--- title: "The real defenders of Benghazi want you to know “13 Hours” is the truth" date: "2019-01-28" modified: "2020-10-21" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-movies/defenders-benghazi-want-know-michael-bays-movie-truth/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" --- # The real defenders of Benghazi want you to know “13 Hours” is the truth ![]() ![]() *(Paramount Pictures)* --- We Are The Mighty recently had the opportunity to sit down with the principals behind "13 Hours" and chat with them about the film, including their sense of how accurate it is. And while the past three years have been full of rumor and innuendo around what happened that fateful night in 2012 in Benghazi, the CIA security contractors who rescued the the Americans and defended the annex want the world to know what's in the movie "13 Hours" is what really happened on the ground. **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3p1x-q9nXrs Director Michael Bay has always been more than a vocal supporter of the military. No matter what his detractors might say, on his film sets, he always makes a concerted effort to get the reality of modern-day U.S. military personnel right. He believes this might be his most realistic movie ever. **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX6LUcAEs2k The film stars John Krasinski as Jack Silva, a CIA contractor and former Navy SEAL who joins a security team already based in Benghazi. **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHni0BY7Fh8 Other members of the team include James Badge Dale ("Rone"), Pablo Schreiber ("Tanto"), David Denman ("Boon"), Max Martini ("Oz"), and Dominic Fumusa ("Tig"). To a man, each one told We Are The Mighty how important the realism of the movie was to their performance. Dale, who has portrayed military personnel before in HBO's World War II epic miniseries *The Pacific*, found his preparation for this film different than anything he's done before. (This time he's also portraying a former Navy SEAL.) **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvcyFCwUpMo Pablo Schreiber and David Denman play a Marine veteran and Army Ranger veteran who assist with the rescue. Their experiences getting to know the real operators they play onscreen gave them a deep appreciation of the men and what happened there. **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZlSo2mEMQc Max Martini and Dominic Fumusa trained with former Navy SEALs and contractors throughout the filming of the movie. The real defenders of Benghazi watched them as they brought the events of that day back to life. **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvFCsRHF9ps [13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi]() is in theaters Friday. Follow the film on [Facebook](), [Twitter](), and [Instagram](). ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()