[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 172 (Sunday, November 23, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2443-E2444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ON THE OCCASION OF THE RETIREMENT OF NAVAL CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE 
                    SERVICE SPECIAL AGENT ROD MILLER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN N. HOSTETTLER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, November 21, 2003

  Mr. HOSTETTLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my appreciation to 
Special Agent Rodney Miller of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service 
for his 32 years of service to his country, and to salute him on the 
occasion of his retirement from the ranks of federal law enforcement.
  Special Agent Rod Miller was born and raised in Linton, Indiana, 
which is in the heart of Indiana's 8th Congressional District. The son 
of an Army veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart during World War II 
and who himself worked as a Navy employee for some 30 years thereafter, 
Rod spent time as a lifeguard and paperboy in Linton before graduating 
from Linton High School in 1966. He enrolled at Indiana State 
University in Terre Haute, and completed two years of study before 
enlisting in the U.S. Air Force in 1969. After a four-year stint in the 
Air Force, including over a year spent in Vietnam, Rod returned to 
Terre Haute and completed his undergraduate studies, earning a Bachelor 
of Science degree in Criminology in 1974. Shortly thereafter, he began 
coursework at the same school to obtain a Master of Science degree, 
also in Criminology.
  In May 1975, Rod commenced what would become a long and illustrious 
career as a Special Agent with the Naval Investigative Service (NIS)--
the predecessor of today's Naval Criminal Investigative Service--at NIS 
Resident Agency Great Lakes. There he learned the basics of criminal 
investigation, and proved himself to be a talented and driven law 
enforcement professional.
  In 1978, Rod opened a new NIS office in Crane, Indiana, where the 
Navy conducts some of its most important research, development, and 
engineering of surface ship combat systems. He also took this 
opportunity to conclude his studies at Indiana State University, 
finishing his thesis and earning his Master's degree in 1979.
  Following his NIS service in his home state of Indiana, Rod was 
assigned to the NIS Resident Agency in Guam from 1980 to 1982. He 
demonstrated continued leadership and investigative acumen in Guam, 
where he received a meritorious award from the Drug Enforcement 
Administration for his role in a significant international drug 
smuggling investigation, and was made an honorary Police Officer with 
the Guam Department of Public Safety for the support he provided to 
that department. He was rewarded with a supervisory role at the NIS 
Resident Agency in Portsmouth, Virginia, where he was appointed to the 
position of Assistant Special Agent in Charge in 1982.

  For the next 21 years, Rod served with distinction in supervisory 
roles at a host of critical Navy locations--from 1984 to 1985, as the 
Special Assistant to the NIS Regional Director in Norfolk; from 1985 to 
1986, as the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the fraud unit at NIS 
Resident Agency Norfolk; and from 1987 to 1988, as the first Special 
Agent in Charge of the new NIS Mid-Atlantic Regional Fraud Unit.
  In 1988, Rod was appointed to be the first Special Agent in Charge of 
Operation Ill Wind, one of the most significant defense procurement 
fraud investigations in our nation's history. This joint investigation 
ultimately resulted in the conviction of 46 individuals and six defense 
corporations, and yielded fines and penalties in the amount of some 
$190 million.
  Rod's professional success continued in the wake of his involvement 
in Operation III Wind. In 1989, he was appointed the Special Agent in 
Charge of the new NIS Regional Fraud Unit based in Los Angeles, 
California. And, when

[[Page E2444]]

the decision was made to open a new NIS Field Office in Los Angeles in 
1992, Rod was the natural choice to be the first Special Agent in 
Charge there, as well.
  In 1993, in the aftermath of the Tailhook investigation, the then-
acting Secretary of the Navy disestablished the Naval Investigative 
Service and established the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) 
in its stead. This change, and the reforms associated with it, had 
profound and dramatic effects across the organization.
  Among other developments, in 1997 NCIS created a new Office of 
Special Projects, or OSP, representing the vanguard of the agency's 
counterespionage efforts. The following year, Rod was named the Special 
Agent in Charge of OSP, and set about to make his impact felt. He 
applied his vision and leadership to the OSP mission, ultimately 
evolving the unit far beyond original expectations. In addition to 
enjoying success in several significant espionage cases, Rod's unit 
applied its specialized training to a broad range of other 
investigative and operational activities, including counterterrorism 
operations, counternarcotics initiatives, and ``cold case'' homicide 
efforts. The successes achieved in these endeavors have earned OSP 
accolades from across the law enforcement and counterintelligence 
communities.
  Mr. Speaker, Rod Miller has served our nation with distinction for 32 
years--first in the uniform of an Air Force airman, and then in the 
ranks of federal law enforcement with NCIS. His is a record to be 
admired. I hope that the occasion of Rod's retirement from NCIS this 
November will give all of us pause to consider the many contributions 
and sacrifices of our nation's law enforcement professionals. On behalf 
of all Americans, I wish him ``fair winds and following seas'' as he 
pursues the next stage in his life--returning to Linton with his wife 
of 34 years, to join his three children and three grandchildren there--
after a long, successful, and distinguished career in service to the 
United States of America.

                          ____________________