Four stars were added last week to the Central Intelligence Agency’s Memorial Wall. Established in 1974 with 31 stars, the wall commemorates fallen officers in the field going back to the agency’s founding in 1947.
Each star measures 2¼ inches tall by 2¼ inches wide and half an inch deep; all the stars are six inches apart from each other, as are all the rows.
The DCIA honored the memory of the four officers newly added to the Wall:
*James “Pete” McCarthy, Jr., a paramilitary operations officer who died on a training flight in Southeast Asia in 1954. Pete was born in 1925 in Medford, Massachusetts. Prior to joining CIA, he saw combat as a tail gunner in the Army Air Forces, flying 19 missions overall throughout Asia. Pete began his career at CIA in 1951 as a stenographer but later transitioned and thrived as an air operations specialist. The Director described Pete as a man of many interests who was intensely patriotic, passionate about sports, and deeply committed to his work.
*Charles Mayer, an engineer in the Directorate of Science & Technology who died in an airplane crash in Iran in 1968. Charlie was born in 1936 in Troy, Illinois. The son of a traveling magician, Charlie saw a great deal of America as a boy. He earned his undergraduate degree from Illinois State University and a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Ohio State. After serving in the Navy, Charlie wanted to continue serving his country, so he offered his services to CIA. Charlie made valuable contributions to our efforts to monitor Soviet missile capabilities.
*Marcell Rene Gough, a maritime specialist who died in Africa in support of operations in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1965. Born in Meridian, Mississippi in 1924, Rene graduated from Meridian High School in 1942 and joined the Navy later that year. After serving with distinction for more than 20 years, Rene brought his naval expertise to CIA, where he set the bar high in his work maintaining crucial equipment as part of our operations aimed at helping the government defeat Communist-backed rebels. Rene tragically lost his life just 47 days into his tenure at CIA due to a vehicle accident.
*Ksawery “Bill” Wyrozemski, an air operations officer who died in a vehicle accident in Africa in support of operations in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 1967. Bill was born in Poland amid the chaos of the First World War. During the Second World War, Bill joined a Royal Air Force fighter squadron staffed by Polish pilots, and he flew Spitfires and P-51 Mustangs right up through the Allies’ victory in 1945. With the advent of the Cold War, Bill brought his talent and expertise in aerial warfare to CIA. Former CIA Director Richard Helms said Bill “was a man who, better than most, knew the meaning of freedom.”
The Wall now has 117 nameless stars, some more nameless than others.
The identities of at least 35 star holders remain secret, even in death, their identifies and missions still classified.
