# Delta Operators Awarded DSC, NC for Benghazi



## DasBoot (Jan 26, 2014)

The guts it took to do this are unbelievable. I doubt few people, myself included, could function in such a high stress situation. Congratulations to both Master Sergeant Halbruner and the unnamed Marine.



> An Army Delta Force commando who infiltrated Benghazi to rescue U.S. diplomats, spies and security officers during a 2012 terrorist attack “was critical to the success of saving numerous lives,” according to a citation awarding him the military’s second-highest honor.
> Delta Force’s role was not disclosed in any public report or congressional testimony. The Army citation for the Distinguished Service Cross, posted on a website for Army personnel, provides the first detailed look at what one of the commandos, Master Sgt. David R. Halbruner, accomplished.
> The Washington Times reported in November that two members of Delta Force, the Army’s premier counterterrorism unit, were among seven U.S. personnel who went to Benghazi, Libya, on a rescue mission the night of Sept. 11, 2012. The second Delta member, a Marine, was awarded the Navy Cross for heroism, The Times reported.




http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jan/25/delta-force-commando-awarded-second-highest-milita/


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## goon175 (Jan 26, 2014)

Thank you, Washington Times, for plastering this MSG's name all over the world. I'm sure he will love the swarms of media that will now be trying to contact him about "what really happened at Benghazi."

Scumbags.


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## DasBoot (Jan 26, 2014)

goon175 said:


> Thank you, Washington Times, for plastering this MSG's name all over the world. I'm sure he will love the swarms of media that will now be trying to contact him about "what really happened at Benghazi."
> 
> Scumbags.


The citation listed as a link in the article is where they got his full name- that was released by the DOD. I do see where you're coming from, as they could have simply not published it and made it more difficult to uncover, but any journalist could have found out his identity with a few clicks of a mouse.


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## SpitfireV (Jan 26, 2014)

Or they could have kept the whole thing secret and not published anything.


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## Swill (Jan 26, 2014)

DasBoot said:


> The citation listed as a link in the article is where they got his full name- that was released by the DOD. I do see where you're coming from, as they could have simply not published it and made it more difficult to uncover, but any journalist could have found out his identity with a few clicks of a mouse.



Because that's what journalists do. They just click randomly through military citations, particularly ones that don't name the unit or the location of the event. It's not like there are other places in the world where an Army Master Sergeant could have done something valorous on those particular dates...

"Best" case scenario is that the reporter did just what I said, had reasonable suspicion of what it was, then called one of his DoD contacts in order to verify  his suspicions. Much more likely is that someone on the official side wanted the public to know that the military was in play then and there but couldn't say openly because it's supposed to be a secret. So, they just decided to do what Edward Snowden did and contacted a reporter. Either way, it deserves a throat punch.


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## Brill (Jan 26, 2014)

DasBoot said:


> The citation listed as a link in the article is where they got his full name- that was released by the DOD. I do see where you're coming from, as they could have simply not published it and made it more difficult to uncover, but any journalist could have found out his identity with a few clicks of a mouse.



Actually, DOD via GO 2013-73, attributed his name to a JTF and an overseas contingency operation, all of which are clearly unclass.  Name, unit, and location together apparently push the classification caveat to RELEASE TO THE WORLD//HANDLE VIA WASH TIMES ONLY//X1.


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## dknob (Jan 27, 2014)

MSG Donald Hollenbaugh - 2005 - same thing happened for his actions in Fallujah but he was close to retirement anyway. 
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1429115/posts

I personally think PERSEC is overrated. It's a way for SEALs, Rangers, and SF to make themselves feel like they are some super secret clandestine black ops warrior ninjas infiltrating via Virgin Atlantic with phony passports and suppressed weapons in their carry ons. (We all know that we are not). 

Unless you are TF Orange or OGA - then having your name on a DSC award citation is negligible to your ability to perform missions for JSOC as he will continue to do so for many years on. 

CAG guys show up to Best Ranger with their FULL names available for everyone around the world to see. If PERSEC was an issue in both safety and operational capability then: A) The Unit will NOT allow them to compete and B) the individuals going would willingly not choose to go either. 
Since neither of the two occurs... I think that speaks for itself.


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## Marauder06 (Jan 27, 2014)

dknob said:


> MSG Donald Hollenbaugh - 2005 - same thing happened for his actions in Fallujah but he was close to retirement anyway.
> http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1429115/posts
> 
> I personally think PERSEC is overrated. It's a way for SEALs, Rangers, and SF to make themselves feel like they are some super secret clandestine black ops warrior ninjas infiltrating via Virgin Atlantic with phony passports and suppressed weapons in their carry ons. (We all know that we are not).
> ...



I agree with the above.  AFAIK since 9/11 there has never been a single issue of terrorists going after individual operators CONUS for stuff they did overseas.

The "how" of what they do is far more important than the "who."


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## TLDR20 (Jan 27, 2014)

dknob said:


> whole post.




Spot on.


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## goon175 (Jan 27, 2014)

dknob said:


> MSG Donald Hollenbaugh - 2005 - same thing happened for his actions in Fallujah but he was close to retirement anyway.
> http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1429115/posts
> 
> I personally think PERSEC is overrated. It's a way for SEALs, Rangers, and SF to make themselves feel like they are some super secret clandestine black ops warrior ninjas infiltrating via Virgin Atlantic with phony passports and suppressed weapons in their carry ons. (We all know that we are not).
> ...



I generally agree with this, but in this specific case I disagree. I don't think terrorists are going to come hunt him down, but rather journalists trying to get a story because of the political hot button mission the Washington Times tied him to. We are about to go into an election cycle here, and if Hillary runs, you know damn well Benghazi will be brought in more than just a passing fashion. The MSG still has a job to do and doesn't have his own personal PAO.


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## Swill (Jan 27, 2014)

dknob said:


> MSG Donald Hollenbaugh - 2005 - same thing happened for his actions in Fallujah but he was close to retirement anyway.
> http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1429115/posts
> 
> I personally think PERSEC is overrated. It's a way for SEALs, Rangers, and SF to make themselves feel like they are some super secret clandestine black ops warrior ninjas infiltrating via Virgin Atlantic with phony passports and suppressed weapons in their carry ons. (We all know that we are not).
> ...



If you want to post your own full name and operational details of your deployments for the reading audience to see, feel free. I wouldn't. And I wouldn't post yours if I had it and wanted the world to know that you had done something noteworthy.

Showing up to Best Ranger and shooting people in Lybia illicits a different response from the competitors. But there have been no personal attacks here, right? Maybe the reason we haven't had a personal attack is because we are generally careful with personal information. How many active duty names of personnel in our best organizations can you find via open source? Not too damn many compared to the number of those who have served there. I tend to believe that no individuals have been targeted here because our enemies lack the capacity to target individuals here. I do not believe that they lack the desire. Still, there's no way I'm going to make it any easier for the one fucktard who decides to blaze a trail.


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## SpitfireV (Jan 27, 2014)

There are other nations to think about too IMO


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## Centermass (Jan 27, 2014)

dknob said:


> MSG Donald Hollenbaugh - 2005 - same thing happened for his actions in Fallujah but he was close to retirement anyway.
> http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1429115/posts
> 
> I personally think PERSEC is overrated. It's a way for SEALs, Rangers, and SF to make themselves feel like they are some super secret clandestine black ops warrior ninjas infiltrating via Virgin Atlantic with phony passports and suppressed weapons in their carry ons. (We all know that we are not).
> ...




It's one thing if THE MAN has a say. It's another if he doesn't. Big Army and irresponsible journalists could care less either way.


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