Kris "Tanto" Paronto

E3 Camping Association

In this podcast, Trish speaks with Kris "Tanto" on his journey through life, how his experiences taught him perseverance and determination through hard and trying times. Get advice from Tanto about facing change and taking the first step in life. He also gives us his full story, where he was born and raised. Why he decided to join the army and all the curve balls that life threw his way. Hear all the things that had to happen to land him in Benghazi as a military contractor, listen to his funny stories from filming 13 Hours, and how he views the movie.

His immense bravery and strength are something to aspire to in day-to-day life.

"You won't get the momentum until you take that first step"
Kris Paronto - “Tanto” as he is affectionately known in security contracting circles - is a former Army Ranger from 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment and private security contractor who has deployed throughout South America, Central America, the Middle East, and North Africa. He also worked with the US Government’s Global Response Staff conducting low profile security in high threat environments throughout the world.

Kris was part of 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. Kris’s story along with his brothers in arms from that night is told in the book 13 Hours, written by Mitchell Zuckoff.