“Also being twice in that great building, I was drawn to the Memorial Wall both times. On Friday, I realized that the last two stars were Tyrone and Glen. I would like to end the film with a wide shot of the wall, including the flags on either side, and then cut on a close up of the last two stars, and fade out.”

Michael Bay
Email to the CIA
(March 2015)

September 12, 2025 — 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (also known simply as 13 Hours) is a 2016 American biographical action-thriller film directed and produced by Michael Bay and written by Chuck Hogan. The script is based on Mitchell Zuckoff’s 2014 book of the same name. The film’s historical accuracy has been disputed. Today, I will not weigh on this issue, but I can ensure you that the ‘powerful end scene’ is DEAD WRONG. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY

RELATED POST : CIA Honors its Fallen in Annual Memorial Ceremony (May 23 2023)

RELATED POST: The CIA Book of Honor — Star 81 : Gregg Wenzel

RELATED POST: The CIA Book of Honor — Stars 82 & 83 : Christopher Glenn Mueller and William “Chief” Carlson

RELATED POST: CIA Memorial Wall — The Mysterious Star : Ranya Abdelsayed (April 28 1979 – August 28 2013)

Bay first approached the CIA in early March 2015, shortly before filming on 13 Hours began. He went on a tour of Langley and the CIA reviewed his script in order to remove ‘sensitive and uncleared information’ from the book that had made its way into the screenplay.

A few days later Bay wrote to the CIA’s Office of Public Affairs to thank them, and to ask permission to film the CIA’s Memorial Wall in the lobby of the Old Headquarters Building. [Spy Culture]

The CIA denied Bay access for filming at Langley, saying this was because they hadn’t cleared the original book.

In truth, Bay was not responsible for the original book and he clearly agreed to make all the changes the CIA requested, so the script should not have posed any problems for the Agency. Perhaps, there were other reasons behind the CIA rejecting Bay’s request.

“No one will mistake this movie for a documentary. It’s a distortion of the events and people who served in Benghazi that night. It’s shameful that, in order to highlight the heroism of some, those responsible for the movie felt the need to denigrate the courage of other Americans who served in harm’s way.”

Ryan Trapani
CIA spokesman

Is the key scene accurate?

Michael Bay has assured audiences that his Libyan-set military thriller “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi” is an accurate retelling of the events surrounding the terrorist attack in Benghazi in 2012, which resulted in the death of four people, including the US ambassador to Libya.

But according to the CIA officer in charge of the American intelligence agency’s top-secret Benghazi facility that night, one of the most important moments of the film is entirely wrong.

“There never was a stand-down order,” the officer – the former chief of the so-called Annex who identified himself as ‘Bob’ – told the Washington Post. “At no time did I ever second-guess that the team would depart.”

Today, I will not weigh on this issue, but I can ensure you that the ‘powerful end scene’ is DEAD WRONG.

“I think the movie does an excellent job capturing the heroism and the sacrifices of the men I had the privilege to write about in the book.”

Mitchell Zuckoff

Zooming on the last 2 Stars

The 2013 CIA Annual Ceremony

The Central Intelligence Agency’s annual memorial ceremony on May 20, 2013. Four new stars were added to the Memorial Wall, bringing the total number to 107 stars. No information about the identities of these four new stars was revealed.

However, the text delivered by Director John O. Brennan at the ceremony was approved for release in August 2020.

Although the 10-pages document is heavily redacted (six pages are fully blanked), it reveals some useful information.

“Good morning, and welcome everyone. We are gathered here this morning to honor 107 extraordinary women and men from throughout our Agency’s history beloved colleagues who will inspire us forever with their unsurpassable devotion to duty and country. We also celebrate the lives of the four men whose stars were added to our Memorial Wall in the past year: Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, [REDACTED] [REDACTED].”

Obviously, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods are two of the four stars initially classified. Both men died in Benghazi on September 12, 2012.

There is some reason to believe that Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods are the first two of these four stars. In any case, there were 107 stars on the wall at the 2013 ceremony.

Four new stars were added before the May 19, 2014 ceremony, including the controversial star of Ranya Abdelsayed. Finally, two new stars were chiseled on the wall shortly before the May 18, 2015 ceremony.

So at the time (March 2015) Michael Bay visited the CIA Headquarters, there were at least 111 stars on the Memorial Wall.

The wall shown in the end scene of “13 Hours” has 83 stars. Thus, this is a picture of the wall taken in 2004 after three stars were added to honor:

Star 81 – Gregg Wenzel (July 9, 2003 – Ethiopia)

Star 82 – Christopher Glenn Mueller (October 25 2003 – Afghanistan)

Star 83 – William “Chief” Carlson (October 25 2003 – Afghanistan)

The conclusion is obvious. The end scene of “13 Hours” is simply wrong.

“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”

Albert Einstein

The powerful ending of “13 HOURS”

The 2016 action thriller is the only major movie Hollywood has produced about the attacks on the United States Special Mission in Benghazi and the nearby CIA annex.

The CIA released a batch of documents detailing how their Office of Public Affairs staff met with the film director Michael Bay and successfully leaned on him to make changes to the script to “13 Hours.”

REFERENCES

The Rebooted Designated Survivor: Sponsored By The CIA? — Spy Culture

Michael Bay Letter To The CIA — Spy Culture

Rand Paul: CIA Annex In Benghazi Shipped Arms From Libya To Syria; Clinton Lied About It

Michael Bay’s Benghazi movie 13 Hours is ‘inaccurate’, according to CIA officer — The Guardian

Top State Obama Department Official Admitted Benghazi Had Nothing to Do With Protests — Judicial Watch

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CIA Memorial Wall — The powerful ending of “13 HOURS” is DEAD WRONG ! [Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods — Benghazi, Libya – September 12, 2012]

“We stand before these 140 stars not only with gratitude but with reverence for our fallen heroes. We’ll never forget their sacrifice. We’ll never forget their devotion.”

CIA Director William Burns

May 23 2023