[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.
____________________