In theaters January 15, 2016...

13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI is based on the book 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, written by New York Times bestselling author Mitchell Zuckoff.

13 HOURS tells the true account of the events of September 11, 2012 when Islamic militants attacked the U.S. State Department Special Mission Compound (or simply – the American diplomatic compound, not the U.S. Embassy) and a CIA station called The Annex in Benghazi, Libya from the personal stories of five of the surviving American private security operators that were on the ground that day.

The book and film details what happened to these men, how they handled the circumstances they were presented with and what they accomplished during the thirteen hours of the attack.

The Annex Security Team consisted of 6 men: “Jack Silva” (played by John Krasinski), Tyrone “Rone” Woods (played by James Badge Dale), Mark “Oz” Geist (played by Max Martini), John “Tig” Tiegen (played by Dominic Fumusa), Kris “Tanto” Paronto (played by Pablo Schreiber), and “Dave ‘D.B.’ Benton (played by David Denman).

The 4 Americans that lost their lives in Benghazi were:
oAmbassador Christopher Stevens (U.S. Ambassador to Libya)
oSean Smith (Information Management Officer, U.S. Foreign Service)
oTyrone “Rone” Woods (GRS Operator for Annex Security Team in Benghazi)
oGlen “Bub” Doherty (GRS Operator in Tripoli, Libya – part of the Quick Reaction Force sent from Tripoli to Benghazi after the compound was under attack)

Five members of the Annex Security Team survived the attacks in Benghazi and co-authored the book, 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi.

While all of the men are former military (veterans), including Navy SEALS, Marines, and Army Rangers, these men were not active duty military at the time of the attack yet were faced with making similar sacrifices, including laying their lives on the line for their countrymen and their country.

The CIA uses private security operators called Global Response Staff (GRS) throughout the world in high-risk regions where CIA officers are stationed. These GRS operators are elite former military personnel who have decided to continue their commitment to serve the United States even after their military career has ended. In this role, their job is to provide security for the CIA officers. The state department has their own diplomatic security agents assigned to protect American diplomats, such as the Ambassador.

While it was not their job to protect the state department, when the Annex Security Team found out that the U.S. diplomatic compound was under attack, they knew they had to help the fellow Americans (including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens) that were in jeopardy.