There is a wall…

The CIA memorial wall at CIA headquarters,
is located in the Old Headquarters Building.
There are 83 stars on the wall. Each represents the a death of a CIA agent in the course of duty.

Though the image of CIA might for some be slouch hats, spy vs spy,
old guys with white hair and hoary knowledge,
these are the faces of the mostly very young CIA employees.
Here, they were celebrating the installation of Leon Panetta.

The names of 48 of the 83 agents who died
are written here in the memorial book.

The names of 35 agents who died, remain secret.
Their names are only noted by year and
by a single star.

1983: The largest number of stars were placed on the wall

after a CIA station was bombed in Beruit .

Seventeen agency employees died in that attack.

2009: Details of the recent attack in Afghanistan are still coming in,

due in part to ‘fog of war, ‘ and also

due to the sensitive nature of the agency’s operation in Afghanistan.

The attack occured inside the gym at ‘Forward Operating Base Chapman’ in Khost province, eastern Afghanistan.

It is said the base had been used to house a provincial reconstruction team

providing humanitarian aid to the local Afghan population.

The Taliban bragged the attacker was a sympathiser in the Afghan army

who pretended to be a friend and detonated a vest of explosives at a meeting with CIA workers.

The above was forwarded by Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, to Reuters.

Seven starts will be added to the wall,

bringing the total number of CIA fallen to 90.

May their loved ones be comforted.

May all Unknowns lost worldwide not be forgotten.

—