Gen. John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, a troop of former Union sailors and soldiers.
The current annual U.S. holiday was established when a Congressional Uniform Monday Holiday Act went into effect in 1971. It set Memorial Day on the last Monday of May.
Many other groups, celebrations, and causes have chosen this month to focus on more specific human and patriotic emphases.
For example, Armed Forces Day is celebrated annually on the third Saturday of May. It specifically honors men and women who are currently serving in the U.S. armed forces.
Military Spouse Appreciation Day is observed on the Friday prior to Mother’s Day. President Ronald Reagan declared May 23, 1984, to be the first Military Spouse Day, and the word appreciation was added later.
Children of Fallen Patriots Day was established in 2002 to honor and celebrate the children of service members who lost their lives in the line of duty. It is observed annually on May 13.
In 1921, Americanization Day promoted patriotism and American values in response to rising global communism. President Dwight D. Eisenhower dubbed it Loyalty Day in 1955, and Congress officially recognized May 1 as Loyalty Day in1958.
Victory in Europe Day (VE Day or V-E Day) commemorates the end of World War II in Europe after Nazi Germany's surrender to Allied forces in 1945. It is observed on May 8.
May seems to be a military month. What better time to celebrate and support the Shadow Warriors who also risk their lives to preserve this nation’s freedoms?
Editor’s Note: For more of Mark Geist’s story, visit https://shadowwarriorsproject.org/ or https://www.hookandbarrel.com/contact-us/.
In 2014, Geist co-authored 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi. The event was also the subject of a 2016 movie, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi. However, readers and film fans should be cautioned that it’s a war story with likely prolific violence and profanity.
