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The Real 13 Hours In Benghazi | Ranger | CIA GRS | Kris "Tanto" Paronto | Combat Story - Episode 81

Combat StoryJuly 1, 2022
The Real 13 Hours In Benghazi | Ranger | CIA GRS | Kris "Tanto" Paronto | Combat Story - Episode 81
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About This Episode

Today’s Combat Story is near and dear to my heart for reasons I can’t share because they’re classified. We hear the firsthand account from one of the men involved in the brutal 13 hours of fighting in Benghazi in 2012, Kris “Tanto” Paronto, who would later co-author the book “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi” and advise Director Michael Bay and the cast who created the movie of the same name.

If you want to learn more about Combat Story and hear stories from the military's elite and "The Real 13 Hours in Benghazi" topic you need to click: https://www.combatstory.com/

In today's episode, we are joined by Kris ‘Tanto’ Paronto, who is affectionately known in security contracting circles as a former Army Ranger from 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment and a CIA GRS operator in Benghazi who was portrayed in the Hollywood movie "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi" (https://www.amazon.com/13-Hours-Soldiers-Benghazi-Blu-ray/dp/B018IDVB3U).

In this video we cover the following subjects:

-13 Hours in Benghazi -Combat Story -Ranger Battalion Life -Kris ‘Tanto’ Paronto

This is one of my favorite episodes. Time flew by as we touched on so many topics from the learnings Kris shared in two other books (The Patriot's Creed: Inspiration and Advice for Living a Heroic Life and The Ranger Way: Living the Code On and Off the Battlefield) to insight into what it meant to be a part of the CIA’s GRS or Global Response Staff (read this CIA Career page to hear how interesting this job is and trust me when I say these guys were great: https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs/protective-agent/) to how it felt the moment he and a handful of selfless other men decided to defy direct orders from above and risk their lives for other Americans in Libya.

There’s ZERO politics in this episode. If you’re looking for that, you won’t find it here. This is all about what happened to the people on the ground at the time, which made me appreciate Kris and his perspective even more.

Since leaving the military and Agency, Kris has become a serial entrepreneur with a clothing line, vodka brand, podcast, shooting and medical training courses, and is now making his tactical programs more of an experience with E3 Firearms which goes beyond just hitting the range and is something that I think many of our listeners will want to be a part of.

I hope you appreciate this wide ranging, hilarious, and selfless Combat Story as much as I did.

About Kris "Tanto" Paronto:

- LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristantoparonto/ - Instagram @real_kris_tanto_paronto https://www.instagram.com/real_kris_tanto_paronto/ - E3 Firearms https://pages2.e3firearmsassociation.com/fol-page1638816034383 - Kris’s website https://kristantoparonto.com/

Our channel has various other similar video clips similar to 13 Hours in Benghazi, Combat Story, and 13 hours true story. Please check them out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyApoJr-mNmdMNwdk22xEQ

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Show Notes:

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Featured Guest

Combat Story

Chapters

  • 0:00Intro
  • 0:45Guest Introduction (Kris Paronto)
  • 2:25Interview begins
  • 2:47How he got his call sign “Tanto”
  • 6:30Background info on CIA GRS
  • 11:43The GRS driving training course
  • 13:20The detailed prep work involved in going into country somewhere as GRS
  • 21:15Childhood, sports, and adrenaline rushes
  • 26:33Why did you choose the military path?
  • 30:10Time with the Rangers
  • 36:58Getting kicked out of the Army
  • 48:15Motivation for writing book “The Ranger Way”
  • 50:51Why GRS?
  • 56:47Getting a black passport and examples of GRS missions
  • 1:05:13Endurance for a 13 hour gun fight
  • 1:12:22Benghazi 2012 waiting for authorization as the QRF
  • 1:17:59The significance of true sacrifice
  • 1:20:41His current projects including Battleline Tactical, podcast, vodka company, and E3 Farms Association
  • 1:26:25What did you carry into combat?
  • 1:28:59Would you do it again?
  • 1:32:27Listener comments and shout outs