Its so sad to see good people die because of those pigs.
">
Posted on 11/28/2001 10:17:30 AM PST by blam
Tributes to CIA hero who died in action
Tributes are being paid to the first American to be killed in combat in Afghanistan.
CIA officer Johnny 'Mike' Spann has been killed in the prison riot in Mazar-i-Sharif.
The CIA will not reveal why the 32-year-old was in the prison when the riot broke out, but is hailing him a hero with 'absolute courage'.
His body was only recovered after the Taliban rebellion was finally stopped by the Northern Alliance captors.
Four other Americans have died in accidents outside Afghanistan, but Mr Spann was the first to be killed in combat in the country.
He was one of an unknown number of CIA agents liaising with Northern Alliance commanders,
CIA director George Tenet paid tribute to Mr Spann saying: "He was where he wanted to be: on the frontlines, serving his country."
"He was an American hero and a man who showed passion for country and his agency with absolute courage," he added.
Mr Spann, from Winfield, Alabama was a former colonel in the Marines. He joined the CIA in 1999 and leaves a widow, two daughters and a baby son.
Story filed: 19:00 Wednesday 28th November 2001
Let me say it for you. Kill'em all!
My feelings exactly. I salute Mike and his Dad and pray his family gets through this.
That's probably "corporal", which would be about right.
That's probably "corporal", which would be about right.
El Gato, please ref. my response #13.
I served in the U.S. Marine Corps and achieved the lofty enlisted rank of corporal E-4 at age 21.
You are either 14 years old, or a clueless adult, but there is little correlation in the military between
E-4 and O-3 or O-4.
Semper Fi ...
God bless 'em cause they are the back bone of this country.
Its so sad to see good people die because of those pigs.
">
I had the honor to serve peripherally with some of those PM guys during my time in the middle east. They are the best of the best.
Hand Salute to Mike Spann. He was an inspiration.
 |
| CIA officer Mike Spann, in this undated family photo, is the first American known to be killed in combat in Afghanistan. Johnny ``Mike'' Spann, 32, who entered the Marine Corps and then joined the CIA in June 1999, was killed in action during a prison riot at Mazar-e-Sharif. His body was recovered Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2001 the CIA said, without providing details on the circumstances of Spann's death. (AP Photo/Fanmily Photo via the CIA |
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.