"In honor of those members of the Central Intelligence Agency who gave their lives in the service of their country"
The Memorial Wall is a memorial at the Central Intelligence Agencyheadquarters in Langley, Virginia. The wall is located in the Original Headquarters Building lobby on the north wall. There are 140 stars carved into the white Alabama marble wall, each one representing an employee who died in the line of service. Paramilitary Operations Officers (PMOO) of the Special Activities Center comprise the majority of those memorialized.
CIA Book of Honor 1950–2003
Memorial
The wall bears the inscription "In honor of those members of the Central Intelligence Agency who gave their lives in the service of their country." The wall is flanked by the flag of the United States on the left and a flag bearing the CIA seal on the right.
Book of Honor
A black Moroccan goatskin-bound book, called the "Book of Honor", sits in a steel frame beneath the stars, its "slender case jutting out from the wall just below the field of stars", and is "framed in stainless steel and topped by an inch-thick plate of glass." Inside it shows the stars, arranged by year of death and, when possible, lists the names of employees who died in CIA service alongside them.
In 1997, there were 70 stars, 29 of which had names. There were 79 stars in 2002, 83 in 2004, 90 in 2009, 107 in 2013, 111 in 2014, 125 in 2017, 129 in 2018, 133 in 2019, 135 in 2020, 137 in 2021, 139 in 2022, and 140 in 2023. Of the 140 entries in the book in 2023, 106 are named, while 34 are not. The 34 not named are represented only by a gold star followed by a blank space.
Secrecy of names
The identities of the unnamed stars remain secret, even in death, though many names from the Cold War era have been released or uncovered in recent years.
Adding new stars
One of the engraved stars
When new names are added to the Book of Honor, stone carver Tim Johnston of the Carving and Restoration Team in Manassas, Virginia adds a new star to the wall if that person's star is not already present. Johnston learned the process of creating the stars from the original sculptor of the wall, Harold Vogel, who created the first 31 stars and the Memorial Wall inscription when the wall was created in July 1974. Although the wall was "first conceived as a small plaque to recognize those from the CIA who died in Southeast Asia, the idea quickly grew to a memorial for Agency employees who died in the line of duty." The process used by Johnston to add a new star is as follows:
Johnston creates a star by first tracing the new star on the wall using a template. Each star measures 2¼ inches tall by 2¼ inches wide and half an inch deep; all the stars are six inches apart from each other, as are all the rows. Johnston uses both a pneumatic air hammer and a chisel to carve out the traced pattern. After he finishes carving the star, he cleans the dust and sprays the star black, which as the star ages, fades to gray.
[i]nclusion on the Memorial Wall is awarded posthumously to employees who lose their lives while serving their country in the field of intelligence. Death may occur in the foreign field or in the United States. Death must be of an inspirational or heroic character while in the performance of duty; or as the result of an act of terrorism while in the performance of duty; or as an act of premeditated violence targeted against an employee, motivated solely by that employee's Agency affiliation; or in the performance of duty while serving in areas of hostilities or other exceptionally hazardous conditions where the death is a direct result of such hostilities or hazards. After approval by the director, the Office of Protocol arranges for a new star to be placed on the Wall.
Suicide death
The first suicide to be added to the wall was for employee Ranya Abdelsayed, who died by suicide in 2013 after working for a year in Afghanistan. CIA leadership was criticized by some who feel she did not meet the criteria for the wall.
Current stars and known individuals
Date of Death
Name
Cause of Death
1947
March 20, 1947
Lieutenant John W. Creech
Killed when their plane crashed in bad weather while en route to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. They worked for the Central Intelligence Group (CIG), the direct predecessor to CIA.
The first CIA employee to be killed in the line of duty and the first star on the wall. Mackiernan had worked for the State Department in China since 1947. When the People's Republic of China was established at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, the State Department ordered that the Tihwa (Ürümqi) consulate where Mackiernan was stationed as vice consul be closed, and personnel were to leave the country immediately. Mackiernan, however, was ordered to stay behind, destroy cryptographic equipment, monitor the situation, and aid anti-communistNationalists. Mackiernan fled south toward India after most escape routes were cut off, along with Frank Bessac, an American Fulbright Scholar who was in Tihwa, and three White Russians. Although Mackiernan and his party survived the Taklamakan Desert and Himalayas, Mackiernan was shot by Tibetan border guards, probably because they mistook them as Communist infiltrators, on April 29, 1950.
Schwartz and Snoddy were pilots of a C-47 aircraft on a mission to extract a CIA operative from China. Their plane took off on November 29, 1952, from South Korea for Jilin province, China. They were preparing to pick up the agent with an airborne extraction system when the operative was compromised by Chinese forces on the ground and their plane was shot down. Both Schwartz and Snoddy were killed, while two other CIA crewmembers, Richard G. Fecteau and John T. Downey, were captured by the Chinese and held until 1971 and 1973, respectively. Schwartz's and Snoddy's remains were returned in 2005.
Robert C. Snoddy
1954
1954
James "Pete" McCarthy Jr.
Born in 1925, a world War II Veteran and later a paramilitary operations officer who died in 1954, on a training flight in Southeast Asia.
1956
May 15, 1956
Wilburn S. Rose
Three CIA Lockheed U-2pilots who died in plane crashes – Rose, Grace, Carey were honored with stars in 1974.
August 31, 1956
Frank G. Grace
September 17, 1956
Howard Carey
June 16, 1956
William P. Boteler
Boteler was killed in the bombing of a restaurant in Cyprus that was frequented by CIA operatives; the group EOKA committed the attack on June 16, 1956.
1957
January 1957
James J. McGrath
A native of Middletown, Connecticut, McGrath died following an accident while working on a high-power German transmitter in January 1957. His star was placed on the wall in 2007.
Killed in a training accident while instructing members of Brigade 2506 on the use of C-4 explosives in Retalhuleu, Guatemala.
April 19, 1961
Leo F. Baker
Four CIA pilots were killed while supporting the failed Bay of Pigs invasion on Cuba. One more American was killed during the invasion, paratrooper Herman Koch Gene, but he was not part of the CIA. Baker was buried in a mass grave in Cuba and Thomas Ray's remains were returned to his family in 1979.
Wade C. Gray
Thomas W. Ray
Riley W. Shamburger
August 13, 1961
David W. Bevan
Bevan, Eubanks, Lewis were former smokejumpers working for the CIA's Air America airline when their plane crashed in Laos on August 13, 1961, killing them and two other crew members. They were dropping cargo in support of General Vang Pao's Hmong army when their plane experienced a mechanical problem. The three men were honored with stars in 2017.
Killed in a Vietcong car bomb attack on the U.S. embassy in Saigon, South Vietnam. She was honored with one of the original 31 stars in 1974, but her name was not included in the Book of Honor until May 2011.
April 26, 1965
Eugene "Buster" Edens
CIA Lockheed U-2pilot who died in a plane crash. He was honored with a star in 1974.
June 6, 1965
John W. Waltz
Died in Baghdad, Iraq, while working as an Aide at the U.S. embassy. He became ill and died from medical complications following emergency surgery.
August 20, 1965
Edward Johnson
Johnson and O'Jibway were intelligence officers assigned to Air America. They were killed when their helicopter crashed into the Mekong River. The CIA's Book of Honor incorrectly lists O'Jibway's date of death as 1966.
Louis O'Jibway
October 12, 1965
Michael M. Deuel
Both Deuel and Maloney were intelligence officers assigned to Air America. They were killed, along with an Air America pilot and a mechanic, when their helicopter crashed near Saravane, Laos.
Michael A. Maloney
November 29, 1965
Marcell Rene Gough
A maritime specialist who died in a vehicle accident in November 1965, in Zaire, while on assignment to maintain equipment for operations designed to defeat communist-backed rebels.
Born in 1936, an engineer in the Directorate of Science and Technology, who died in an airplane crash in Iran in 1968. His duties at the CIA were to monitor the Soviet Union's missile capabilities.
1969
January 5, 1969
Jon Price Evans
A CIA medical officer, who was also a former Army physician, Evans was killed along with three others when their DC-3 airliner suffered mechanical problems and crashed in northern Thailand while en route to Vientiane, Laos.
Redmond was a member of the Special Activities Division (SAD) who was posing as an ice cream machine salesman when he was captured in 1951, in Shanghai, China, while boarding a ship for San Francisco. He was in captivity for 19 years until he died on April 13, 1970. The Chinese claim that he slit his wrists.
Rayner was killed by an unknown intruder who broke into his home at night on Bushrod Island, near Monrovia, Liberia.
1975
January 1975
William E. Bennett
Bennett was killed in an explosion at his residence in Tuy Hòa, South Vietnam, during the Vietnam War, while working as a political reporting officer for the U.S. embassy.
Gougelmann was a Paramilitary Operations Officer from the CIA's Special Activities Division who worked in the CIA from 1949 to 1972, serving in Europe, Afghanistan, Korea, and Vietnam. Gougelmann returned to Saigon in spring 1975 in an attempt to secure exit visas for loved ones after North Vietnam had launched a major offensive. He missed his final flight out of Saigon, and was captured by the North Vietnamese, who tortured him for 11 months before he died. Gougelmann was honored with a Memorial Star after the criteria for inclusion on the Wall were broadened and after "It was determined that although Gougelmann did not die in the line of duty while employed by CIA, his past affiliation with the Agency led to his death."
1978
July 13, 1978
Denny Gabriel
Former members of Air America, they were killed, along with a member of U.S. Special Forces, when their plane crashed in North Carolina, during a mission preparation training exercise.
Gannon was the CIA's deputy station chief in Beirut, Lebanon; he was one of at least four American intelligence officers aboard Pan Am Flight 103 (he was assigned Clipper Class seat 14J), when a bomb detonated and destroyed the plane high over Lockerbie, Scotland.
1989
August 7, 1989
Robert W. Woods
Killed in a plane crash (along with U.S. Representative Mickey Leland), while on a humanitarian mission in Ethiopia.
Spann was a Paramilitary Operations Officer from the Special Activities Division, killed during a Taliban prison uprising in November 2001 in Mazar-e Sharif (see Battle of Qala-i-Jangi). He was the first American killed in combat during the United States invasion of Afghanistan. His star, the 79th, was added in 2002. Officer Spann was posthumously awarded the Intelligence Star for valor for his actions.
He was the first U.S. soldier to be killed in combat in the American war in Afghanistan. At the time of his death, he was detailed to the CIA as a CIA paramilitary team's communications specialist. He was killed while investigating an Al-Qaeda safe house in Khost.
An operations officer who was killed in Ethiopia in 2003, also was honored with a star on the CIA's memorial wall. A former defense attorney in Florida, Wenzel grew up in Monroe, New York, and was a member of the first clandestine service training class to graduate after the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. His Agency affiliation was withheld for six years. Overseas, Wenzel gathered intelligence on a wide range of national security priorities. In Director Leon Panetta's words: "At age 33, a promising young officer – a leader and friend to so many – was taken from us. We find some measure of solace in knowing that Gregg achieved what he set out to do: He lived for a purpose greater than himself. Like his star on this Wall, that lesson remains with us always."
October 25, 2003
Christopher Glenn Mueller
Mueller and Carlson were paramilitary contractors from Special Activities Division, killed in an ambush in Afghanistan on October 25, 2003. On May 21, 2004, these officers' stars were dedicated at a memorial ceremony. "The bravery of these two men cannot be overstated," then-Director of Central Intelligence George J. Tenet told a gathering of several hundred Agency employees and family members of those killed in the line of duty. "Chris and Chief put the lives of others ahead of their own. That is heroism defined." Mueller, a former US Navy SEAL and Carlson, a former Army Ranger, Green Beret and Delta Force soldier, died while tracking high level terrorists near Shkin, Afghanistan, on October 25, 2003. Both officers saved the lives of others, including Afghan soldiers, during the ambush.
William "Chief" Carlson
2005
December 7, 2005
Gregory R. Wright, Jr.
Killed in Iraq while working on a Protective Service Detail. His team was returning from an asset meeting when they were ambushed by unknown attackers.
2006
September 30, 2006
Rachel A. Dean
Dean was a native of Stanardsville, Virginia, who joined the CIA as a young support officer in January 2005. She died in a car accident in September 2006, while on temporary duty in Kazakhstan.
Known as the "Lion of Fallujah" for his deployment there with the US Marine Corps, he was serving with the CIA's Special Activities Division when he was killed in a gun battle in Baghdad in May 2007 while leading Iraqis on a "snatch-and-grab" operation against insurgents. Officially, his star is anonymous; the CIA refuses to comment on Zembiec's employment with the Agency. However, former U.S. intelligence officials have stated in interviews with The Washington Post that Zembiec was indeed serving with the SAD Ground Branch at the time of his death.
2008
May 10, 2008
Donald A. Barger
Killed in a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan. Barger was a retired Master Sergeant, former US Army Ranger and Special Forces soldier. He served with 1st Ranger Battalion and Army 3rd Special Forces Group.
The four died during the Disappearance of CIA Operatives in the South China Sea in 2008. The operation, conducted by the Special Operations Group's Maritime Branch. They embarked on the mission to monitor Chinese military activities, specifically People's Liberation Army Navy, in a disputed area north of Luzon, the largest island in the Philippines. The operation aimed to deploy a surveillance device disguised as a rock. The operatives faced deteriorating conditions caused by Tropical Storm Higos, and all four men died during the storm. Their unexplained disappearance prompted internal debates within the CIA and spurred a reassessment of maritime intelligence strategies, leading to more cautious practices in future operations.
Killed during the attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, on the night of September 11–12, 2012. Both were former Navy SEALs and worked as CIA security contractors. In addition, the US ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and one other American diplomat, Sean Smith, were also killed in the attack.
Killed while working for the CIA in the Philippines, details about the circumstances of his death remain classified. He worked for the CIA for 18 years and also served in the U.S. Army. He was previously stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, and other countries. He was honored with a star in 2017.
October 26, 2016
Brian R. Hoke
Both were killed during an assault on an ISIS compound outside of Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Hoke was a former United States Navy SEAL and Delemarre a former Marine. Both were members of Special Activities Division.
Nathaniel P. Delemarre
November 4, 2016
Matthew C. Lewellen
Members of the 5th Special Forces Group – were working for the CIA, training moderate Syrian rebels in Jordan, when they were shot and killed on November 4, 2016. Although Jordan initially claimed that security forces at King Faisal Air Base had fired upon the Americans for failing to stop at the base's gate, U.S. officials stated that the soldiers were killed by a deliberate terrorist attack. Video shows that after the Americans had been cleared to enter the base, one of the Jordanian guards opened fire on the men. The Jordanian attacker was wounded in the shootout.
Jane Wallis Burrell was the first CIA officer to die in the Agency's service when an Air FranceDC-3 from Brussels crashed on approach to the Le Bourget Airport near Paris on January 6, 1948, killing all five crew members and 10 of the 11 passengers. She died only 110 days after the CIA was officially established the previous September. Burrell was never a candidate for a star on the CIA's Memorial Wall because the wall commemorates Agency employees who died in specific circumstances and deaths from commercial aircraft crashes have generally not qualified.
There were more than 30, pilots and other crew members, of the CIA's Air America company who were killed during the Vietnam War that were not counted as part of the Agency even though they worked for it. The names of some of them were: John M. Bannerman, Eugene DeBruin, Joseph C. Cheney, Charles Herrick, John Lerdo Oyer, Jack J. Wells, George L. Ritter, Edward J. Weissenback, and Roy F. Townley.
See also
Captain John Birch killed in 1945 while serving with US Military Intelligence
Lieutenant Colonel A. Peter Dewey killed in 1945 while serving with the OSS
^His name was listed in the original Book of Honor used from 1974-2004 that can be read in "Memorial Wall Publication"(PDF). www.cia.gov. June 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2023. p. 22.
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