John "Tig" Tiegen

John "Tig" Tiegen -- Former Marine Sergeant from 3rd Battalion 7th Marines India Company, Infantry Squad Leader from Colorado. Spent several years as a security contractor for Blackwater working for the company on missions in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq before going to work for the CIA's Global Response Staff, with over 40 deployments conducting low profile security in high threat environment throughout the world. Quiet and precise, the married father of twins was the most experienced Annex Security Team member in the city. In the midst of his third trip to Benghazi, Libya for the CIA's GRS when the attack of September 11, 2012 occurred and was part of the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the US Special Mission. Tig directly saved the lives of many on his team, also was paramount in saving over 2 dozen lives while fighting off terrorists from the US Special Mission and the CIA Annex for over 13 hours. Tig received the Award For Heroism and Valor in recognition of his bravery. He is the co-author of 13 Hours along with members of the Annex Security team and NYT's best-selling author, Mitchell Zuckoff. He also consulted on the movie 13 Hours The Secret Solders of Benghazi, and helped with the set design and the movie script. In 2004, Mr. Geist began doing contract security work in Iraq. He worked for Triple Canopy, providing Personal Security Details for Department of State personnel in Baquba, Iraq. Upon the completion of that contract he worked for USIS, the United States Investigative Services, training Iraqi SWAT teams and Personal Security Details. He also served as a mentor/advisor to the Personal Security Detail of Dr. Ayad Allawi, the former Prime Minister of Iraq. Mr. Geist finished his career as a security contractor in Benghazi, Libya, where he was credited with helping to save the lives of more than 25 Americans. Mr. Geist is still recovering from the injuries he sustained in the battle. He is a co-author of the bestselling book "13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi." Mr. Paronto was part the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the US Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, September 11th, 2012, helping to save over 20 lives while fighting off terrorists from the CIA Annex for over 13 hours. Mr. Paronto's story is told in the book "13 Hours" written by Mitchell Zuckoff and his five surviving annex security team members. Mr. Paronto was born in Alamosa, Colorado and obtained his Bachelor's Degree from Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado and Masters Degree from The University of Nebraska at Omaha. He served 4 years in the US Army and an additional 4 years in the US Army National Guard reaching the rank of Sergeant then becoming a commissioned officer in 2003. He started contracting for Blackwater Security Consulting in 2003 and continued to deploy on various security contracts, to include the Global Response Staff until 2013. Mr. Paronto has been involved in security operations in hostile environments for over 10 years and his and team's involvement with the September 11th, 2012 attack on the US special mission in Benghazi, Libya was paramount in the saving of US lives and assets. He is a proven leader, teammate and friend to those who have deployed with him, and a devout father to a loving wife and two remarkable children.