Mitchell Zuckoff Quotes

“Killing or kidnapping an American ambassador on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks would be a major coup for extreme Islamist group or militia. Reducing an American diplomatic outpost to a charred ruin would be a bonus.”

“He talked about how happy he was to be a father, and how much he looked forward to ending his operator career and raising his newborn son, Kai.”

“However, by early 2014 one conclusion had gained considerable traction across partisan lines: The attacks could have been prevented.”

“As several operators recalled, the intelligence cable warned: Be advised, we have reports from locals that a Western facility or US Embassy/Consulate/Government target will be attacked in the next week.”

″... they weren’t just any guys with guns. The operators were disciplined and experienced, abundantly armed and as expertly trained as any force their size on the planet.”

“Although the operators fought the battle and by all accounts saved about twenty American lives, because they were neither CIA staffers nor active military personnel they were deemed ineligible for even higher awards, awards that went to other men who played smaller roles and never fired a shot.”

“They decided that the time for asking permission had ended.”

″‘Yeah, we’re going to unleash hate on these guys’. He was ready to go to war, and he didn’t care how many of them were coming.”

“The attackers had used one of the oldest and most potent weapons of warfare: surprise.”

“The two men he was sworn to protect, one of them the diplomatic representative to the United States, were trapped somewhere inside the burning safe.”

“Everyone has their own idea of who or what God is... nobody is right, nobody is wrong.”

“People in America get up and go to their nine-to-five jobs every day and are oblivious to all these battles and wars and people dying every minute all over the world. This is life. This is how other countries live. This is a daily occurrence in some places.”

″... a call went out from one of the overwhelmed Americans: ‘If you don’t get here soon, we’re all going to die!‘”

″... the former SEAL, with the infectious smile and abundant best friends, who served bravely in the Gulf War, who soared airborne on skis, surfboards and good times... lay stationary and silent.”

″...the Distinguished Intelligence Cross, the highest honor bestowed by the CIA. The award goes to clandestine service members for “a voluntary act or acts of extraordinary heroism involving the acceptance of existing dangers with conspicuous fortitude and exemplary courage.”

″... Tanto came across base chief Bob sitting on the floor in a main hallway, his back against the wall, his head in his hands. Tanto thought Bob looked as though he’d given up... his body language sent a message of defeat.”

“Find a way to look positive and proactive. Find a way that everybody’s morale stays up.”

“None of us wants to die. But it’s a possibility, and if you don’t accept that, it’s going to be in the back of your head the whole time, and you’re not going to be able to function. So you accept it, you realize that you’re not going to be able to talk to your family possibly ever again.”

“Smith had begun that message with what now seemed like an anxious prophecy: ‘assuming we don’t die tonight.‘”

“Heeding that call was a band of elite warriors who’d left the United States military and had joined a clandestine organization that protected American covert intelligence operatives abroad.”