Obama Honors Fallen CIA Officers, Legacy to be a Summons to “Win the War”
EmailABC News' Sunlen Miller reports: President Obama today honored the “sacrifice” of seven CIA officers who lost their lifein the Khost, Afghanistan suicide bombing late last year, and called for their legacy to be a summons to carry on and win the war. “There are no words that can ease the ache in your hearts,” Obama said at the memorial service at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. “But to their colleagues and all who served with them — those here today, those still recovering, those watching around the world — I say: Let their sacrifice be a summons. To carry on their work. To complete this mission. To win this war, and to keep our country safe.” Family members of the seven CIA officers killed in eastern Afghanistan on December 30th as well as more than a thousand Agency officers, senior officials from the Intelligence Community, the White House and the Pentagon, as well as members of Congress gathered today to pay their respects at the private memorial to their service. “At the remote outpost, they were bound by a common spirit. They heard their country’s call and answered it. They served in the shadows and took pride in it. They were doing their job and they loved it. They saw the danger and accepted it. They knew that the price of freedom is high and, in an awful instant, they paid that price.” The President said that while they served in secrecy – their legacy is all around. “It’s written in the extremists who no longer threaten our country — because you eliminated them. It’s written in the attacks that never occurred — because you thwarted them. And it’s written in the Americans, across this country and around the world, who are alive today — because you saved them.” Speaking directly to the families of those lost, the president said that it is “against the natural order of life” for parents to lay their children to rest. “Yet these weeks of solemn tribute have revealed for all to see — that you raised remarkable sons and daughters. Everything you instilled in them — the virtues of service and decency and duty — were on display that December day. That is what you gave them. That is what you gave to America. And our nation will be forever in your debt.” As is tradition each of the fallen will be represented with a star on the Memorial Wall at the CIA headwaters – honoring employees who have died in the line of service. -Sunlen Miller
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No matter what happens.. I still can’t blame this war or its escalation on Obama.. he’s just another victim.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | February 5, 2010, 4:15 pm 4:15 pm
Did Obama have Nancy Pelosi at his side for the ceremony?? She still hasn’t apologized–or backed up her accusation–to the CIA for calling them liars about waterboarding.
Posted by: Obama-Pelosi-Reid Axis of Evil | February 5, 2010, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
Just a few months ago it was Barack Hussein Obama who was putting the knife in the back of the CIA officers. Obama can not be taken seriously about anything.
Posted by: Peter Smith | February 5, 2010, 4:39 pm 4:39 pm
I wish the president had been there to welcome the bodies of these brave men and women home, but I’m so happy he and many others from Congress and his administration attended the memorial service.
Thank you, President Obama, for honoring these brave fallen. They didn’t wear the uniform of any of our Armed Forces, but they shared the sacrifices, hardships, and dangers none the less.
Posted by: malcat | February 5, 2010, 4:45 pm 4:45 pm
These CIA officers were exceptionally brave and selfless. What a tremendous loss for their families, friends and our country. So terribly sad…
Posted by: wow | February 5, 2010, 4:53 pm 4:53 pm
It’s obvious that if Obama finds a cure for cancer and the common cold, many will simply hate him and I have a pretty good idea why they hate him.
In the end, Obama won’t do as poor a job as Bush, and that’s sufficient for me.
Posted by: gusdegloom | February 5, 2010, 7:28 pm 7:28 pm
Just a few months ago it was Barack Hussein Obama who was putting the knife in the back of the CIA officers. Obama can not be taken seriously about anything
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was just a few years ago that Cheney and friends outed a CIA agent.. but I doubt that offended you.
Posted by: gusdegloom | February 5, 2010, 7:31 pm 7:31 pm
gusdegloom wrote: “was just a few years ago that Cheney and friends outed a CIA agent.. but I doubt that offended you.”
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You must cut and paste your ACORN employee talking points from the same place as tierra. Does the name Richard Armitage ring a bell to you? Probably not, since it doesn’t get much play on ABC or any of the other worthless news media when it comes to reporting the facts about exactly who supposedly outed the name of supposed CIA agent Valerie Plame.
Posted by: gk | February 5, 2010, 8:00 pm 8:00 pm
I think Mr. Obama should honour all these soldiers while they were living, rather than when they are dead.
Posted by: young_voter | February 5, 2010, 9:33 pm 9:33 pm
He said “win”.
Posted by: Foghorn Leghorn | February 5, 2010, 9:44 pm 9:44 pm
I guess the president finally realized how back-stabbing these valiant folks who died serving their country was the wrong thing to do? Amazing how so many Americans failed to realize that these people were not responsible for ensuring that the bomber was secure prior to their meeting with him. Also, it is amazing how the Islamic world glossed over the fact, or ignored it, that this bomber murdered a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad.
Posted by: K. Daraa | February 6, 2010, 2:33 am 2:33 am
was just a few years ago that Cheney and friends outed a CIA agent.. but I doubt that offended you.
Posted by: gusdegloom | Feb 5, 2010 7:31:40 PM
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Yeah, but it was okay for Cheney to do this because . . uhm . .. because . .. . well because they did whatever they wanted.
Posted by: tierra | February 6, 2010, 5:10 am 5:10 am
tierra wrote: “Yeah, but it was okay for Cheney to do this because . . uhm . .. because . .. . well because they did whatever they wanted.”
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You’re big on always wanting everyone to show you proof, so show the world where you have proof that Cheney did this. Or is this just wishful thinking on your part… “fake but accurate” ala Dan Rather?
Posted by: gk | February 6, 2010, 9:49 am 9:49 am
Who would have ever believed a Defense contractor would be crooked? It’s much different situation in the US though. There is overwheming evidence they are almost all withhout exception crooked. When they are caught they pay a fine, admit no guilt, disolve and or just re-organize under a new name and shell company but it is always the same crooked players everytime. They have a lot of political clout with our government too and Obama just annouced that any CIA contractor is considered a CIA Officer when 5 actual Officers and two Blackwater (Xe) employess just got stars for needlessly dying in afghanistan. The real story is the failure in trusting Jordaian intelligence guy. The Jordanian intel guy recruited the double agent by just throwing them in jail and treating them hashly until they agree to spy and we trustingly go right along with it. Even the guys who helped shoot down and kill those missionaries are considered CIA Officers? This changes the nature of our legal system entirely. The outsoucing of our National defense is destroying this country as it already has has our reputation for protectors of freedom, liberty, democracy, laws, treaties, the Constitution, etc.,etc…. We will forever be stuck with corruption, abuse, drug smuggling, secret wars, assassinations, tortures, muders and rapes and private armies based in the US and elsewhere covertly blowing our defense budget and the money from our dying economy, It’s been going on for 50 years now and is unstoppable. Well done Al-queda, You have won. Maybe there is a lesson for us here. You see some time ago, before we were a nation, some wise men wrote some great words that apply now more than ever : —->We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of those ends, it is Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Posted by: funky-President | February 6, 2010, 12:33 pm 12:33 pm
Do we as a nation want to be the Guards of our future security or do we want some secret government agency with an outsoucred private army that we have absolutly no control of doing it??? The CIA was created to brief the President on intellegece matters not to become another branch of government that dictates our foregin policy. Refered to CIA as an “American Gestapo” The President who created the CIA said these things.
Posted by: funky-President | February 6, 2010, 12:41 pm 12:41 pm
It was Cheny and Rummy working for the Ford Aministration who covered up the assassination (suiciding) of Frank Olsen, an Army Chemical war scientist working for the CIA in extreme (fatal)drug-induced interrogations. There is no star to honor him. Some hush money paid to the family so they wouldn’t sue. His kids grew up an had dad exhumed and a real autopsy was done. The result was clearly murder and the only other person who admitted being in the room at the time was a CIA doctor. You can read the facts of the cases or save time just look in the CIA manual for assassinations. It was “by the book” as they say. Ditto for Admiral James Forrestal
Posted by: funky-president | February 6, 2010, 4:46 pm 4:46 pm