Remembering CIA¡Çs Heroes: Johnny Micheal Spann

This is a part of our series about CIA employees who have died in the line of duty, making the ultimate sacrifice for the United States of America.

Currently, there are 90 stars carved into the marble of the CIA memorial wall. The wall stands as a silent, simple memorial to those employees ¡Èwho gave their lives in the service of their country¡É. The CIA has released the names of 55 employees; the names of the remaining 35 officers must remain secret, even in death.

Action. Responsibility. Leadership. These are words Johnny Micheal ¡ÈMike¡É Spann used to describe himself in his application to the CIA. He took these traits with him when he deployed in the fall of 2001 to Afghanistan as part of the government¡Çs response to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Mike was conducting initial interviews of extremists held in Qali-Jangi fortress at Mazar-e Sharif when hundreds of prisoners revolted and he was attacked. His last act, just before he was killed by those who had supposedly surrendered, was to warn an Agency colleague of the imminent danger. Mike was the first American killed in combat in Afghanistan. His life was taken on November 25, eight years ago today. His actions in the six weeks he was in the country made a major contribution to the battle against the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in north-central Afghanistan.