Amanda Kopke

United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent Amanda Kopke was born and raised in Texas. Her childhood was filled with love, family time, and outdoor adventures in nature. Kopke played piano, softball, and volleyball and loved to swim in her family’s pool. She had a typical, active family life until the sudden, unexpected death of her father when Kopke was fourteen years old. Life as she knew it was turned upside down, but her family fiercely looked after each other.

As a high school senior, Kopke was deeply affected by the events of 9/11. During the course of her college journey, she noticed an ad in the newspaper for FBI Summer Interns and reached out, securing the first of her two FBI internships. Kopke felt like she had found her calling. When the Texas Department of Public Safety received a federal grant to hire and train intelligence analysts and assign them full time to the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force, Kopke began getting paid to do the work she loved. She was eventually recruited by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to become a Special Agent.

Kopke loved every minute of her career. She served on the Special Operations Squad before deploying to support the Contingency Response Field Office’s counter-piracy mission under Task Force 151. She later redeployed as acting Supervisor for the counter-narcotics mission aligned with Task Force 150. Her expertise led to her selection for the newly formed Transnational Crimes Unit in Bahrain, where counter-piracy and counter-narcotics operations were unified. Kopke loved being a voice for victims, seeking justice for them, and having a real life immediate impact on global operations to disrupt organized crime in the littoral environment. She dedicated herself to the defeat of evil and earned many awards along the way, including Special Agent of the Year in 2012 for Combating Terrorism, the NCIS Forward Deployed Expeditionary Medal, the Civilian Support Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Department of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal, and the National Association of Chiefs of Police and the American Police Hall of Fame Law Enforcement Line of Duty Injury Purple Heart. 

In 2012, while deployed to Madagascar in direct support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Horn of Africa, where she assisted INTERPOL with the debriefing of incarcerated pirates, Kopke contracted a parasitic illness. This ailment most closely resembled Onchocerciasis, also known as River Blindness. It initially resulted in damage to Kopke’s left optic nerve, but damage to the right optic nerve presented in 2021. There is no cure for the parasitic illness, and long-term sustained corneal ulcerations and optic nerve damage is anticipated to continue progressing over time leading to reduced vision and eventual blindness. The parasitic illness and treatment thereof, has also resulted in damage to Kopke’s autonomic nervous system in the form of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Her immune system has significant dysregulation as well.

Kopke’s physical recovery has been difficult. Daily, she feels the parasitic movement throughout her skin and the intense itching that comes with it. During periods of corneal ulceration, her eyes hurt to open and there is significant trouble focusing. Kopke credits the warrior mindset that she possessed during her service with helping her mental recovery, the daily aspects of the illness, and its slow progression over time. Her mother, Jannet, has been a rock of support and strength who is greatly appreciated by her daughter for all that she does. 

Today, Kopke swims as a form of exercise that is compatible with her autonomic nervous system damage. She enjoys reading and seeing/exploring new things before her vision decreases further. Making memories with her son and watching him learn and explore is her priority. His compassionate side is already evident towards individuals with disabilities and his appreciation for those who serve in the military and/or as a first responder. Together, mother and son are involved with a monthly family community service project for the local food bank, where they make birthday boxes. Kopke is most excited to see how her son’s kindness will continue to make a difference in the world.

Kopke calls the support from Tunnel to Towers a Godsend, saying that it has lifted a tremendous weight and burden of stress that comes with a line of duty disability. The T2T support has allowed Kopke to finally take a deep breath and feel like she can keep her head above water without the constant fight or flight being activated. 

Kopke would like people to know that when a career ends unexpectedly from a traumatic line of duty disability, you can still find purpose in life again. Your warrior mindset will help propel you forward, and you can try to affect change that will lessen the hardships for others who may become injured in the future. She emphasizes that everyone is valued and here for a reason. 

Although her catastrophic disability was not caused by a violent act or accident, United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent Amanda Kopke stresses that it still matters and serves as a reminder that not all disabilities are visible, so we should treat everyone with kindness. 

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation has provided United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service Special Agent Amanda Kopke with a mortgage-free smart home through the Smart Home Program.