Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Stories of Special Forces Operators podcast. Listen to
some of the bravest and toughest people on the planet
share their stories. Sit back and enjoy.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
This is the story of CIA Officer Mike Span. Johnny
Michael Span, a CI officer whose life and death continue
to resonate through the corridors of espionage and the annals
of American heroism. He was born in Alabama. In nineteen
sixty nine, he graduated from Auburn University with a degree
in criminal justice, and then he joined the Marine Corps.
(00:47):
His sense of duty and love for the country didn't
end though. In nineteen ninety nine, Span joined the CIA,
describing himself with the words action, responsibility, and leadership and
his application. After training at the Farm the CIA is
Covert Training Facility, Span was assigned to the Special Activities
Division SAD, the agency's elite pair of military operations group,
(01:07):
usually consisting of a lot of Special Forces operators. Following
the nine to eleven attacks, Span was one of the
first CIA officers to deploy into Afghanistan. He was part
of Team Alpha, an eight man team that landed in
Taliban controlled territory on October one. October seventeenth of two
thousand and one. The mission was multifaceted, gather intelligence, access
(01:28):
the situation, assessed the situation on the ground, and facilitate
alliances with anti Taliban forces like the Northern Alliance. SPAN's
responsibilities included questioning prisoners, assessing the strength and morale of
the enemy, and aiding in the coordination of military operations
with local war lords. His skills and languages like Uzbek
were instrumental. The pivotal moment that would define SPAN's legacy
(01:52):
occurred on November twenty five, two thousand and one, at
the Kala Eijanghi Fortress near Mazar Eshiev Sharif. I'm sorry here.
Span and fellow CIA officer David Tyson were interviewing captured
Taliban fighters, including the notorious John Walker Lynn the American Taliban. However,
the situation escalated rapidly and uprising among the prisoners who
(02:13):
were supposed to have surrendered led to a violent revolt.
Amidst the chaos, Span was attacked by a group of prisoners.
His last attack was one of heroism. Even as he
was being overwhelmed, he warned his colleague, allowing David Tyson
to find safety. Span was killed in the melee, but
not before engaging the enemy, with his AK forty seven
and Block seventeen going down fighting. The event not only
(02:35):
marked the first American combat death in Afghanistan, but also
underscored the brutal realities of the war. SPAN's death was
a profound loss to the CIA and to the United States.
He was posthumously awarded the Intelligence Star and the Exceptional
Service Medallion. His name is etched into the CIA Memorial
Wall of Langley. Span left behind his wife, Shannon, also
(02:56):
a CIA officer, and three young children. Theres that's where
he fell now holds a small memorial to him. Well,
I don't know if it still doesn't now with the
talban taking over. His story has been documented in books
like Toby Harden's First Casualty, which delves into the CIA's
op early operations in the post nine to eleven landscape.
(03:16):
Spans story is a point and reminder of the personal
risks taken by those in the shadows of national defense.
SPAN's journey from a small town in Alabama to the
front lines of a global conflict encapsulates the spirit of
service that defines true espionage and special op work. Rest
in Peace Michael span
Welcome to Stories of Special Forces Operators podcast. Listen to
some of the bravest and toughest people on the planet
share their stories. Sit back and enjoy.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
This is the story of CIA Officer Mike Span. Johnny
Michael Span, a CI officer whose life and death continue
to resonate through the corridors of espionage and the annals
of American heroism. He was born in Alabama. In nineteen
sixty nine, he graduated from Auburn University with a degree
in criminal justice, and then he joined the Marine Corps.
(00:47):
His sense of duty and love for the country didn't
end though. In nineteen ninety nine, Span joined the CIA,
describing himself with the words action, responsibility, and leadership and
his application. After training at the Farm the CIA is
Covert Training Facility, Span was assigned to the Special Activities
Division SAD, the agency's elite pair of military operations group,
(01:07):
usually consisting of a lot of Special Forces operators. Following
the nine to eleven attacks, Span was one of the
first CIA officers to deploy into Afghanistan. He was part
of Team Alpha, an eight man team that landed in
Taliban controlled territory on October one. October seventeenth of two
thousand and one. The mission was multifaceted, gather intelligence, access
(01:28):
the situation, assessed the situation on the ground, and facilitate
alliances with anti Taliban forces like the Northern Alliance. SPAN's
responsibilities included questioning prisoners, assessing the strength and morale of
the enemy, and aiding in the coordination of military operations
with local war lords. His skills and languages like Uzbek
were instrumental. The pivotal moment that would define SPAN's legacy
(01:52):
occurred on November twenty five, two thousand and one, at
the Kala Eijanghi Fortress near Mazar Eshiev Sharif. I'm sorry here.
Span and fellow CIA officer David Tyson were interviewing captured
Taliban fighters, including the notorious John Walker Lynn the American Taliban. However,
the situation escalated rapidly and uprising among the prisoners who
(02:13):
were supposed to have surrendered led to a violent revolt.
Amidst the chaos, Span was attacked by a group of prisoners.
His last attack was one of heroism. Even as he
was being overwhelmed, he warned his colleague, allowing David Tyson
to find safety. Span was killed in the melee, but
not before engaging the enemy, with his AK forty seven
and Block seventeen going down fighting. The event not only
(02:35):
marked the first American combat death in Afghanistan, but also
underscored the brutal realities of the war. SPAN's death was
a profound loss to the CIA and to the United States.
He was posthumously awarded the Intelligence Star and the Exceptional
Service Medallion. His name is etched into the CIA Memorial
Wall of Langley. Span left behind his wife, Shannon, also
(02:56):
a CIA officer, and three young children. Theres that's where
he fell now holds a small memorial to him. Well,
I don't know if it still doesn't now with the
talban taking over. His story has been documented in books
like Toby Harden's First Casualty, which delves into the CIA's
op early operations in the post nine to eleven landscape.
(03:16):
Spans story is a point and reminder of the personal
risks taken by those in the shadows of national defense.
SPAN's journey from a small town in Alabama to the
front lines of a global conflict encapsulates the spirit of
service that defines true espionage and special op work. Rest
in Peace Michael span
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