Dearest spy enthusiast,
The only photo I have of me while at the CIA was taken in 2008 right outside Baghdad International Airport. I’ll never forget the corkscrew landing into Baghdad, the sound of rocket attacks and the smell of burning corpses when I departed the unmarked plane and into an alien violent world.
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The photo was taken just before I got on the small, crowded plane that would take me up to Erbil Base. I was considered an expert on a Sunni extremist group (I am purposely being vague here;) and my temporary duty assignment (TDY) was to assist the Kurds with debriefing detainees with information on the group’s leaders.
I remember it being a steamy 104 degrees. The heat was exacerbated by the bulletproof vest I was required to wear in case our plane was shot down, and we found ourselves amid a battlefield. The plane smelled of sweat and body odor and the putrid smell of piss from the bucket in the cargo hold where we were supposed to pee during the flight.
I remember putting in my headphones and jamming out to Beyoncé and Rihanna, trying to drown out the adrenaline I felt pulsing behind my eyes. I remember trying not to drink too much water or risk having to try and pee in the bucket while other people’s piss spilled out and sloshed around my ankles.
I know that I didn’t have it bad. My military counterparts endured much more dire circumstances than I did. But I wanted to share a tidbit of the experience. More to come.
My very best,
Brittany
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