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2014 SESSION

14104853D
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 139
Offered February 26, 2014
Commending Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr.
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Patron-- Rust
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WHEREAS, Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr., a longtime official of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who led the agency’s operational component through a period of great tension in the years following the September 11, 2001, attacks, has served the Commonwealth and the nation with honor, distinction, and courage; and

WHEREAS, a native of Puerto Rico, Jose Rodriguez earned a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the University of Florida before beginning a 31-year career with the CIA in 1976; and

WHEREAS, Jose Rodriguez was a key leader in the Latin American Division of the Directorate of Operations during the Cold War, where he facilitated the gathering and dissemination of critical intelligence related to counter-narcotics operations, communist insurgencies, and Operation Just Cause, often in conditions of personal danger; and

WHEREAS, assigned to postings in Latin America, Jose Rodriguez served in El Salvador, Panama, and as a Chief of Station in Mexico and was later promoted to Chief of the Latin American Division; and

WHEREAS, immediately following the September 11 attacks, Jose Rodriguez was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center and became Director of the Center in 2002, using his knowledge and expertise to guide operations and targeting analyses in the hunt for Al-Qaeda operatives; and

WHEREAS, from 2004 to 2007, Jose Rodriguez led the agency’s operational component, serving as the Deputy Director for Operations, which became the Director of the National Clandestine Service during his tenure, requiring operational judgment, courage, and devotion to duty of the highest order; and

WHEREAS, after his retirement from the CIA, Jose Rodriguez remained active in national security matters, joining a security consulting firm in Fairfax and publishing a book on the Agency’s efforts to identify, capture, and acquire intelligence from key Al-Qaeda leaders; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, That Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr., hereby be commended for his decades of devoted service to the Commonwealth and the nation; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr., as an expression of the House of Delegates’ admiration for his visionary leadership and respect for his achievements, service, and sacrifices.