“Today we pay tribute to fallen officer Robert W. Hubbard, who died in the line of duty in February 1968.
Although his sacrifice has long been honored as a star on the wall, his name was only made public during this year’s annual Memorial Ceremony on June 6 [2025].”
Central Intelligence Agency
(June 23, 2025)
June 24, 2025 — In my last post about the CIA Memorial Wall, I pointed out that the numbers quoted by the CIA director don’t add up. Getting the math right might seem like a small detail — but when it comes to honoring fallen officers, precision, like truth, matters. Unfortunately, the CIA’s latest release isn’t an improvement. According to the agency, U.S. Marine Captain Robert Walker Hubbard’s sacrifice has long been honored with a star on the wall. That is simply not true. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
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“This year (2025), no new stars were added. However, three names have been inscribed in the Book of Honor for this year’s ceremony, bringing the total number of publicly listed names to 108 and revealing, for the first time, the identities and sacrifices of Keith Allen Butler, US Marine Captain Robert Wilson Brown Jr., and US Marine Captain Robert Walker Hubbard.” [CIA Reveals the Names of Three Fallen Officers at Annual Memorial Ceremony, June 6, 2025]
Keith Allen Butler — a paramilitary contractor with CIA — died in a counter-terrorism operation in Afghanistan on 9 May 2014.
US Marine Captain Robert Wilson Brown Jr. and US Marine Captain Robert Walker Hubbard died in Vietnam in 1968. Both men were serving in a volunteer reconstruction program in which US military officers worked with CIA.
Last night (June 23, 2025), the CIA posted a short bio of US Marine Captain Robert Walker Hubbard. And this short piece raises a few issues…
Picture (Not So) Perfect
First things first. Several people quickly noticed that the picture had been reversed…
“Why is this photo reversed? The EGA (Eagle Globe and Anchor) should be on his left side (camera right) and his rank insignia should be on his right side (camera left). Details matter.” — Dave Shields
“He was serving under cover as a USAID Officer in Hue when he was killed helping others to escape the Viet Cong, probably during Tet. Interestingly, his college fraternity has a page honoring him, with a portrait painted from this photo, with the reversed EGA and rank insignia. You’d think people would work a little harder to remember a hero. BTW, he’s still listed on the Foreign Service’s memorial page as well.” — Bill Woofer Crane
I cannot explain this error, but It seems it has been around since at least February 2018. Here is a reminder…
“An error does not become truth by reason of multiplied propagation, nor does truth become error because nobody sees it. Truth stands, even if there be no public support. It is self sustained.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
AFSA Memorial Plaque List
“Hubbard was detailed to the CIA on April 10, 1967 to participate in the Revolutionary Development Cadre. The program brought experienced U.S. military officers on to serve as advisers and help win the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese by providing armed protection and reconstruction projects for rural villages.”
The Book of Honor (2010)
According to the CIA, his sacrifice has long been honored with a star on the wall. This is certainly not true.
In 2008 — forty years after his death — there was no star honoring either U.S. Marine Captain Robert Wilson Brown Jr. or U.S. Marine Captain Robert Walker Hubbard.
And so, we are left with three questions:
Why was Hubbard not included among the first 31 stars on the wall?
In what year was his sacrifice finally honored with a star?
And why is the CIA misrepresenting this?
Stay tuned!
REFERENCES
Salute to a hero: Portrait dedication honors fallen Marine, Auburn University grad
TROY TURNER (Feb 6, 2018)
Heroes : Robert W. Hubbard — CIA website
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Honoring CIA’s Fallen : Robert W. Hubbard (Vietnam — February 4, 1968)
Intel Today 