Remembering Mike Spann Six Years Later

It has been six years since the first American was killed in the Great War on Terror. That American was Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann - a CIA operative who was killed in a prison uprising at Qalai Jangi Fort, just west of Mazar-e-Sharif. He was killed at the end of the interrogation of Johnny Walker-Lindh - the American Taliban who never revealed his nationality to Mike Spann. (Site of uprising shown below).


We all remember Mike's wife coming out of the shadows of the secret world of the CIA and announcing his death publicly and burying him publicly. Mike is buried in Arlington National Cemetery (his headstone is shown below).


Mike was the recipient of the 79th Star to be engraved on the marble memorial wall of the CIA. He was postumously awarded the Intelligence Star and the Exceptional Service Medallion.


On Mike's funeral progam, the words of George Orwell were printed:

"We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night

to visit violence on those who would do us harm."

Mike Spann was one of those men who did that for each of us.

Six long years we have been involved in the Great War on Terror. The country, we are told, suffers 'war fatigue', too easily forgetting the events of September Eleventh, and the early warnings of the LONG WAR we were facing. A few of us have not forgotten. We stand with the troops and the warriors that protect us. God Bless you all.

Mike Spann's epitaph:

"In honor of

Mike Spann

1969-2001

A hero who sacrificed his life

for freedom;

for Afghanistan;

for the United States of America

We will not forget

his courage or sacrifice.

May God be with and bless him."

A translation of the same in Dari, Afghanistan's official language, is inscribed above.

On the left is where American Taliban John Walker Lindh was captured. He was flooded out of the hole.In the middle is the memorial to fallen CIA agent Johnny "Mike" Spann On the right is one of many buildings at Qala-i-Jangi with visible scars from a huge battle with the Taliban



The CIA Memorial Wall
"In honor of those Members
of the Central Intelligence Agency
who gave their lives in service to their county."
A star is engraved for each of the CIA operatives killed.
The book contains the names of those whose names
have been declassified.


To read more about Mike Spann:
http://www.honormikespann.org/index.html - his family's site
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/jmspann.htm - his Arlington site