176. First to Afghanistan: The Earliest Days of the War on Terror with David Tyson

This week's guest is David Tyson. David served in the U. S. Army first as an enlisted artilleryman and later as an intelligence officer. During his time in the Army, he discovered he had an affinity for learning languages, and after leaving the service, he began working towards a graduate degree, focusing his studies on Central Asia.

He was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1996, and five years later, was one of the first Americans to enter Afghanistan in November 2001. David and the other members of his team worked side by side with members of the Northern Alliance as they fought their way through the country, culminating in the retaking of Kabul and a decisive battlefield victory over the Taliban within just a few weeks. Along the way, the team found themselves in serious danger, including the terrible and costly fight during the Kali Jangi prison uprising, which cost the life of Johnny Michael Spann, America's first casualty in Afghanistan.

Connect with Spycraft 101: Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here. spycraft101.com IG: @spycraft101 Shop: shop.spycraft101.com Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here. Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here. Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Support the show