Artifact Details
Operation JAWBREAKER was CIA’s swift response to the attacks on 9/11.
CIA officer Gary Schroen carried this knife with him in Afghanistan during Operation JAWBREAKER. In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, Schroen delayed his retirement to lead a team of CIA officers – the first Americans into Afghanistan – on a mission against al-Qa’ida and its Taliban supporters.
The JAWBREAKER team, consisting of seven Agency officers, three aircrew, and two Afghan partners, arrived in Afghanistan’s Panjshir Valley just 15 days after the September 11 attacks. Operation JAWBREAKER was the United States’ first response to those attacks, and is an example of the extraordinary capacity of CIA and the broader U.S. government to respond swiftly and decisively in defense of the country.
Artifact Specs
17.3 cm x 6 cm
(L x W)