“Every star has a story.”
Tim Johnston
CIA Memorial Wall
stone carver
September 23, 2026 — The CIA Memorial Wall is one of the most recognizable and mysterious memorials in Washington. The Wall has grown from 31 stars in 1974 to 141 in 2026, each representing a CIA officer who died in the line of duty. Yet the history of the Wall itself — and the stories behind its stars — has never been brought together in a single, independent work. The CIA Memorial Wall Compendium is a six-volume series intended to reveal long-overdue stories and correct various misconceptions about this unique Memorial. Follow us on Twitter: @INTEL_TODAY
“A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, the men it remembers.”
John F. Kennedy
Speech at Amherst College
Convocation in honor of poet Robert Frost
October 26, 1963
The CIA Memorial Wall Compendium systematically reviews each star in the CIA Book of Honor, providing a valuable resource for both amateur and professional historians.
For each star, the following information is provided:
Name, Star Number, Time and Place of Death, Mission Context & Circumstances of Death, Year Added to the Memorial Wall, Book of Honor & Declassification Status, Miscellaneous & Unresolved Questions, and Sources & Further Reading.
The Compendium is structured in six volumes. In the current CIA Book of Honor, the 141 stars are arranged in four columns. Volumes II to V each examine one section of these four columns.
Volume I provides a brief history of the Memorial Wall and the Book of Honor, while Volume VI details the chronology and reviews the information from a statistical and historical perspective.
At the moment, the series is available exclusively from Intel Today in PDF format.
2027 Anniversaries
2027 will mark three key anniversaries for the Central Intelligence Agency:
— May 27 — 40th anniversary of the annual Memorial Ceremony.
— July 26 — 80th anniversary of the National Security Act of 1947.
— September 18 — 80th anniversary of the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency.
IntelToday will release the first five volumes prior to September 18, 2027, to help readers understand the history of the Agency.
REFERENCES
Source: PBS NewsHour, Every Star’s a Life: The Personal Stories Behind the Stars on the CIA Memorial Wall
The quote appears about 2 minutes into the segment, immediately after the narration explains that Johnston has been carving the Memorial Wall stars for 35 years.
The sequence is:
Nick Schifrin: “By 2003, there were 80. Today, there are 140.”
Tim Johnston: “The meaning behind the people and the work that they have done and the sacrifice they made, I mean, every star is a life.”
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New Book — The CIA Memorial Wall Compendium — Volume I: A Brief History of the Wall
“Ceremonies that honor the dead are, in truth, for the living. They remind us of our mortality but also celebrate the lives and memories of those we have loved, trusted, and respected. Certainly, we mourn their loss — but we also glory in the knowledge of their extraordinary contribution to our service and to our country.”
Robert Gates
CIA Deputy Director
First Memorial Ceremony
May 27, 1987
