True stories, told and written by the current and retired former Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This book is dedicated to the three FBI Special Agents that were killed on August 9, 1979, and their families, as well as 33 other FBI Special Agents who died as a direct result of an adversarial action throughout the FBI's history to date. It is also dedicated to the countless families of both active and retired Agents, who exemplified the Fidelity -Bravery - Integrity that the FBI men and women represent. Throughout human history, man has recorded events, whether in written form, by word of mouth, or electronically. These recordings were made to tell a story, to preserve history, to teach and enlighten future generations about life. This book was written to do all of the above, with stories that are part of the FBI's history. The book contains hundreds of true stories, written by hundreds of current and retired FBI Special Agents. I, as an author, am merely a messenger that put together all the stories, including mine. The author was born in a small village in Slovenia, which at that time was one of the republics of Yugoslavia, a communist country in Eastern Europe. Slovenia is now an independent country and a member of NATO. Author left Slovenia at the age of eleven, with his mother, and arrived in the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day, 1956. He was reunited with his father for the first time in eleven years, as his father left the communist country or face a certain death, when the youngster was three months old. Following graduation from John Carroll University in 1967, and ROTC commitment, author became a Cleveland, Ohio police officer, followed by service as a U.S. Army officer during the Vietnam War. In 1970, upon completion of the FBI Academy, author was sworn in as an FBI Special Agent, given credentials, a badge and a gun and started his 32 years of public service in the FBI. Stories in the book were collected during the 32 years on duty and the 12 years of retirement. Additional stories are being collected and will be published in the next book, God willing. Yes, FBI Special Agents are real people, who have left various jobs, to pursue a dream and a daily challenge in a career serving human beings. We are special, because we put our lives on the line every day to protect those that we have sworn to serve. We reflect the society around us. Our backgrounds are as varied as the people that we serve and protect. We have feelings, we cry and we laugh. We are shot at and we shoot as a last resort. We bleed and we die. We leave for work carrying a gun, a set of credentials and a badge, not knowing if we will return to our loved ones alive in one piece, at the end of the day. We are saints and we are sinners. The split-second decisions that we have to make at times may haunt us, as attorneys rehash our actions for years after their occurrence. These decisions may make the difference whether we will be judged by twelve or carried by six. All of us hope and pray, that our actions will be just and correct and we will make it home to our loving families. Many of the stories that are contained in this book will be labeled by some readers as being politically incorrect, provocative, racist and sexist. None of the stories are meant to offend you. Believe me, the stories are real and they deal with life (and death) in the real world that all of us live in today.
