On FEB 5, 2003, Helge Boes – a special ops officer who had served in the CIA for 2 years – was killed in a training accident while in Afghanistan. At the time of his death, Helge was the 80th CIA officer in 56 years to die in the line of duty.
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A US citizen born in Hamburg, Germany, Helge grew up in West Berlin & felt the impact of world affairs personally. Friends said that, for Helge, the choice between freedom & tyranny was as stark as the concrete & barbed wire that split his city in two.
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An outstanding soccer player & gifted with an agile mind, Helge studied political science at @GeorgiaStateU where he graduated in December 1992. In June 1997, he graduated from @Harvard_Law & worked as an attorney in the corporate world in Atlanta.
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Helge joined CIA in January 2001 as a trainee in the Directorate of Operations Clandestine Service Trainee Class. It was a perfect fit. His gift for languages, an instinctive sense for people, & a curiosity about the world, made it a natural fit.
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In only a few months, Helge showed poise & skill that normally comes in years. He combined intelligence with charm, humor, & concern for others. Equally at home in the classroom & on the athletic field, he was a standout among the trainees of our Clandestine Service.
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As a newly graduated operations officer, Helge wanted to be on the front line of the Agency's response to terror, so in the spring of 2002 he volunteered for duty in Afghanistan - one of the first in his peer group to do so.
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Long hours & cramped, primitive conditions were the norm. Helge completed his assignments w skill & courage. He was close to the intelligence he needed to collect & closer still to the dangers that came with the job: rocket, mortar, & machine gun attacks.
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Early 2003: Helge volunteered for his second TDY to Afghanistan.
Helge Boes was killed when a grenade detonated prematurely during a live-fire training exercise on a weapons-training range, while he was preparing for an intelligence collection operation.
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Helge, just 32 years old, was the second CIA officer to die in the line of duty in Afghanistan. He was survived by his wife, brother, & parents. He was posthumously awarded our Exceptional Service Medallion for his outstanding performance, courage, & sacrifice.
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Helge was with CIA only a short time, but his talent, tenacity, & presence of mind under fire earned him the respect of those far senior to him in experience.
He is honored with a star on our CIA Memorial Wall.
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#inmemoriam
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