Today our walk was dedicated in honor of:
Navy SEAL Veteran SCPO Tyrone Woods Sr and Navy SEAL Veteran HM1 Glen Doherty who were KIA on Sep. 12, 2012 during the Benghazi attacks.
Navy SEAL Veteran SCPO Tyrone Woods Sr, Age 41 of Portland, OR.
KIA Sep. 12, 2012
Woods was a Navy Veteran and served from 1990 to 2010.
He fought in the Cold War 1990-1991
He was a Civilian Contractor from 2010 to 2012 and was
deployed many times to Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya.
Ty Woods was born on January 15, 1971, in Portland, Oregon. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on April 3, 1990, and completed basic training at NTC San Diego, California, in June 1990. Woods next attended Naval Hospital Corpsman School at NTC San Diego from June to October 1990, followed by service at Naval Hospital San Diego from October 1990 to February 1991. He attended Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training at NAB Coronado, California, from February to October 1991, and then completed additional Special Operations Combat Medic training and Basic Airborne training before serving with SEAL Team THREE at NAB Coronado from June 1992 to December 1996. After completing additional medical and free fall training, Petty Officer Woods served with SEAL Team FIVE at NAB Coronado from June 1997 to January 2000, and then served as a member of the U.S. Navy Parachute Team, the Leap Frogs, from January 2000 to November 2001. His next assignment was as medical and maritime leading chief petty officer for SEAL Qualification Training at the Naval Special Warfare Center at NAB Coronado from November 2001 to November 2004, followed by service with SEAL Team ONE at NAB Coronado from November 2004 to June 2006. During this time he deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005 and 2006. SCPO Woods served with the Basic Training Command from June 2006 to October 2008, and then with the Naval Special Warfare Center at NAB Coronado from October 2008 until his retirement from the Navy on May 1, 2010. After leaving the Navy he worked as a Civilian Contractor to the United States Government, and was killed during the terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, when he took part in a quick reaction force that was trying to save the U.S. Ambassador and his team on September 12, 2012. Ty Woods was buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.
His Bronze Star Medal w/Valor Citation reads:
For heroic achievement in connection with combat operations against the enemy as FOXTROT Platoon Leading Chief Petty Officer deployed with Naval Special Warfare Task Unit-HABBANIYAH in direct support of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM from 7 October 2005 to 22 April 2006. Chief Petty Officer Woods displayed unparalleled leadership under constant exposure to enemy mortar, rocket, sniper, and improvised explosive device attacks during 180 days in the volatile Al Anbar province of Western Iraq. Inserting via boats, helicopters, vehicles, and extended foot patrols, he led 12 direct action raids and 10 reconnaissance missions leading to the capture of 34 enemy insurgents. Additionally, he led 16 SEALs and 8 Iraqi Scouts on a 50-hour, 800-mile mounted patrol that threaded through enemy territory and culminated in the assault on four targets and the capture of a high value Al-Qaeda facilitator. Coming under direct enemy fire as the patrol leader for a 14-man combined overwatch, he immediately maneuvered to a firing position and directed suppressing return fire. His decisive actions effectively suppressed the attack and resulted in no friendly casualties. By his extraordinary guidance, zealous initiative, and total dedication to duty, Chief Petty Officer Woods reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
The Combat Distinguishing Device is authorized.
Navy SEAL Veteran HM1 Glen Doherty, Age 42 of Winchester, MA.
KIA Sep. 12, 2012
After high school, Glen attended Embry Riddle aeronautical university in Arizona, where he flew planes, rode a motorcycle and decided that the only thing cooler to do than what he was doing would be to up and leave. His fearlessness took many forms throughout his life, but was always at his core. He became a ski bum at Snowbird, Utah in the winters, working at restaurants and becoming a phenomenal skier on both regular and telemark skis, as well as a talented cook and afterparty expert. In the summers, he was a white water rafting guide down the Colorado River, where his knowledge of the outdoors, his responsibility and his abilities to tell a great tall tale and to get everyone to have fun made multi-day journeys from Moab to Lake Powell experiences of a lifetime for many. He was always a hard worker and extremely responsible, which never managed to drive a wedge between him and the lovable riff-raff who shared his lifestyle. His athleticism also led him to become a triathlete during this period. The many friends he gathered during these years always remained as dear to him as he was to them, and he took every opportunity, usually meaning a few weeks a year, to return to his beloved mountains and friends in Utah.
A desire to push himself and to use his talents to make genuine change in the world led him to join the Navy SEALS in 1995. He passed the training and became a paramedic and sniper with the Middle East as his area of operations. His team responded to the USS Cole attack, among other missions.
In 2001, he got his knees reconstructed and was planning on exiting the military when September 11th happened. He now was not allowed to leave and didn’t want to. He participated in two tours of the 2003 Gulf War, “Iraqi Freedom.” In the first, his team began by securing the Kuwait oil fields before the invasion officially began to prevent the environmentally disastrous recurrence of them being burned, as had happened under Saddam Hussein’s orders during Desert Storm in 1991. Then they led the earliest Marine contingents battling on the move from the south of Iraq towards Baghdad. He was peeled from his unit for sniper duty for several days, returned to it before the taking of Baghdad, and continued with them to take Saddam’s hometown of Tikrit, where they finally got a breather in Hussein’s riverside palaces once those were cleared. He returned for another tour to the troubled country the following year. About fighting in Iraq, he simply believed that the possibility of liberating the country from a tyrant and making democracy possible for the Iraqi people was worth him risking his own life for. In typical Glen fashion, he made close lifelong friends with a number of his team members.
In 2005, he exited the SEALS, but remained focused on the region through private security contracting work that generally took him to the region in a pattern of about 3 months overseas, a month or two back home. He worked for peace and security in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere. Each gig was a different situation, some hairy, some boring, most both in alternating fashion.
We had a great 6.46 Mile walk this morning. Before heading to the War Memorial Park we stopped by the Boats & Harbors to see the big boat anchor. After leaving the War Memorial park we headed north on 127 and made a stop at the 9/11 Memorial before heading back home. I want to thank everyone who honked, waved, and saluted in helping me honor these heroes. We had 105 honks today. It was amazing.
Navy SEAL Veteran SCPO Tyrone Woods Sr and Navy SEAL Veteran HM1 Glen Doherty will not be forgotten !
.
