I Fought In Benghazi. I Know What Happens When Leaders Fail.

On September 11, 2012, I fought to defend American lives in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans were killed that night, and I witnessed firsthand how decisions made by those in power can have life-or-death consequences.

When people depend on you, leadership is not a slogan. You take responsibility for your actions, confront failure, and take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again. Watching what has happened to my home state of Colorado, I wonder how many elected officials still understand that obligation.

My great-grandfather settled on Colorado’s eastern plains in 1910. I grew up surrounded by family, with nearly everyone living a short drive away. Colorado isn’t just where I’m from. It’s where my family built their lives for generations, and I know what this state can be.

I left Colorado in 1984 to join the Marine Corps. After I finished my service in 1996, I came home and joined law enforcement. I worked as a deputy sheriff in Teller County, investigated crimes against women and children, and eventually became chief of police in Fowler.

In law enforcement, I dealt with crimes most people would rather not think about. I saw what violent offenders did to women and children, and I met families left to pick up the pieces. I know what those cases look like beyond the headlines.

For nearly two decades, Democrats have controlled Colorado’s governor’s office. Today, communities are confronting fentanyl trafficking, vehicle theft, violent crime, and human trafficking. Colorado families deserve more than politicians who acknowledge these threats while failing to keep their communities safe.

During Phil Weiser’s tenure as Colorado attorney general, the state’s fentanyl crisis exploded. Colorado recorded a more than 900% rise in fentanyl-related deaths between 2018 and 2023, a period that began before he took office. Behind those numbers are parents burying children, children losing parents, and families forever changed.

Colorado has also struggled with vehicle theft. For a working parent, a stolen car can mean missed shifts, lost wages, and no way to get a child to school. Interstate 25 runs through the Front Range, and trafficking networks exploit transportation corridors to move drugs and facilitate other crimes.

A woman who has been assaulted should be able to trust that her case will be taken seriously. A trafficked child deserves justice. And families should not have to wonder whether the people preying on their communities will face consequences.

Weiser has been attorney general during much of this crisis, and his office has a role in confronting the networks trafficking deadly drugs. As he seeks the governorship, voters are entitled to examine his record: what worked, what didn’t, and what he would do differently.

Weiser has also made challenging President Donald Trump’s administration a prominent part of his tenure. Those legal fights deserve scrutiny, too: what they cost, what they accomplished, and how they served the people of Colorado.

In the Marine Corps, we were taught 14 leadership traits, including integrity, courage, decisiveness, dependability, and unselfishness. Most importantly, when things get difficult, you do not abandon the mission or lower the standard. You lead, act, and accept responsibility for the outcome.

That is the standard I apply to the people seeking to lead Colorado, including Victor Marx and George Markert, whom I support. Marx has dedicated much of his work to helping victims of abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking, while Markert spent three decades in the Marine Corps, rising to the rank of colonel. Both bring valuable experience and a commitment to protecting children, keeping communities safe, and holding the government accountable.

What is happening in Colorado should matter beyond its borders. The decisions made by elected officials affect real families, and the responsibility to protect those families doesn’t change from one state to another.

My family has called Colorado home for more than a century. I think about the state my children and grandchildren will inherit, and whether they will have the same opportunities to raise their families here that generations before them enjoyed. They deserve to feel safe in their communities, trust the people sworn to protect them, and know their freedoms will be defended.

I was in Benghazi when four Americans lost their lives. I saw firsthand how decisions made far from the battlefield affected the men fighting for their lives. I carried that experience into law enforcement, and I have never forgotten it.

Colorado is my home. My family helped build its history, and I care deeply about its future. Public service should never be about personal ambition. It should be about the people whose lives depend on the decisions you make.

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Mark “Oz” Geist is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Benghazi survivor, and New York Times bestselling co-author of “13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi,” which inspired the major motion picture “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.” A Colorado native and former police chief, Geist helped save more than 25 American lives during the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack. He is also the co-founder of the Shadow Warriors Project, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting injured private security contractors and their families.

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