168:
563:
260:, a beer bottle he had left on top of his barracks mailbox spilled on outgoing Christmas correspondence, enraging his commanding officer who threatened to court-martial him for tampering with the U.S. mail. He was reduced in rank to a
320:, trapping Schroen and others inside. They ultimately found refuge in a code room vault and escaped the compound unharmed before protesters burnt it to the ground. Following his death, widow Anne McFadden would recount to
396:, to lead a team into the country to kill Bin Laden and top al-Qaeda leaders. Black had told him that he wanted to see "photos of their heads on pikes." The seven-officer Northern Alliance Liaison Team (NALT), code named
852:
1030:
449:
After two prior marriages to
Patricia Ann Healey and Bette Jean Neil ended in divorce, Schroen married Anne McFadden, a fellow CIA officer who spent 35 years with the agency working on
305:
one night in
September 1975, "two Iranian men in suits" attempted to assassinate him in the street, an incident he escaped by pulling a gun on the would-be killers and sprinting away.
248:, to Emil and Fern (née Finch) Schroen. His father was a union electrician, and his mother a homemaker. He joined the Army after graduating from high school in 1959, serving in the
1025:
1020:
1015:
995:
276:
268:
105:
409:
844:
317:
433:
Schroen retired in
November 2001 as the most decorated CIA officer in history to date. Following his retirement, he returned to the agency as a
1005:
313:
1000:
957:
735:
201:
1035:
302:
294:
for 32 years, rising from a case officer to deputy chief of the Near East
Division in 1999, a post he held through 2001. He spoke fluent
430:
called it a "mostly straightforward account" of his role which "does a good job getting much of the story out to the
American public."
249:
942:
818:
33:
370:
291:
308:
On
November 21, 1979, Pakistani student protesters who were erroneously led to believe that the U.S. was responsible for the
570:
606:
484:, on August 1, 2022, at the age of 80, following either a stroke or complications from a fall. Schroen was interred at the
378:
493:
804:
699:
489:
473:
221:
933:
Ghost Wars: The Secret
History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001
275:
during college, and graduating with a degree in
English in 1968. After graduation he began teaching 5th grade in the
520:
783:
382:
337:, Afghanistan (but based out of Pakistan) in the late 1980s. From 1992 to 1994, he worked at CIA headquarters in
488:
of Grace
Episcopal Church in Alexandria, Virginia on September 24, 2022. At the time of his death, CIA director
245:
64:
656:
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969:
791:
426:
413:
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that
Schroen often said "If there aren't 3,000 students coming over the fence, then it's not an emergency."
261:
894:
358:
434:
345:, Pakistan from 1996 until mid-1999. During this period, he directed CIA operations to find and capture
272:
990:
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389:
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217:
83:
705:
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character CIA Operative "Kirk", who writers said was a compilation based on several actual people.
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hailed him as a "legend and inspiration to every Agency officer." His death occurred the day after
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784:"First In: An Insider's Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan"
698:
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veteran who died of cancer in 2017. He also had four stepdaughters, and two granddaughters.
295:
740:
404:
on September 26 as the first Americans on the ground and began securing support among the
401:
374:
346:
461:, in November 2009. He had three children, two daughters, and a son, Christopher, a Navy
564:
Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History
392:
to lead a CIA team into Afghanistan. He was asked by Coordinator for Counterterrorism,
909:
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330:
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and its Afghan Dialect of Dari and became the agency's top expert on Afghanistan.
253:
552:
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462:
417:
393:
257:
225:
950:
Killer Elite: The Inside Story of America's Most Secret Special Operations Team
256:
for three years. In an incident Schroen called "a bad start" in an unpublished
932:
845:"Somali terror group has 20 American members, prone to strike outside Somalia"
532:
Schroen was also one of several inspirations for the 2006 two-part miniseries
525:
516:
515:
Schroen's experiences in Afghanistan prior to September 11 were chronicled in
504:
438:
350:
341:, controlling counter-Iran operations. He later served as chief of station in
224:, most notably as a field officer in charge of the initial CIA incursion into
714:
700:"A CIA spy pursued bin Laden after 9/11. Now he's being mourned as a legend"
342:
895:"Statement by CIA Director William J. Burns on the passing of Gary Schroen"
480:
to have killed Schroen in a July 2013 attack, Schroen died at his home in
424:(2005) recounting his Afghan experiences. The CIA's review of the book in
32:
872:
466:
301:
Schroen spent much of the 1970s in Iran. As Schroen walked home from the
233:
422:
First In: How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan
416:
from the 5th Special Forces Group as well as a small number of men from
477:
229:
819:"Christopher Charles Schroen's Obituary (1970 - 2017) Daily Press"
334:
910:"Obituary: Gary Schroen, the CIA spy sent to get Osama Bin Laden"
868:"Obituary: Gary Schroen, the CIA spy sent to get Osama Bin Laden"
329:
Later in his career, Schroen served in numerous posts, including
267:
After receiving an honorable discharge in 1962, Schroen attended
500:, who as Bin Laden's deputy had been one of Schroen's targets.
450:
354:
657:"Gary Schroen, Who Led the C.I.A. Into Afghanistan, Dies at 80"
369:. He also helped lead a 1997 operation in conjunction with the
388:
Although he planned to retire, Schroen was recalled after the
183:
970:
PBS Frontline – The Dark Side: Interview with Gary C. Schroen
236:. He retired as the most decorated CIA officer in history.
216:(November 6, 1941 – August 1, 2022) was an American
197:
189:
179:
161:
146:
111:
101:
91:
72:
46:
23:
1031:Southern Illinois University Edwardsville alumni
271:, working as a janitor and unloading trucks for
607:"The Burial of the Dead Rite II, Gary Schroen"
8:
736:"Flames Engulf the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan"
605:Turner, Rev. Dr. Anne (September 24, 2022).
349:, and began renewing relationships with the
20:
1026:People of the Central Intelligence Agency
269:Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
106:Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
16:American intelligence officer (1941–2022)
649:
647:
645:
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866:Debusmann Jr., Bernd (August 5, 2022).
771:. Simon and Schuster. pp. 164–165.
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908:Debusmann Jr, Bernd (August 6, 2022).
843:Windrem, Robert (September 23, 2013).
282:In June 1969, Schroen joined the CIA.
244:Schroen was born November 6, 1941, in
897:(Press release). CIA. August 1, 2022.
855:from the original on August 20, 2014.
202:United States invasion of Afghanistan
7:
1021:People from East St. Louis, Illinois
769:The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden
692:
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598:
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952:, St. Martin's Press (August 2011)
744:. December 3, 1979. Archived from
697:Shapira, Ian (September 9, 2022).
14:
1016:Military personnel from Illinois
996:21st-century American memoirists
228:in September 2001 to topple the
166:
31:
654:Risen, Clay (August 10, 2022).
503:Schroen was a noted fan of the
133:
937:Penguin Press (February 2004)
1:
1006:Accidental deaths in Virginia
496:Osama bin Laden's successor,
408:, days before the arrival of
38:
1001:Accidental deaths from falls
379:FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive
220:who spent 32 years with the
1036:United States Army soldiers
805:Central Intelligence Agency
437:. By 2007, he was teaching
222:Central Intelligence Agency
1052:
494:a U.S. drone strike killed
420:. He later wrote the book
353:commanders who fought the
97:Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
782:Moore, J. Daniel (2005).
383:CIA headquarters shooting
381:responsible for the 1993
318:U.S. Embassy in Islamabad
292:Directorate of Operations
207:
154:
30:
246:East St. Louis, Illinois
65:East St. Louis, Illinois
792:Studies in Intelligence
445:Personal life and death
427:Studies in Intelligence
767:Bergen, Peter (2021).
614:Grace Episcopal Church
303:U.S. Embassy in Tehran
290:Schroen worked in the
277:Detroit Public Schools
95:Grace Episcopal Church
571:Charlie Wilson's War
482:Alexandria, Virginia
455:counterproliferation
390:September 11 attacks
314:stormed and set fire
310:Grand Mosque seizure
250:Army Security Agency
218:intelligence officer
214:Gary Charles Schroen
84:Alexandria, Virginia
51:Gary Charles Schroen
748:on October 22, 2010
706:The Washington Post
459:counterintelligence
410:ODA 555 and ODA 595
323:The Washington Post
663:The New York Times
511:In popular culture
367:Ahmad Shah Massoud
365:commander General
190:Service years
156:Espionage activity
958:978-0-312-36272-0
801:Langley, Virginia
558:Operation Cyclone
498:Ayman al-Zawahiri
476:once claimed via
441:to new officers.
406:Northern Alliance
363:Northern Alliance
359:Soviet–Afghan War
339:Langley, Virginia
211:
210:
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535:The Path to 9/11
490:William J. Burns
412:, each a 12-man
331:chief of station
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61:November 6, 1941
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948:Michael Smith,
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925:Further reading
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523:-winning book,
513:
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402:Panjshir Valley
375:Mir Aimal Kansi
347:Osama bin Laden
288:
242:
167:
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139:
136: 2009)
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118:Patricia Healey
102:Alma mater
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1011:American spies
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964:External links
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521:Pulitzer Prize
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373:that captured
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80:(aged 80)
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548:Gary Berntsen
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126:Anne McFadden
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930:Steve Coll,
913:
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889:
877:. Retrieved
871:
861:
848:
838:
826:. Retrieved
822:
813:
796:
790:
777:
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762:
750:. Retrieved
746:the original
739:
730:
718:. Retrieved
704:
667:. Retrieved
661:
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569:
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533:
531:
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471:
448:
432:
425:
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400:, landed in
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361:, including
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254:West Germany
243:
232:and destroy
213:
212:
155:
92:Burial place
78:(2022-08-01)
25:Gary Schroen
18:
991:2022 deaths
986:1941 births
879:December 6,
828:December 6,
720:December 6,
574:(2007 film)
553:Cofer Black
486:columbarium
418:Delta Force
394:Cofer Black
258:short story
226:Afghanistan
980:Categories
972:transcript
823:Legacy.com
752:August 27,
669:August 10,
579:References
526:Ghost Wars
517:Steve Coll
505:Comic Sans
474:Al-Shabaab
439:tradecraft
435:contractor
398:Jawbreaker
351:Mujahideen
312:in Mecca,
264:instead.
240:Early life
198:Operations
162:Allegiance
121:Bette Neil
57:1941-11-06
715:0190-8286
343:Islamabad
193:1969–2001
914:BBC News
873:BBC News
853:Archived
849:NBC News
542:See also
519:'s 2004
467:Gulf War
463:linguist
234:Al-Qaeda
147:Children
37:Schroen
478:Twitter
357:in the
355:Soviets
316:to the
296:Persian
262:private
230:Taliban
138:
130:
112:Spouses
956:
941:
713:
507:font.
472:While
457:, and
414:A-team
286:Career
180:Agency
171:
86:, U.S.
67:, U.S.
799:(4).
787:(PDF)
610:(PDF)
377:, an
335:Kabul
132:(
128:
954:ISBN
939:ISBN
881:2022
830:2022
754:2023
741:TIME
722:2022
711:ISSN
671:2022
465:and
451:Iran
73:Died
47:Born
41:2005
371:FBI
333:in
279:.
273:UPS
252:in
184:CIA
982::
912:.
870:.
851:.
847:.
821:.
803::
797:49
795:.
789:.
738:.
709:.
703:.
679:^
660:.
622:^
612:.
587:^
529:.
453:,
385:.
134:m.
39:c.
945:.
935:,
916:.
883:.
832:.
807:.
756:.
724:.
673:.
616:.
59:)
55:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
