Twenty-Five Years After 9/11, a Soviet Helicopter Remains a Symbol of Early U.S. Involvement in Afghanistan Twenty-five years ago, a Soviet-designed helicopter crossed the mountains of Afghanistan, carrying the first CIA officers sent into the country after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. This marked the beginning of the U.S. response that would soon become America's longest war. The seven-man CIA team, code-named JAWBREAKER, landed in the Panjshir Valley on Sept. 26, 2001, just 15 days after the attacks, carrying millions of dollars in cash to help enlist and equip Afghan allies. Their mission was to gather intelligence and prepare for the upcoming U.S. campaign against al-Qaeda and the Taliban, including strengthening ties with the Northern Alliance. The Mi-17 that carried them is now on display at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, after undergoing extensive restoration for the anniversary. The CIA acquired the Mi-17 in the 1990s, recognizing that its Soviet origins would be an advantage in the region. "The Northern Alliance and the Taliban both used Mi-17s," said CIA historian Rob Byer. "They're Russian helicopters and kind of the pickup truck of helicopters in that region." The big reason for choosing the Mi-17 over a Blackhawk was its ability to blend in. "When you're going behind enemy lines, you'd like to blend in as much as you can," Byer said. The aircraft could also handle the extreme altitude required to reach the Panjshir Valley, which involves crossing the Anjuman Pass, roughly 14,500 feet above sea level. To avoid detection, the crew painted "USA" and an American flag on the stabilizers, visible to friendly pilots but hidden from enemies on the ground. They gave the helicopter the call sign "9-11-01" as a reminder of the attacks that had brought them there. Former CIA officer David Tyson followed JAWBREAKER into Afghanistan weeks later as a member of Team Alpha. He recalled flying aboard the same aircraft before the war. "It was shaking a lot, fuel was leaking, very noisy, and I didn't know if it was airworthy," Tyson told CBS News. "But I was assured by the pilots it was a good bird." Tyson was a CIA case officer based in Central Asia, fluent in Uzbek, Turkmen, and Russian. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was en route to the UK for a meeting related to recovering Stinger missiles in Afghanistan. Soon after landing, he began planning his return, realizing his expertise would likely take him to Afghanistan. On Oct. 17, less than three weeks after JAWBREAKER arrived in the Panjshir Valley, Tyson and the rest of Team Alpha were inserted into northern Afghanistan, becoming the first Americans sent behind Taliban lines. Tyson's mission involved working with forces commanded by Uzbek leader Abdul Rashid Dostum as part of the campaign against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. He described the mission as something the CIA had not done before, involving close cooperation with local forces to "basically prosecute a war." His role was primarily intelligence and liaison work, helping his team understand the people and environment around them. The Americans traveled with Afghan fighters on horseback through the mountains, sometimes riding as long as 14 hours a day. "The horses were not friendly," Tyson recalled. "They were stallions, they fought between each other, they bit us, they kicked us, they tried to knock us off." By late November, Taliban forces had collapsed across much of northern Afghanistan. Hundreds of foreign fighters surrendered and were taken to Qala-i-Jangi, a 19th-century fortress near Mazar-e-Sharif. On Nov. 25, Tyson and fellow CIA officer Johnny Micheal "Mike" Spann entered Qala-i-Jangi to identify the prisoners. Among them was John Walker Lindh, a California native who had joined the Taliban. Hours into their mission, the prisoners rose up in a violent uprising. "There were explosions, gunfire, and a lot of yelling," Tyson said. "I started seeing things in what I would call slow motion." He recalled hearing Spann call his name and moving toward him through the fighting. Spann, 32, became the first American killed in combat in Afghanistan. His name was later carved into the CIA's Memorial Wall. After its final operational mission in 2012, the Mi-17 was brought to CIA headquarters in 2018. Over the years, exposure to the elements caused significant wear. "The paint had faded greatly due to the sun and a few critters were getting inside as well," Byer said. Over the past year, the CIA sealed openings in the aircraft and repainted it to more closely resemble its appearance in 2001. The restoration also brought back "607," the call sign of the Afghan pilot who flew the first mission. For Tyson, the artifacts preserve a personal history. "As Mike would say, he wanted to be on the tip of the spear," Tyson said. "He was that, and he is today. He will be that forever." Tyson and Spann's widow, Shannon Spann DeBruyn, are now involved with Badger Six, a nonprofit named after Spann's call sign to assist Afghan fighters who worked alongside Team Alpha and their families. The organization supports about 35 families with assistance ranging from food and medicine to relocation and resettlement support. For Tyson, that work is part of a mission that continues beyond the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. "Sure, yeah. That's what people do. That's what we do," he said.