Yes. Gregory Keough served as a covert operations officer in the CIA’s Directorate of Operations, the Agency’s clandestine service, and received the Intelligence Star for extraordinary heroism under conditions of grave risk, one of the Agency’s rarest decorations and one most often awarded posthumously.
Three men who served with him put it on the record in writing.
He later founded Covert Warriors, an invitation-only organisation that supports former covert officers of the United States and their families after they leave government service.
What have former CIA officers said about Greg Keough’s service?
Three men who served with him wrote first-person accounts of his service and his character. All three are letters filed with the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in United States v. Keough. They are part of a court record, not statements written for a website. They are reproduced below in their own words; an ellipsis (…) marks where names, dates and details have been left out. The officers are not named here because they are former clandestine service officers and their letters were written for the court rather than for publication.
The first, a retired Chief of Station who served more than 25 years at the CIA and was his classmate in the Agency’s selective training programme, sharing an apartment with him in Washington before they deployed, wrote about the posting Keough asked for:
“…I write to you as someone who has known Greg Keough and considered him a friend for over 30 years. We first met as classmates in a U.S. government agency training program, one which is highly selective and screens candidates for many characteristics including honesty, trustworthiness and overall character. Such characteristics are considered essential to suitability for employment by this U.S. government agency, given the sensitive duties and responsibilities that it entrusts to its officers… While Greg could have sought a comfortable assignment in a stable country, this would not have been in keeping with his motivation for serving our country. Instead, he sought out the most challenging hazardous duty assignment available to him, combatting the threat of an armed communist insurgency, one in which a number of U.S. military and U.S. government civilians had been killed. While serving honorably on this assignment, Greg further demonstrated selfless courage when he saved a fellow officer… In recognition of his heroic action, Greg was awarded one of the agency’s highest decorations for bravery.”
A retired Chief of Station with more than 25 years at the CIA, a classmate from the CIA’s selective training programme, who shared an apartment with him in Washington before they deployed · Letter filed with the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
He asked for it. That is the part worth sitting with. The decoration came later; the exposure was chosen at the very start of a career, before there was anything to be decorated for.
A former three-time Chief of Station and Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service, himself a recipient of the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal, the Intelligence Medal of Merit and the Donovan Award, wrote:
“I came to know Mr. Keough very early in my career at CIA, when we were classmates during the… Career Trainee training program we both successfully completed to start our careers. During such an intensive course, one comes to know one’s classmates very well… I can gladly confirm that Mr. Keough was an Operations Officer with the Directorate of Operations, the clandestine arm of the CIA, and served his country with distinction. I can further confirm that while on assignment abroad Mr. Keough received the CIA’s Intelligence Star – one of the Agency’s highest awards for service and rarely awarded – for his actions when he went to the rescue of a fellow officer… Mr. Keough’s actions on that day were in the finest tradition of CIA officers’ bravery and selflessness. I recall the message sent out to all CIA Stations citing and lauding Mr. Keough’s efforts on that day. While he saved an officer’s life that day, another officer involved in the rescue perished… (Mr. Keough’s name is omitted from the citation, due to the fact that Mr. Keough was under cover at that time.)”
A former three-time Chief of Station and Deputy Director of the National Clandestine Service · Letter filed with the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
A second officer, who served thirteen years with the Agency and shared an office with him, wrote:
“I served abroad with Greg Keough in the Directorate of Operations, the clandestine arm of the Central Intelligence Agency… We have known Greg and his family for over 30 years… I was Greg’s office mate and I can confirm his former employment and honorable service with CIA. Greg is one of the few living recipients of the Intelligence Star due to his actions in rescuing a fellow officer… The other CIA officer who died in the rescue… is memorialized by one of the stars on the CIA’s wall, of which there are roughly one hundred. One detail which I think is significant regarding this rescue is the fact that Greg, after having safely extracted the other officer at risk, went back into harm’s way when no one else would, to recover the body… to prevent his corpse from being lost… I continue to consider Greg a loyal and trustworthy friend, who can always be counted on to do the right thing.”
A former CIA officer of thirteen years who shared an office with him · Letter filed with the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Florida
He went back for the body.
What the Intelligence Star is
The officer who did not survive is commemorated with a star on the CIA Memorial Wall at Langley, where the Agency marks those killed in the line of duty. Fewer than a hundred and fifty stars have been carved into it in the Agency’s entire history. Roughly the same number of Intelligence Stars have ever been awarded, and most of those went to officers who did not come home. Keough is one of a few dozen living recipients.
Why his name does not appear in the public record
His own name appears nowhere in the Agency’s public citation. The former Deputy Director explained why: he was under cover at the time.
Forbes reported the service in 1999. The Washington Post reported it in 2001.
It was not the first time he ran toward danger for someone else. In 2023, a car ferry carrying his wife’s parents and two others was driven off the back of the vessel and the car sank. Keough ran from the house to the water and was among the first in. Afterwards he secured diving equipment and went back down to recover the bodies of those who had not survived. His mother-in-law was the only one who lived.
He writes about it in The Cowboy In You.
Sources: Letters filed with the court · DE 57, p. 6 · Forbes, 1999 · The Washington Post, 2001