The Honorable David W. Forden was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School Class 12, 28 September 1954. His first duty assignment was as Infantry Platoon Leader with the 508th Airborne Regimental Combat Team at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. | Following his release from active duty in September 1956, Mr. Forden returned to civilian employment with the U.S. Government. Most of his professional career during the next 32 years was with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Directorate of Operations (DO). He became an Operations Officer with the Directorate of Operations Soviet/East European Division, where he served in command positions of increasing responsibility, including three years as Division Chief at CIA Headquarters. | Mr. Forden spent over 17 years on operational tours abroad, including Germany, Argentina, Mexico, Poland, Austria and Greece. He was the Senior U.S. Intelligence Officer in-country for three of these assignments. | In 1975, Mr. Forden was inducted into the Senior Intelligence Service (SIS), and he retired in December 1988 as an SIS-04. He was awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal by CIA Director William Webster in December 1988. | As the time of his induction into the Hall of Fame he was serving as Vice President of Varicon International, Inc, a security and investigative services and consulting firm in Falls Church, Virginia.