Michele Rigby Assad: Former
CIA Turned Agent for God
Michele Rigby Assad was a CIA agent that the three-letter
spy organization needs more of the like. Here’s a brief bio from thefeddagency.com:
BIO
Michele Rigby Assad is a former
undercover officer in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s Directorate of
Operations. Trained as a counterterrorism specialist, Michele served her
country for ten years, working in Iraq and other secret Middle Eastern locations.
Upon retirement from active
service, Michele and her husband Joseph (also a former agent) joined a group of
Americans who wished to aid persecuted Christians. Their efforts resulted in
the evacuation of a group from northern Iraq that was featured on ABC’s 20/20
in December 2015.
Michele holds a master’s degree in
Contemporary Arab Studies from Georgetown University. Today she serves as an
international security consultant, splitting her time between the Middle East,
Florida, and Washington, D.C.
MICHELE HAS EXTENSIVE
EXPERIENCE:
§
speaking to large, live
audiences (human rights conferences, women’s groups, civic
organizations, church groups, college classrooms and chapel services),
§
being on television (providing
interviews throughout her educational career and starring in a television
commercial in Egypt), and
§
providing training for
CIA officers on counterterrorism and counterintelligence issues.
Michele’s presentations are great
for sales and negotiation training, managing teams,
and working with colleagues/collaboration.
Michele enjoys speaking to
women’s groups, providing personal security training to international
travelers, and showing business teams how they can apply intelligence lessons
to workplace productivity, sales and team culture.
This remarkable gal came to my attention via a CBN
News article that doubles as a promo for her book, “Breaking
Cover: My Secret Life in the CIA and What It Taught Me about What's Worth
Fighting For”. The article and the video struck so much that I
am sharing it below.
*********************
'My Secret Life in the CIA': Undercover in the War on
Terror
By Erik
Rosales
03-09-2018
Posted by CBN News
Published on Mar 8, 2018
WASHINGTON — Michele Rigby Assad is a former undercover
officer in the National Clandestine Service of the U.S Central Intelligence
Agency.
She trained as a counterterrorism specialist and served
her country for 10 years, working in Iraq and other secret Middle Eastern
locations.
So what is it like to be face-to-face with terrorists who
want to kill you?
Assad said, "It is fascinating. The best school in
terrorism is being in front of these guys like that. We are allowed to say me
and my husband served in Baghdad for a year. We got to really interact with
those sources and really got to know what they were thinking. What made them
tick, which is fascinating because if they met you on the street they would
prefer to cut you head off instead of actually deal with you."
Overcoming Hurdles to Gain Trust
Assad told CBN News a major hurdle she had
to overcome was being a woman anad gaining their trust.
"For them, I was the opposite of what they came to meet
with. I had to really work at establishing a relationship with them, where they
would see me as intelligent and knowledgeable of the Arab world," she
said. "Because in their minds, I should be at home managing a family. I
shouldn't even leave the home without a male minder and I should be covered in
black. I was a complete anomaly to these guys."
In her book, Breaking Cover: My
Secret Life in the CIA and What It Taught Me About What's Worth Fighting For,
Assad explains that becoming a CIA agent was the last thing on her mind, and
didn't even know her eventual role even existed.
9/11 Changes Everything
On September 11, 2001, she and her husband knew God had them
on the right path.
"Here were two committed Christians, pre-positioned to
enter the war on terror from the very beginning. Who knew but God?" Assad
said.
Upon retirement from active service, Michele and her
husband, Joseph – who is also a former agent – began leading teams to aid
Christian refugees, including a rescue mission to Iraq.
"Miraculously, even though the evacuation almost fell
apart on numerous occasions, on December 10, 2015 we successfully airlifted 149
Iraqi Christians out of northern Iraq to their new homes in Slovakia,"
Assad told us.
Assad hopes people who read her book gain a greater
understanding of her faith and belief in Jesus Christ, and why they should
never give up on reaching for their goals.
How Can Ordinary People Stay Safe?
With all of her training from the CIA on how to read
people, CBN News asked the Assad what ordinary people can do to
stay safe.
She said no one can be on alert all the time. But when
you're in a popular place, like Times Square in New York or a busy shopping
mall, recognize these are vulnerable areas and really open your eyes and pay
attention to who is around you.
Assad said people can train themselves to spot things that
don't look right.
She says when you do see something unusual, have the courage
to speak up and tell somebody.
Assad says local, state and federal authorities cannot do it
alone.
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