American Bulwark

American Bulwark

Mr. Hicks was Deputy Chief of Mission in Libya, the number two U S official in Libya, when Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans were attacked and killed in Benghazi during the night on September 11, 2012. He is a 22-year career professional in the State Department and has received numerous recognitions of outstanding performance in his job. He decided to stand on a testimony to describe what really happened the night in Libya as the highest official in the region after the death of the ambassador. He took the risk of losing his job. In fact, he was demoted for his action. He was not very likely to be political, but rather to follow his conscience. Let American conscience be free from suffocation. God bestowed us the freedom.  

In his testimony in oath at the congressional hearing on Benghazi attack held on May 8, he said, that he had the last conversation with Mr. Stevens, who said, “We are under attack,” and that he reported the night to Washington that the attack was done by organized terrorists. This is very different from the YouTube video story the Government issued later. The U N ambassador Rice appeared on five different TV shows to insist that the Government have information on the attack of being a spontaneous mob, and of being instigated by the YouTube video. She tried to quell any idea of an organized terrorist attack. Her intention is still unknowable, but she certainly confused American thinking.

A citizen, Mother of Mr. Smith, a State Department information officer, one of the dead victims, complains that she has not yet received a full explanation as to why and how his son really died. She has been told so far that the spontaneous mob killed him.  If Mr. Hicks’ testimony is true, the Government highest officials are likely to have lied to her face to face and nose to nose (in her own word). The testimony indicates that they knew from the beginning the terrorist attack and made up the video story for a political reason. The former CIA director conceded in a different occasion that he knew, based on his information collected, the terrorist attack from the beginning even before the video story came out. Ms. Smith is sad, because she is neglected by the Government. We also are sad, because we all be neglected one by one.

“What does it make difference?” The then State Secretary Clinton asked in a hearing. We do not exactly know what she meant by the question. She acted as if she was still a better politician to handle this mess. She acted as if she did nothing wrong, but she was missing the point. At issue is the Government credibility in jeopardy. No government can or should cook up a phony story for political expediency. Americans want to know who fabricated the video story. No government can run without credibility and Americans cannot live in peace and engage in business activities without trusting the Government. We are urgently in need of the restoration of credibility. In the current standing, no one can predict as yet where the Benghazi scandal will lead to. Credibility is the American bulwark. Thank you, Mr. Hicks, for your courage to speak. The more will follow you to break silence. Have you ever thought some of the four might have been saved, had we have acted? Truth will prevail in the end. (May 10, 2013, KYP)