A Benghazi Father’s Message For the Son Who Was Left Behind

Photo Credit: APOn September 11, 2012 — 11 years after Al Qaeda launched an attack against the U.S. — the American Embassy compound in Benghazi, Libya was attacked. In the ensuing gunfight, four Americans died — including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. Lost amongst the blame game and politicking that played out over the internet and cable news was the fact that these men came from families. They had lives. They were somebody’s son.

Charles Woods lost his son, Ty , on Sept. 11, 2012.

Invited to the State of the Union as the guest of Oklahoma Republican Rep. Jim Bridenstine, Woods is a father seeking closure and the truth about what happened to his son.

His son, Ty, was a former Navy SEAL and a private security contractor in Benghazi. He had been described by his compatriots as an “Alpha SEAL” — the SEAL other SEALs sought to emulate — and in a wood-paneled room, in the heart of the nation’s capitol on the day following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address, his soft-spoken father glowed with pride as he spoke about him.

Recounting the upbringing that Ty had, Woods explained: ”He was just an ordinary guy, but in his life nothing was done halfway… He was a very independent young man. We would give him a .22 or a BB gun and he’d be gone all day… He was really made to be a Navy SEAL.”

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