ACCOUNTS OF MIKE SPANN'S BRAVERY UNDER SEIGE 'EMOTIONALLY WRENCHING' FOR HIS FAMILY.

Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann was a paramilitary operations officer in the Central Intelligence Agency's Special Activities Division. He was the first American killed in combat during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. The tenth anniversary of Mike's death is November 25, 2011. This is a written account of a fact-finding trip which Mike's father took to Afghanistan one year after his son died in an intense fire fight with 300 Islamic radicals. Some would say the jihadists were outnumbered but got lucky.   Dec. 8, 2002 We left to travel to Afghanistan to visit the Qala I Jangi fortress outside Mazar E Shiref where Micheal Spann was killed November 25, 2001. and to attend a dedication of a memorial that was erected there by General Dostum (Afghan military leader) and the Afghan people honoring Mike for his heroism in the war on Terrorism.  We arrived at the fortress 0n Wednesday night, December 11, and were greeted by approximately 100 people. There were workers there that worked through the night finishing the large copper dome that was erected to shelter the large marble memorial. The following day, December 12, 2002, there was a memorial service attended by approximately four hundred people, including many dignitaries. The service was held in front of the memorial, which was erected about 25 feet from the Pink house that housed the Al Qada and Taliban prisoners that killed Mike. This memorial is also about 10 feet from where Mike took his stand to fight. We were able to talk to eyewitnesses that were with Mike that gave us first hand information as to what happen step by step as they saw it. I asked if they had been interviewed by anyone, including reporters, as to what they saw and they said ‘ NO’. I thought this was strange that no one had. Instead they were reporting second hand information. Witness’s included, a Afghan fighter that was within 30 feet when the fight broke out. He said he heard an explosion, saw prisoners rush out and kill an officer and four of his guards at the entrance to the pink house, then immediately rush Mike, (Mike was within 25 feet from the front corner of the pink house. His position was between the raging prisoners and the eye Witnesses).  The Afghan fighter said that he fell to the ground and watched as Mike fought them. Stating that he was afraid to run, thinking that if he did he would be shot. He said Mike took a stand firing with his A K rifle until it was out of ammo, then his pistol until it was out of ammo, then fought hand to hand until he was overcome by the rage of prisoners.  The Afghan was captured and taken into the pink house.  He told them he was one of them so they would not kill him. They all looked alike and dressed the same. According to the Afghan fighter "the prisoners wanted to go back out to get Mike to bring him inside to shoot him to be sure he was dead. They wanted be able to take credit for Mike’s death so when they were killed they could go to heaven for killing an American."  The Afghan recounted how he was taken into the basement and did not know if the enraged group went back outside for Mike or not.  The fighter himself was injured and lost his right leg.  Another witness was a Afghan intelligence officer who also was within a few feet of Mike. He said his job was to talk to the prisoner’s, to record where they were from and to take a head count. He said there were 538 prisoners.  He fell to the ground watching Mike fight and was able to retreat back and escape while Mike engaged them alone. He said as they fell the ones behind kept attacking and he did not know how many Mike killed before running out of ammo. He said Mike first used his AK rifle, then his pistol, then his fist until he was overcome by the crowd that was attacking him. Also on the scene were two doctors that were treating the injured prisoners as they were brought out of the pink house. Their account was the same. They recounted that there was an explosion.  Then the prisoners rushed out the front door and immediately killed an Afghan officer and four guards who had been sent there to search the prisoners, tie their arms and take their weapons.   After the prisoners massed upon the Afghan officer and guards they rushed Mike.  As the Afghan  Intelligence officer stated previously, there were 538 prisoners there with some 150 of them already searched and in the court yard. The remaining prisoners were in the pink house, the main floor and in the basement.   Doctors said that they lay on the ground between the prisoners and witnessed the fight. They said they thought Mike might run and retreat, but he held his position and fought using his AK rifle until out of ammo, and then draw and begin firing his pistol. While watching Mike fight they were able to jump up and run to safety.  They said the only reason that they, and several others, were able to live was because Mike stood his position and fought off the prisoners while enabling them the time to run to safety.. The doctors stated that as they fled toward a safe haven they saw Mike run out of ammo and then witnessed him fighting hand to hand until he was overcome by the numerous Al Qada and Taliban prisoners.  The doctors escaped to the guard house at the north end and then to the outside. They said the fight worsened as the prisoners were able to take the arms and ammo depot to supply themselves with more weapons. Hearing these accounts was emotionally wrenching for my family and I, but we are so very proud of our son, brother, husband... of Mike... that, when put in that position, he had the guts to try to hold his position and fight at all costs. His supreme bravery and selflessness allowed several others to save their lives, even at the expense of his own.   While there, we were met with a group of women, some 120 in number,  that wanted to show their gratefulness to Mike. This was a very emotional experience as well. We had been told that Afghans were carrying pictures of Mike with them.  At this meeting they told us how thankful they were for what Mike and other Americans had done for them and their country. They told us how they were beat and whipped; how some were killed under the Taliban rule. Then they would take a picture of Mike from their purse and show it to us...Putting it to their heart and weeping they would tell us of the respect and love they had for Mike. They said they would never forget him.  They are not alone. While in Afghanistan we had an opportunity to visit an orphanage for children that had lost their mother and father in this conflict. So many lives lost and so much sorrow.  We understand their loss as it is our loss as well. This trip was very important to all of Mike's family members. Personally, I knew that there were so many conflicting reports of what had happened. When I talked to reporters that had written stories none of them had talked to eyewitnesses that had been on the scene. I was told that I should merely accept what I had been told and move on.  I knew that anyone who loses a loved one wants to know all the circumstances around their death. I knew that if Mike had been killed in a car accident that I would want to know how or what time or if it was his fault or did anyone try to help him or why the accident happened, and many, many more things. It's natural to want to know the circumstances surrounding a loved ones death.  It helps us feel like they were not alone when they died - that we were - in some way - there with them to understand and love them.   There are still things I have not found out. There are still other things that are not clear, as more and more people contact me to tell me things that they know and that they were a part of.  But I am getting closer to the truth and will keep striving to discover all of the details of my son's last moments on this earth. I realize that Mike is not the only one that has lost his life and my heart goes out to all the families who have lost, as we have.  I am so very grateful for their sacrifice for freedom. For the freedoms of all Americans and peace-loving people.   I am also very thankful for all of our military, CIA, and all other government personal involved in preserving our freedom and freedoms around the world.  You are all heroes to me. May you stay safe.  God bless you and God bless America.  Johnny Spann P.O. Box 308   |  Winfield Al. 35594 Email Mr. Spann NEXT: THE AMERICAN TRAITOR WHO COULD HAVE SAVED MIKE SPANN -- BUT DID NOT.

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WAR HERO MIKE SPANN'S FUNERAL AT ARLINGTON NOT THE END -- BUT THE BEGINNING.

First American to die in War on Terror buried at Arlington

  Mike Spann's flag-draped casket is borne by Marine Honor Guards to 
  final resting place at Arlington National Cemetery, December 11, 2001.

                                      

Johnny Spann, father of Mike, holds his son's tiny infant Jake, as he 

shares the unbearable with daughter-in-law Shannon and wife Gail.

By Verne Strickland / November 18, 2011

Micheal Spann, first American combatant to die in War on Terror, was killed November 25, 2001, in a dusty and chaotic prison courtyard in Afghanistan. He went down fighting, fending off a horde of enraged Muslim jihadists before he was overwhelmed.

Wielding an AK-47 and a Glock pistol, Mike killed the closest attackers as they surrounded him, pummeling him to the ground. At close range, they shot him in the head, apparently killing him instantly. A former combat Marine officer who transitioned into an elite CIA intelligence unit, Mike yielded no ground, asked for no mercy. His fierce killers gave no quarter. The handsome 32-year-old Alabama native died valiantly, but not in vain. Not in vain.

Half a world away, on December 11, 2001, Johnny Micheal Spann was interred in a stirring but dignified ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. A true hero had died in line of duty. Remarks in his honor were delivered personally at graveside by the Honorable George Tenet, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Sixteen days had elapsed since the young, idealistic American patriot was gunned down in Qala-I-Jangi prison in Afghanistan. Sixteen days.

At the time, Mike's grieving father, Johnny Spann, having just experienced the numbing, emotionally-charged service at Arlington, did not know how little he knew about his son's death. It was to be another ten years before he discovered the answers.

A lesser man would not have persevered with such intensity and devotion. Johnny Spann had a sense that something was amiss, given the limited information he was getting about Mike's CIA mission -- how and why it ended with his son being sacrificed -- executed -- in a prison riot in strife-torn Afghanistan. 

Back home in Alabama, Johnny Spann was at first puzzled, then suspicious, then angered. He set out to get the answers, and knew he could not quit until he had them. This is the epic story of his improbable quest that going forward would consume his every waking moment. It is best told by Johnny Spann himself -- who lived it.

***********

I am talking by telephone with Johnny Spann . He has gone out to his car in the parking lot of his office to talk on his cell phone, affording him privacy as these intimate topics are discussed.

The last time I got to talk to Mike was on Thanksgiving Day of 2001. He had called on the SAT phone, and wanted to know how his children were doing. I was in Virginia taking care of his kids. And he said, ‘Dad, if I need to come on home now, I will, because his ex-wife, the mother of his two daughters, was extremely ill. Mike told me if he need to come on and get out of there he would do it. I told him no everything’s in control here.

Then he said to me I guess you saw the news where we took Mazar E Shiref (where Mike was killed November 25, the next day) and to attend a meeting. He said we’ve got a whole bunch of prisoners who have surrendered, and we’re going to bring some of them down to this area over the week-end, and I need to go and see if I can get some information off them. A lot of different nationalities and types of people are going to be there.
 
I was led to believe Mike really thought he was going to get some good information from them maybe on where bin Laden was and that was going to be his job to go over there and interview those prisoners. This was Thursday. He said as soon as I complete that and get my stuff done, I am coming back to the states and stay for the month of December. Then I’ll return in January he told me. I never talked to Mike again.

That’s when I heard reports on TV on Sunday about 11am our time, U.S. networks started breaking news that there had been a prison uprising in what they called Mazar E Shiref at Qala-I- Jangiwhich is outside of lazarsharif. And it was reported that there were two Americans there – the two CIA people – but they didn’t know if they were dead or alive but they didn’t know if they were Army or CIA or what.

So we looked at the TV the rest of the afternoon, and just before five o’clock, it was already dark here, and I got a knock on the door. The man told me who he was, and he said I’ve got some news to give you. I think you probably know what I’m going to say. And I said yeah I’m afraid I do. Because prior to that about five minutes before he knocked on my door, I had gotten a call from Mike’s wife, he second wife. He had remarried. She had just gotten a call, and had been trying to contact the CIA office all afternoon and wasn’t able to. 

She called me and was crying and she said she had reached the CIA and was that they had some folks coming to my Dad’s house in California. And I said yeah Shannon I think it is. And I hung up, and I just hit the floor and lost it. I just couldn’t stand it. And I was crying and pretty much out of control, so I was on the floor in the dark when the doorbell rang. They said the last time Mike was seen, he was alive, and that he was fighting. And he said that’s all we know. And we didn’t know anything different until Tuesday night at eleven o’clock, which was Wednesday morning in Afghanistan. They were actually able to get inside and get Mike’s body.

But on Monday they called C130 bombers in and I knew they were doing that, and in talking with the people who were at my house, and two times Wes Tenant (CIA Director) had called me and my question to him was why can’t we get somebody in there to see if Mike is dead or alive? Why are we dropping all these bombs, and why are we doing all this stuff and we don’t know where he’s at? And he said well the military is in charge and blah blah blah.

Later, maybe four or five months after we had buried Mike and I was back in Winfield Alabama, I got a call from a man, and he was back in the states and he wanted to talk to me and that he was a part of the fight that went on there, and he was actually a functions operator in one of the C130s. He said the first plane went in but had some malfunctions and had to pull off, and he said then he took his plane in toward the target. 

We came in and I fired a hundred rounds, and he gave me a shell casing the size that they were firing, and I still have it because I went to visit him to see the information he had. We talked for awhile and he told me what he saw, and of course he was around 18,000 feet up in the air. We talked and talked and the next night he called me or I called him and I asked if he knew who was at the prison when he started firing? He said no, that he didn’t know until four or five days afterwards. And I said so you didn’t know that Mike Spann was inside – that there was an American inside kalijangi that was not accounted for, and might have been dead or alive and you were shooting anything that moved? And he said yes, those were my orders.

 Hello, Verne, you still there? Yes I am. I’m speechless.

So that was upsetting to me. And I went through a period of time where I contacted some of the generals and different people to try to get some answers as to why they did that, and of course I got a couple of lies – one of the admirals told me that didn’t happen. That we didn’t drop any bombs, but we knew that was nnot true.

Multiple people began to surface. I was able to contact one of the men, an American who was assigned to a British team in Afghanistan, and they had been there at a Turkish schoolhouse that was six miles from the old prison, and he was sitting there with a team to assess the situation to see if they could get Mike out, or whoever the American was, because of course they didn’t know the American's identity. I was able to locate him in Germany and talk with him by overseas phone.

Then later soon as he gets back to the states I finally got the authorization after being warned a couple of times -- I was told by some of his superiors that I needed to let him alone, that I didn’t need to be talking to him. My answer to them was well you know he’s not going to be in the service forever, and I’m going to be here until I do get to talk to him.

I don’t know if the pressure got to them or what, but I got a call from one of the captains who told me if I wanted to talk to him, that I could but I’d have to come up to Virginia Beach. So I got an airplane ticket and went to Virginia Beach. I was able to meet him, and I talked to him with a JAG officer there to debrief him like they did me.

The man I had come to see said he manned a submachine gun when the prison riot broke out. He was trying to cover Mike so he could get close enough to see if Mike was dead or alive. They almost court-martialed him because he disobeyed orders by going in to do that. But I was grateful to him.

You’re going to see a movie here in not too long – well maybe it will take another year or so to get it out. It’s about the whole thing. The things I’m telling you. Of course in a 90-minute movie we can’t feature all the things I’ve told you. It’s going to be titled “House of War”. That’s what Qala-I-Jangi actually means. 

I could talk for days about all that has happened, but to get back to the nuts and bolts, we’re at the tenth anniversary, and all the things I’ve found out from people I’ve tracked down and talked about, I do want to mention the video. A few days after Mike was killed, we were in D.C. two or three days before we buried Mike. I was told that there was a video shot just before Mike died. I determined that I would find it, no matter what I had to do to get it. 

NEXT: FAMILY ENDURES 'GUT-WRENCHING' ACCOUNTS OF HOW MIKE SPANN DIED.