It would be nice to know that when you go into harm's way for your country

and your fellow man, that your compatriots have your back. Somehow, we've

lost that sense of honor and obligation to support our warriors.

From: Hank Greer

"Any man who thinks he can be happy and prosperous by letting the government

take care of him, better take a closer look at the American Indian."

Henry Ford

The evaluation below is from a retired AF pilot who is familiar with the

area that could have responded to Benghazi .

"Hands" was my boss when I was on the USAF Stan Eval team when we were both

stationed at Ramstein in the late 70's. I guess "outspoken" is an

understatement because Phil would tell it like it was and that is the main

reason he was so well respected by all of those who ever worked for him. As

far as I know he was the only pilot "living" to loop a C-130. His

"outspokenness" did get him fired as the F-15 wing commander at Luke. At his

going away speech he was given a 45 minute (or something close to that....I

wasn't there, just heard about it) standing ovation. Phil is kind of like a

George Patton in that he needed to be wrapped up and saved for combat. He is

a hell of a guy and I would fly with him anytime. Bob

Gentlemen

I would say every US fighter pilot, retired or on active duty, knows that

Panetta and Dempsey both are full of crap when they said there was no time

to send help to Benghazi . They claim it was a problem of "time/space." All

my friends and I said, "Bullshit." We know they could have gotten F-16s

there from Aviano.

"Hands" Handley is a well-respected USAF fighter pilot. Here is his short

resume and what he just wrote about Benghazi below. If anything, Handley is

pessimistic in his timeline of when F-16s could have reached Benghazi . I

think they could have been airborne even sooner and turned quicker at Sig.

The decision to not try was not based on capability. We had the operational

capability in every way.

I hope Handley's taxes are in order. His IRS audit is forthcoming.

Colonel Phil "Hands" Handley is credited with the highest speed air- to-air

gun kill in the history of aerial combat. He flew operationally for all but

11 months of a 26-year career, in aircraft such as the F-86 Sabre, F-15

Eagle, and the C-130A Hercules. Additionally, he flew 275 combat missions

during two tours in Southeast Asia in the F- 4D and F-4E. His awards include

21 Air Medals, 3 Distinguished Flying Crosses, and the Silver Star.

----------------------------------------------

Betrayal in Benghazi

Phil "Hands" Handley Colonel, USAF (Ret.)

The combat code of the US Military is that we don't abandon our dead or

wounded on the battlefield. In US Air Force lingo, fighter pilots don't run

off and leave their wingmen. If one of our own is shot down, still alive and

not yet in enemy captivity, we will either come to get him or die trying.

Among America 's fighting forces, the calm, sure knowledge that such an

irrevocable bond exists is priceless. Along with individual faith and

personal grit, it is a sacred trust that has often sustained hope in the

face of terribly long odds.

The disgraceful abandonment of our Ambassador and those brave ex-SEALs who

fought to their deaths to save others in that compound is nothing short of

dereliction-of-duty.

Additionally, the patently absurd cover-up scenario that was fabricated in

the aftermath was an outright lie in an attempt to shield the President and

the Secretary of State from responsibility.

It has been over eight months since the attack on our compound in Benghazi .

The White House strategy, with the aid of a "lap dog" press has been to run

out the clock before the truth is forthcoming.

The recent testimonies of the three "whistle blowers" have reopened the

subject and hopefully will lead to exposure and disgrace of those

responsible for this embarrassing debacle. It would appear that the most

recent firewall which the Administration is counting on is the contention

"that there were simply no military assets that could be brought to bear in

time to make a difference" mainly due to the unavailability of tanker

support for fighter aircraft.

This is simply BS, regardless how many supposed "experts" the Administration

trot out to make such an assertion.

The bottom line is that even if the closest asset capable of response was

half-way around the world, you don't just sit on your penguin ass and do

nothing.

The fact is that the closest asset was not half-way around the world, but as

near as Aviano Air Base , Italy where two squadrons of F-16Cs are based.

Consider the following scenario (all times Benghazi local): When Hicks in

Tripoli receives a call at 9:40 PM from Ambassador Stevens informing him

"Greg, we are under attack!" (his last words), he immediately notifies all

agencies and prepares for the immediate initiation of an existing "Emergency

Response Plan."

At AFRICON, General Carter Ham attempts to mount a rescue effort, but is

told to "stand down". By 10:30 PM an unarmed drone is overhead the compound

and streaming live feed to various "Command and Control Agencies" and

everyone watching that feed knew damn well what was going on.

At 11:30 PM Woods, Doherty and five others leave Tripoli, arriving in

Benghazi at 1:30 AM on Wednesday morning, where they hold off the attacking

mob from the roof of the compound until they are killed by a mortar direct

hit at 4:00 AM.

So nothing could have been done, eh? Nonsense. If one assumes that tanker

support really "was not available" what about this:

When at 10:00 PM AFRICON alerts the 31st TFW Command Post in Aviano Air

Base, Italy of the attack, the Wing Commander orders preparation for the

launch of two F-16s and advises the Command Post at NAS Sigonella to prepare

for hot pit refueling and quick turn of the jets.

By 11:30 PM, two F-16Cs with drop tanks and each armed with five hundred 20

MM rounds are airborne. Flying at 0.92 mach they will cover the 522 nautical

miles directly to NAS Sigonella in 1.08 hours. While in-route, the flight

lead is informed of the tactical situation, rules of engagement, and radio

frequencies to use.

The jets depart Sigonella at 1:10 AM with full fuel load and cover the 377

nautical miles directly to Benghazi in 0.8 hours, arriving at 1:50 AM which

would be 20 minutes after the arrival of Woods, Doherty and their team.

Providing that the two F-16s initial pass over the mob, in full afterburner

at 200 feet and 550 knots did not stop the attack in its tracks, only a few

well placed strafing runs on targets of opportunity would assuredly do the

trick.

Were the F-16s fuel state insufficient to recover at Sigonelli after

jettisoning their external drop tanks, they could easily do so at Tripoli

International Airport , only one-half hour away.

As for those hand-wringing naysayers who would worry about IFR clearances,

border crossing authority, collateral damage, landing rights, political

correctness and dozens of other reasons not to act" screw them. It is high

time that our "leadership" get their priorities straight and put America 's

interests first.

The end result would be that Woods and Doherty would be alive. Dozens in the

attacking rabble would be rendezvousing with "72 virgins" and a clear

message would have been sent to the next worthless POS terrorist

contemplating an attack on Americans that it is not really a good idea to

"tug" on Superman's cape.

Of course all this would depend upon a Commander In Chief that was more

concerned with saving the lives of those he put in harm's way than getting

his crew rested for a campaign fund raising event in Las Vegas the next day.

As well as a Secretary of State that actually understood "What difference

did it make?", or a Secretary of Defense whose immediate response was not to

the effect that "One of the military tenants is that you don't commit assets

until you fully understand the tactical situation." Was he not watching a

live feed from the unarmed drone, and he didn't understand the tactical

situation?

Ultimately it comes down to the question of who gave that order to stand

down? Whoever that coward turns out to be should be exposed, removed from

office, and face criminal charges for dereliction of duty. The combat forces

of the Untied States of America deserve leadership that really does "have

their back" when the chips are down.

FOR THOSE OF YOU HAVE ACTUALLY TAKEN THE TIME TO READ THIS, YOU NEED TO DO

ONE THING FOR ME! FORWARD THIS OUT TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW!!  WE CAN NEVER

ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN AND WHOEVER GAVE THE "STAND DOWN" ORDER NEEDS TO

BE EXPOSED!!!!