[Congressional Record: July 29, 2010 (Senate)]
[Page S6515]
TRIBUTE TO MICHAEL J. SULICK
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I wish to recognize and pay
tribute to Mr. Michael J. Sulick, Director of the National Clandestine
Service of the Central Intelligence Agency, who will retire tomorrow,
July 30, 2010. Mr. Sulick's career spans over 30 years in the CIA
during which he distinguished himself as a patriot, leader, and friend
of the U.S. Senate. Mike Sulick also served as a marine in Vietnam from
1968 to 1969.
It is a rare opportunity to pay tribute publicly to one of the men
and women who serve beyond the front lines, working in secret to
protect and serve the Nation. Having ``come in from the cold,'' I am
pleased to be able to say a few words about Mike.
A New York native, Mr. Sulick graduated from Fordham University in
1971 with a B.A. degree in Russian language/literature and continued at
the University to earn a M.A. in Russian language/literature in 1972.
In 1977, he received a doctorate in comparative literature from City
University of New York, NY.
During his career, Mike served more than 11 years abroad in Asia,
Latin America, Poland, and Russia, where he was able to use his
language fluency of Spanish, Polish, and Russian. In headquarters
assignments, he served as Chief of Liaison in the Office of
Congressional Affairs, Chief of Central Eurasia Division, Chief of
Counterintelligence, and as the Deputy Director and later as Director
of the National Clandestine Service.
Mr. Sulick retired from the CIA as the Deputy Director of the
National Clandestine Service in 2004. In 2007, Mike heeded the call of
service when he was asked by the CIA Director, GEN Michael Hayden, and
his Deputy Director, Steve Kappes, to rejoin the Agency. He has been
the head of the clandestine service for the past 3 years.
In this capacity, he had frequent interaction with Senators and staff
of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. His professionalism,
mature judgment, sage advice, and interpersonal skills earned him the
respect and confidence of the committee. His sound judgment, courage,
and candor also directly contributed to his successful representation
of the CIA's interests before the committee and Congress.
Throughout his career, Mike Sulick demonstrated a profound commitment
to our Nation, a selfless service to the CIA, a deep concern for Agency
officers and their families, and a commitment to excellence. Mike is a
consummate professional whose performance, in over 30 years of service,
has personified those traits of courage, competency, and integrity that
our Nation has come to expect and so desperately needs from its
professional intelligence officers.
Mr. President, I ask my colleagues to join me in thanking Mr. Mike
Sulick for his honorable service to the Central Intelligence Agency and
the people of the U.S. and also thanking Mike's wife Shirley for her
support and understanding, as well as her sacrifices in allowing Mike
to selflessly commit himself to protecting our Nation.
We wish Mike and Shirley Sulick all the best in the future.
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