Johnny Micheal Spann

Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann
Johnny Micheal Spann
Allegiance	United States of America
Service / branch	CIA / United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1991-2001
Rank	Captain
Unit	Special Activities Division
Battles / wars	Battle of Qala-i-Jangi
Awards	Intelligence Star Exceptional Service Medallion

Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann (March 1 1969 – November 25 2001) was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) paramilitary operations officer in the former Directorate of Operations, Special Activities Division (SAD). Spann was the first American killed in combat during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.

Biography

Spann was originally from Winfield, Alabama, and in December 1991, while attending Auburn University, he joined the Marine Corps Reserve. After graduating from Auburn with a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice/law enforcement in 1992, Spann enrolled in Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. He also had a daughter named Allison Spann.

He had originally wanted to go into aviation, but served as an artillery expert, specializing in how to direct indirect ground (artillery), air and naval firepower toward the enemy on the ground. By 1996, he had earned the rank of Captain. He joined the CIA in June 1999 and went on to serve in the "Ground Branch" of the CIA's paramilitary Special Activities Division.

Killed during a riot at an Afghan prison

Main article: Battle of Qala-i-Jangi

Spann was killed during a riot at the Qala-i-Jangi compound in Mazari Sharif in northern Afghanistan according to CNN reporter Robert Young Pelton. In the same day, he and another officer at General Dostum's military garrison named Qali Jangi near Mazari Sharif questioned John Walker Lindh. As shown on British Television (Channel 4 news), Spann asks "are you a member of the IRA?" and hit Lindh's head. As the newsfilm showed, Lindh's elbows were fastened behind his back at the time. Officials recovered his body after Afghan Northern Alliance troops backed by U.S. air strikes and UK Special Boat Service and US Special Forces crushed the uprising. Spann had been shot in the head twice.

Memorial

The length of Spann's military service would not normally have qualified him for burial at Arlington National Cemetery. However, at his family's request, President Bush signed a waiver allowing him to be buried there. Of the 260,000 people interred at Arlington, only a few hundred were buried there after receiving a waiver.

Spann was also memorialized with a star on the wall at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia that commemorates individuals who died in the line of duty. The wall currently has 83 stars (as of January 2005), 35 of which remain unidentified for national security reasons. Spann was posthumously awarded the Intelligence Star and the Exceptional Service Medallion.

References

• H.Con.Res. 281: Honoring Johnny Micheal Spann. United States House of Representatives. December 11, 2001.

External links

• Honor Mike Spann - Web site about him, but also deals with John Walker Lindh's activities in Afghanistan, maintained by his family.
• House Concurrent Resolution 281, provided by the Federation of American Scientists - U.S. legislation which honored the memory of Spann.
• Remarks by Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet at funeral of Johnny Micheal Spann - Note: "Micheal" is spelled correctly.
• Got To Decide if He Wants to Live or Die Here' - The interrogation of John Walker Lindh by Spann, shortly before the uprising that took his life.